WGNS Radio, August 14, 2018
The Tennessee State Museum is scheduled to open to the public on Thursday, October 4, 2018 at its new location on the corner of Rosa Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Grand opening events will take place throughout the weekend.
The Museum hosted its final event in its former location in the James K. Polk building in early May. Throughout the summer, artifacts and exhibitions are being installed in the new location.
For over 35 years, the Tennessee State Museum, one of the oldest and largest state museums in the nation, has been confined to the lower levels of the James K. Polk State Office Building.
In 2015, Gov. Bill Haslam proposed, and the Tennessee General Assembly appropriated $120 million to build a new home for the museum with the additional funding to complete the project to be raised in private contributions. To date, more than $30 million in private donations have been raised, and the construction of the new museum is running on time and on budget.
The former Tennessee State Museum hosted approximately 115,000 visitors each year. The new museum, which is located on the northwest corner of the Bicentennial Mall in Nashville, is expected to host more than 220,000 visitors annually.