Attention sailors & veterans who served at Nashville's historic U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center 

Shelby Commons wants your stories!

HISTORICAL PHOTOS, VIDEO & NEW RENDERINGS AVAILABLE HERE 

NASHVILLE, TENN. - (November 11, 2024) - Beginning today, the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville and Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms invite anyone who served and trained at the former U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center in Nashville, Tenn. to share their stories to become part of the creation of Shelby Commons.  

Established in 1948 and decommissioned in 2009, the U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center at Shelby Park will be reimagined as Shelby Commons, a state-of-the-art community arts hub. Construction on the new center is now underway and is scheduled for completion in 2026. 

As plans continue to take shape for the interior design of the new building, Shelby Commons wants to honor those sailors who served there by telling their personal stories via photos, videos, interviews and more.  

Submissions will be accepted via the Shelby Commons website at ShelbyCommons.org. 

Background on Shelby Commons

In 2023, Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville announced a unique collaborative campaign to revitalize the U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center, a historic community asset located on the western entrance to Shelby Park and Bottoms, and to reimagine it as Shelby Commons, a new parks, arts, and cultural center for all of Nashville to experience. 

Shelby Commons, spanning 28,000 square ft, will offer East Nashville’s Shelby Park much-needed amenities, including food service, restrooms, theater space, art studios, recreation retail, and more. It will also serve as a gathering place for the creative community providing a space for connection and collaboration. For more information, visit ShelbyCommons.org. 

Media Contact:

Lisa Chader, The Change Agent·cy

lisa.chader@thechangeagentcy.com

615-428-7223