War Memorial Auditorium

Designed by Edward Dougherty, the 2,000-seat War Memorial Auditorium was completed in 1925. It received the highest award from the American Institute of Architects that same year. Featuring near-perfect acoustics, it was home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1939 until 1943. The auditorium would host the Opry again in 2010 when flooding caused the current Grand Ole Opry House to close for renovations. The auditorium’s courtyard displays tablets inscribed with names of Tennesseans killed in battle and a triumphant statue entitled “Youth” by Nashvillian Belle Kinney Scholz. A quote by President Woodrow Wilson is engraved over the entrance.