NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Jefferson Street is getting a major makeover in the coming years aimed at bringing the corridor back to its former glory as a bustling hub for Black excellence.
The Jefferson Street Corridor Study, part of the city’s Choose How You Move initiative, will look to improve pedestrian infrastructure like sidewalks and street crossings and add more green space in the area.
“In many ways, we’re recapturing the essence of what Jefferson Street has always been,” said Timothy Hughes, president of the Nashville branch of the NAACP and member of the Community Advisory board for the Jefferson Street project. “This is a way of trying to address some of the systemic and historic harm that has happened in this North Nashville community and make sure that the voices of those who are in the community really get centered in the conversation.”
Jefferson Street has historically been the center of Black excellence in Nashville, hosting performances from stars like Jimi Hendrix and Etta James at iconic clubs and providing a hub for Black entrepreneurship and business over the years.
“Nashville’s Black Wall Street pretty much is what Jefferson Street is in a lot of ways,” Jefferson Street business owner John Otey IV told WSMV. “You have Meharry, TSU, as well as Fisk, all next to each other, like, kind of fostering that sort of environment of high capability African American talent.”
But in the 1960s, the North Nashville neighborhood was split when the Tennessee Department of Transportation built the city’s brand new Interstate 40 right through the middle of it all.
“It kind of basically split the community in half and had everybody else that was bringing all this new traffic to Nashville drive over us instead of through us or visiting us, and you can kind of see it in the decline of Jefferson Street as that area of black commerce,” Otey said.
But now, the city is investing in bringing that commerce back to the area by making it more accessible and inviting for patrons and residents.
“I think that Jefferson Street does have a lot of potential for a lot of foot traffic,” Otey said. “I know a lot of the businesses up and down the street, the black businesses included, would enjoy some more foot traffic. It’s a lot of untapped potential with not as many people walking up and down the street spending money.”
The Jefferson Street Corridor Study team worked with local business owners and community leaders to draft a plan for the changes they’d like to make including adding parks, crosswalks, better sidewalks, and more.
They’re currently in the public input phase of the design process and are asking community members to weigh in on the draft plan.
“We know 100 folks a day are coming to Nashville, but we want to make sure that those who are already here, who have been living on this street and in this corridor for generations, feel valued and appreciated and feel like this development is actually happening for them and not just to them,” Hughes said.
The public can share their input through the online survey, and the group will hold virtual open houses on June 4 and 9.
The final design is scheduled to be set by 2028 with construction starting in 2029.
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