Living in a home in Nashville, residents almost take the rich history and culture for granted.  Sometimes it takes the enthusiasm of newcomers to Nashville TN real estate to remind old timers to revisit cultural attractions like Athena Parthenos at the Parthenon.  The illustrious full-scale replica of the ancient Parthenon, a highlight of the diverse historic architecture present in real estate in Nashville, was erected in the city in the 1920s.  The almost exact replica of the building in Greece, however, was missing an important piece:  the colossal statue of Athena. 

How the Parthenon wooed Athena inside is indeed an exciting story worth telling to everyone who comes visiting to your new home in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Hendersonville, Oak Hill, Forest Hills, Belle Meade, Green Hills, Belmont, Waverly Belmont, Hillsboro village, Belle Rive, Cool Springs, Grassland, Vanderbilt, Natchez Trace, Abbottsford, Crieve, Hall, Golden Triangle, Lipscomb, Sylvan Park, McGavock Farms, Princeton Hills, Brentmeade, Westhaven, West Meade, Midtown, Northumberland—did we miss any place?

In 1982, the city commissioned Alan LeQuire to build a full-scale replica of Athena Parthenos.  He won the commission over a pool of six others who submitted proposals.  The commission was impressed with LeQuire’s commitment to accuracy and his level of skill.  A native of the city, he attended Vanderbilt University and the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.

The sculptor set out to find documentation about the statue of antiquity and sought counsel from modern classical scholars for the most recent archaeological information.  Since the gold and ivory statue was gone by 400 A.D., the information available is brief.  He did learn about Pheidias, the great sculptor of classical antiquity who constructed the Athena Parthenos.  Pheidias used a wooden framework with carved ivory for skin and a gold wardrobe. 

The masterpiece was unveiled and dedicated in 438 or 437 B.C. based on the building accounts of the temple.  Today on the Acropolis, the outline of Athena’s base is visible on the floor of the Parthenon.  Ancient authors also told of the Athena statue.  The goddess appears on Athenian coins of the second and first centuries B.C.  Romans copied the statue in smaller versions. 

After extensive studying, LeQuire created two small-scale versions of the statue out of clay.  The first was a 1:10 model and the next on a 1:5 scale.  He took the second model and spent three years enlarging and casting a full-size version.  Athena was cast out of gypsum cement in many molds and then assembled inside the Parthenon where each section was attached to a steel armature.

From beginning to end, the project took from 1982 to 1990.  To finance the project, interested citizens created the Athena Fund.  Everyone from private donors to businesses to school children helped to raise the necessary funds.

Athena stood as a white statue until 2002.  At that time, LeQuire and master gilder Lou Reed headed a gilding project that took less than four months.  The gilding and painting details on her face, wardrobe and shield are fitting for Athena Parthenos who stands 41 feet and 10 inches tall.  She weighs approximately 12 tons. 

The statue of Nike in Athena’s right hand is itself 6 feet 4 inches tall.  The goddess of victory is poised with a wreath of victory preparing to crown Athena—certainly a victory for our most illustrious city.

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