NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County will celebrate the launch of a new virtual and audio walking tour: “City Hall and Public Square” at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, April 19, 2026, on the steps of the Historic Courthouse & City Hall (*Weather Permitting*).
Hosted on the free digital platform NashvilleSites.org, the tour offers residents and visitors an inside look at one of the city’s most impressive civic spaces. It explores how the history of the Davidson County Courthouse and the Public Square reflect the city’s growth and evolving democratic life, from 18th and 19th Century wooden and brick buildings to the 1937 Art Deco limestone design that brought all branches of local government together under one roof. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and houses the Office of the Mayor, the Metropolitan Council, and X/number of court rooms.
“As someone who has given many a tour and numerous civic education presentations within this building, I am so pleased to see this tour go from concept to completion,” shared Vice Mayor Angie Emery Henderson. “Nashville Sites will help more Nashvillians access our city’s history.”
Developed by a collaborative team of historians, graduate students and interns, the tour features narration by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Vice Mayor Angie Emery Henderson. It is the first Nashville Sites tour offered in all three of Nashville’s most spoken languages: English, Spanish, and Arabic. The Spanish version was translated and narrated by Belmont Honors student Daniela Barranco Cornejo, and the Arabic version was edited by Belmont Honors student Roua Mohamed and narrated by her mother.
“Through Nashville Sites, we’re bringing the stories of City Hall and Public Square to life in ways that are accessible, engaging and rooted in strong historical research,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, Nashville Sites Executive Director. “This tour connects people to the civic spaces where Nashville’s democratic history has unfolded and makes that history available to a wide audience.”
April 19 marks a significant date in Nashville history. On April 19, 1960, after a bomb destroyed the home of civil rights attorney Z. Alexander Looby, more than 3,000 demonstrators marched silently down Jefferson Street to the courthouse to confront then-Mayor Ben West about escalating racial violence. The protest became a pivotal moment in Nashville’s Civil Rights Movement, and many of its organizers later emerged as national leaders.
“We honor Z. Alexander Looby through this new Nashville Sites tour. He was a member of Metro Council from 1951 to 1971, but above all he was an intellectual giant. Looby was our warrior, and America's courts were his battlefield. Many of the rights and privileges we enjoy today are the result of his unwavering devotion to the cause of equality,” said Dr. Learotha Williams, Jr., Davidson County Historian, TSU professor, and Nashville Sites Director of Public History.
Nashville Sites is a free, expert-curated digital platform offering more than 45 self-guided walking, driving and virtual tours exploring Nashville’s history and culture. Users can access tours on any device without downloading an app. Each experience combines narrative, historic images and interactive maps to illuminate the people, places and events that have shaped the city. Tours span architecture, neighborhoods, civil rights history, music and lesser-known stories from Nashville’s past.
The City Hall and Public Square tour expands Nashville Sites’ growing catalog of experiences designed to make local history accessible to audiences near and far. The platform is a signature project of the Nashville Historical Foundation in partnership with the Metro Historical Commission.
*In the event of inclement weather, the celebration will take place inside the Historic Courthouse and City Hall on the second floor mezzanine.
ABOUT THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
The Metropolitan Council is the legislative authority of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, the nation’s first, fully consolidated city-county government, established in 1963. The Vice Mayor serves as the president of the Council, which is comprised of 35 district members and five members serving at-large.
Metropolitan Council Office | Nashville.gov
ABOUT NASHVILLE SITES
Nashville Sites is a free, interactive storytelling platform that brings the city’s history to life through curated walking and driving tours. The platform offers tours in multiple languages covering civil rights, music, architecture, neighborhoods, and cultural history. For more information, visit nashvillesites.org.
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