A long-anticipated transformation of Fort Negley Park is now officially underway, marking what city leaders call a once-in-a-generation opportunity to preserve, reinterpret, and reconnect one of Nashville’s most historically significant landscapes.

Metro Parks and the Friends of Fort Negley recently kicked off Phase One construction with a briefing and renewal celebration at the 64-acre site, located just south of downtown between Interstate 65, CSX rail lines, and the neighborhoods of Chestnut and Bass Streets. The $11 million Phase One project is expected to take 12 to 14 months, with completion anticipated in early 2027.

Fort Negley, constructed beginning in August 1862 and largely completed by December of that year, was built primarily by an African American workforce of approximately 5,000 laborers—many of whom were underfed, underpaid, and forced to work under harsh conditions. After the Civil War, formerly enslaved people and United States Colored Troops settled nearby, forming some of Nashville’s earliest Black neighborhoods, including Rocktown, Bass Street, and Edgehill. Those communities were later displaced during interstate construction and urban renewal efforts in the 1960s.

Today, the master plan guiding the park’s rehabilitation seeks to tell that fuller story.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell described the project as both preservation and progress. “Today we take an important step forward in preserving our history and embracing our identity,” he said. “Here we honor the descendants of the Bass Community and the many people who battled to elevate their story. We’re reclaiming a site of battle and bondage for a different, brighter future.”

The broader master plan for Fort Negley is rooted in three guiding principles: preserve and maintain the site, reveal and honor its full history, and reconnect and engage the public locally, regionally, and nationally. In its current condition, city officials acknowledged the park has struggled with under-maintenance, incomplete interpretation of its history (particularly the story of the Bass Street Community) and physical disconnection from surrounding neighborhoods.

Phase One addresses several of those concerns directly. Planned improvements include:

• Archaeological investigation at the historic Bass Street Community site, with professional archaeologists monitoring all work;

• A public history component and a large-scale mural by a local artist;

• Removal of former Greer Stadium parking lots and restoration of the eastern hillside with native grasses;

• Relocation of the park’s primary entrance from Fort Negley Boulevard to Chestnut Street;

• Construction of a new memorial lawn and contemplative plaza, connected to the Visitor Center by a grand staircase and promenade;

• Accessibility enhancements and a new overlook structure at the fort;

• Expanded educational, interpretive, and way finding installations throughout the site.

Dr. Learotha Williams, Davidson County Historian and Tennessee State University professor, emphasized the importance of the new memorial lawn. “This project and specifically the new memorial lawn will honor all those who came here during the Civil War and, through their service and sacrifice, compelled the city and the nation to redefine citizenship and the meaning of freedom in America,” he said.

Benjamin Eagles, president of Friends of Fort Negley, called the groundbreaking a pivotal moment. “Today marks a new chapter for Fort Negley Park,” he said. “We’re grateful for the city’s investment to honor Fort Negley’s full history and strengthen the park as a place to reflect and gather for generations to come.”

Beyond Phase One, the larger master plan envisions rehabilitation of historic stonework dating to both the Civil War and WPA eras, expanded interpretive nodes across the site, new pathways connecting previously disparate areas of the park, and potential greenway links to Nashville’s broader trail system. Long-term plans also include a new interpretive center and additional educational spaces in a future phase.

Metro Parks Director Monique Horton Odom underscored the broader civic importance of the effort. “This project reflects our commitment to preserving history while ensuring this space remains accessible, educational, and welcoming to all Nashvillians,” she said. “As our city continues to grow and evolve, protecting places like this becomes even more important. They ground us. They challenge us. And they connect us to one another.”

Archaeological work has been conducted at Fort Negley for more than four decades, and no evidence of remaining graves has been found. However, Metro Parks and Friends of Fort Negley have pledged to honor any findings uncovered during the current investigation.

Situated near the Nashville City Cemetery, E.S. Rose Park, and Reservoir Park, Fort Negley occupies a central place in Nashville’s physical and cultural landscape. With construction now underway, city leaders say the goal is clear: to transform the park into an open-air museum of national significance: a landscape that speaks honestly about Civil War history, Reconstruction, urban renewal, and the ongoing struggle for social and environmental equity.

As the first phase progresses, Fort Negley stands poised to evolve from a largely overlooked historic site into a fully realized space of memory, reflection, and reconnection for Nashville and beyond.