Booze

Few tourists makes for low taxes and that does not a happy city make.

Booze! When you think of Lower Broadway and perhaps Nashville as a whole, you think of the swarms of people who have had perhaps a little too much booze to drink. People flock to 5 blocks of downtown to be remarkably overcharged for domestic drafts and well drinks while a country up and comer plays a song for them.

Lower Broad as we have come to know it is a relatively recent phenomenon. Although the buildings themselves have been there since the late 19th century and bars opened shortly after, the culture back then was completely unrecognizable. Booze fueled the growth and change of our iconic entertainment district.

Broadway and downtown in general was an area of commerce and business going back to the foundation of the city, and during the early to mid 20th century, Broadway served as a district for shopping, mainly consisting of feed and hardware stores. Beyond its de facto purpose, there is another reason very important reason that entertainment had no place there: Prohibition!

Being in the Bible belt has had a tremendous impact on social development in Tennessee and Nashville. Prohibition passed on a federal level in 1920 with the ratification of the 18th Amendment but began years earlier in Tennessee. The General Assembly passed two pieces of legislation in 1909 that began the process of completely banning alcoholic consumption and production. The Governor of the time, Malcolm Patterson, vetoed both bills, but the Assembly easily overrode him. Although the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition in 1933, Tennessee was not about to allow the sin of alcohol to pollute its God-fearing people. Nashville had ended prohibition in 1939 making liquor itself legal; however, you still could not purchase it by the drink. Many bars skirted the law by finding loopholes, but the lack of legal drinks severely limited the tourism and conventions in Nashville. Few tourists makes for low taxes and that does not a happy city make. So, Mayor Bev Briley decided to do something about it. In 1967, just a few months before the election, he directed the police to shut down bars, and with the closure of the men’s bar at the Belle Meade Country Club, it was basically impossible to find a drink around the city. And so, liquor-by-the drink passed overwhelmingly and all was well again.

Courtesy of the Tennessee State Library and Archives

You may be wondering what sort of speakeasy scene Nashville had back in the dry times. Printer’s Alley was a hub of illicit activity during Prohibition. Early in the Prohibition, the city overlooked the activities taking place with Mayor Hilary Howse known to frequent some establishments in the Alley. Al Capone even moved liquor there on his organization’s route between Chicago and Florida.

With bars able to operate normally and the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman popular as ever, Lower Broad flourished. Tourists flocked to the city and tax revenue began to flow. But, when the Opry left the Ryman in 1974, Lower Broad began to decline, and it became a not-so pleasant place to be at night. In addition to the furniture and hardware stores, liquor stores and adult entertainment became commonplace. Lower Broad continued to be a sketchy place for many years until 1996 when a renaissance began.

Nashville changed in 1996. Bridgestone Arena, known then as the Nashville Arena, opened and work began on Nissan Stadium. The Arena became the cornerstone for the new Lower Broad. It began to be cleaned up and its transformation led to the district we know it as today.