A full-scale neoclassical replica of the Parthenon is located in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nashville’s Parthenon stands in Centennial Park, just west of downtown. Architect William Crawford Smith designed the replica for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, where the original structure was built in 1897. Although initially constructed as a temporary exhibition building, a permanent version was erected between 1925 and 1931.
The building reproduces the proportions and appearance of the ancient Greek temple in Athens, including sculptural decoration inspired by the Parthenon’s classical program. Its design reflects the late-19th-century enthusiasm for Greek and Roman models that helped shape Neoclassical architecture in the United States.
Today the Nashville Parthenon functions as an art museum and civic landmark. Its interior includes a monumental reconstruction of the Athena Parthenos statue, completed by sculptor Alan LeQuire in 1990. The museum also displays plaster casts related to the Parthenon Marbles. Nashville’s replica is therefore not merely a façade or miniature: it is a full-scale architectural recreation.