Famous Replicas of Greek and Roman Architecture in the USA
The Pantheon – Nashville, Tennessee
The Pantheon in Nashville, Tennessee, is a full-scale replica of the original Pantheon in Rome, Italy. They built it as part of the Parthenon Centennial Celebration in 1897, which marked 100 years since Tennessee became a state.
The building is located in Centennial Park, a large urban park in the heart of Nashville. It was designed by the American architect William Crawford Smith and is made of brick, stone, and reinforced concrete.
The exterior of the building replicates the original Pantheon, with a portico of 44 Corinthian columns, each 36 feet tall, supporting a triangular pediment. The interior of the building is an open rotunda, 142 feet in diameter and 65 feet tall, with a large central dome that is 97 feet in diameter.
Inside the rotunda, visitors can see a replica of the famous statue of Athena Parthenos, which was originally housed in the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. They made the replica in Nashville of plaster and stands 42 feet tall, making it one of the largest indoor statues in the world.
Today, they use the Pantheon in Nashville as an art museum and cultural center, hosting a range of exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year. It is also a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the world who come to see this impressive replica of one of the world’s most famous ancient buildings.
