Masonry Magazine September 1974 Page. 8
Attractive landscaping adds to the over-all pleasant surroundings of The Grand Old Opry complex. Thanks to judicious site-planning, most of the oaks, elms and black gum trees, some of which soar 50 feet, were saved from the bulldozer for everyone's enjoyment.
THE GRAND OLE OPRY
Nashville, Tennessee
Architect: Welton Becket & Associates
General Contractor: W.F. Holt & Sons
Mason Contractor: Elliott & McIntosh (MCAA)
Photography: Gordon H. Schenck, Jr.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Grand Ole Opry has a new house to call a home! Recalling the honest, country origin of the Nashville "sound," the new 4,423-seat Grand Ole Opry House presents a bold design that combines the traditional regional materials of brick and wood with textured concrete.
Totally designed by the national architectural and engineering firm of Welton Becket and Associates, the $15 million Opry House contains the most advanced and sophisticated audio-visual equipment to be found in a facility of this type. While primarily designed as the new home for The Grand Ole Opry, the two-level building also represents the world's largest radio and television broadcasting studio. It will accommodate independent and network productions as well as road shows, conventions, and theatrical productions of all sizes.
The Grand Ole Opry House is the focal point of the $40 million Opryland, U.S.A., a 369-acre complex devoted to entertainment, recreation, broadcasting and convention activities. Opryland, which opened last year, is located between Briley Parkway and the Cumberland River near Mae-Gavock Pike, some 10 miles northeast of downtown Nashville and six miles north of Nashville Municipal Airport. WSM, Inc., a subsidiary of National Life and Accident Insurance Co. and NLT Corp., owns and operates The Grand Ole Opry.
The Opry today encompasses 200 years of American music tradition and history. Its stars currently rank among the giants of the entertainment industry; their records sell regularly in the tens of millions. Country and Western music has emerged in the past few years alongside jazz as a pure American cultural art form.
Recognizing the surge in popularity of The Grand Ole Opry and the growth of tourism in Nashville, especially in the past five years, National Life made the decision to create Opryland, U.S.A., and to replace the aging Ryman Auditorium with a modern facility for The Opry. Nearly one million people attend the Opry each year.
MacDonald Becket, AIA, president of Welton Becket & Associates, explained the architectural and planning concept of the new Opry House: "Opry fans have come to expect a warm feeling of friendly informality. To them,