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apollonaut. Built by People Who've Been

Journal / History

History, music & heritage

A tabernacle for revivals.
A stage for country music.

The story of the Ryman Auditorium, from a gospel tabernacle opened in 1892 to the “Mother Church of Country Music”.

The Ryman Auditorium’s brick corner and long side wall lined with pointed windows on a grey day
The red-brick Ryman Auditorium, opened in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle.

A tabernacle for revivals

Thomas Ryman, a Nashville businessman who owned saloons and riverboats, was converted at an 1885 tent revival led by the evangelist Samuel Porter Jones. Ryman led the building of the Union Gospel Tabernacle, designed by Hugh Cathcart Thompson, which opened in 1892. At Ryman’s memorial service in 1904, Jones proposed that the building take his name.

The Ryman’s brick gable with its large arched window and white Gothic trim against a blue sky
The Ryman stage seen from the balcony, with curved wooden pews below and a red barn backdrop

A hall for the whole city

A balcony was added in 1897 and a stage in 1901, turning the tabernacle into a hall for performances as well as revivals. Lula C. Naff, who booked its performers, had become its manager by 1920.

The Mother Church of Country Music

The Grand Ole Opry was first broadcast from the Ryman on 5 June 1943 and stayed until 15 March 1974, earning the building its nickname. After a restoration it reopened on 4 June 1994, and in 2001 it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Curved rows of wooden pews in the Ryman balcony, with coloured glass windows along the wall and the stage beyond

Continue exploring

The Ryman stage seen from the balcony, with curved wooden pews below and a red barn backdropThe Mother ChurchThe Opry years at the Ryman.Curved rows of wooden pews in the Ryman balcony, with coloured glass windows along the wall and the stage beyondWhat to see on the tourThe hall, the stage and the exhibits.Plan your visit

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