Courtesy The Hermitage
Plans for a $132 million redevelopment of The Hermitage, the 1,200 acre historic estate of former US President Andrew Jackson, will put much of a new 70,000 square foot visitor and education center underground to protect sightlines across the historic grounds. Located near Nashville, Tennessee, The Hermitage is a major presidential historic site holding roughly 800,000 artifacts and historic items. Jason Zajac, president and chief executive officer of the Andrew Jackson Foundation, spoke about the responsibility of managing the site in an official statement released alongside the announcement.
The Andrew Jackson Foundation announced the project, calling it a “generational transformation,” to replace the current visitor facilities built in 1989. Under the new site plan, called “Held by the Land,” the redevelopment will change visitor paths, add a new tree-lined entrance, build an outdoor amphitheater, and restore historic spaces across the property, according to coverage by Nashville public radio station WPLN News. Project organizers said the current facilities no longer meet the needs of daily operations or storage for the collection. It is a place where some of the most consequential and complicated chapters of American history unfolded,” Zajac said. “We have an immense responsibility to preserve this place while making sure the story we tell reflects the full history of the people who lived, worked and were enslaved here, as well as the nation shaped during Jackson’s lifetime and presidency.”
By placing large parts of the new complex underground, designers hope to keep views across the estate clear and help visitors feel like they’ve stepped back into the 19th century. Leaders of the Andrew Jackson Foundation approved the full master plan to shift the estate’s focus toward its natural surroundings. Putting the main education complex underground keeps modern buildings from towering over the fields and historic outbuildings nearby. “The Hermitage is more than a presidential home.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $132 million, with most of the money expected to come from private donations. Tennessee state lawmakers approved $6 million in funding to begin planning and early design work, as reported by WPLN News.
“The Hermitage is an important part of Tennessee’s history and helps tell the story of our state and our nation,” Lee said. Public support has already started at the state level. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee spoke in support of the project in a statement about the historic property’s educational value.