If not, maybe these do: the Parthenon, the Sparkman Street Bridge (now the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge), the Bennie-Dillon Building, or even the Nashville Predators. Still nothing? Then I may not be able to help you. But if at least one sounds familiar, stick with me—I'll tell you how they're all connected thanks to the Foster & Creighton Construction Company.
On the intro labels of the exhibit we put together about the company and their work, this is the vital information about the company...
"Founded in 1885, Foster & Creighton was a family-owned construction company that spanned four generations. The partnership between former City Engineer Wilbur Fisk Foster and Robert T. Creighton began with engineering, street work, and foundation construction, leaving a lasting imprint on Nashville's skyline and infrastructure."
But Foster & Creighton's work wasn’t limited to Nashville—or even to Tennessee. As their projects in Music City grew and their reputation spread, opportunities began popping up across the Southeast. Eventually, in the later years of the company, they even took on a job building a hospital in Saudi Arabia.
Though the company ceased operations in 1984, its legacy lives on—and even expanded beyond construction into civil engineering. Many of its projects are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a few are even celebrating their 100th anniversaries this year! Check out some of them below.
One of the most iconic structures in Nashville, the Parthenon in Centennial Park was both constructed and later rebuilt by Foster & Creighton. Robert Thomas Creighton oversaw the construction of all the buildings on the Centennial grounds for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition.
Because the exposition buildings were intended to be temporary, the original Parthenon was built in plaster, with Foster & Creighton constructing the stone foundation. Years later, when the building was still standing—though rapidly deteriorating—the city and its citizens decided it deserved a permanent place in Nashville’s future. So who got the job to rebuild it in concrete? You guessed it: Foster & Creighton.
According to one of the company's portfolios/company retrospective...
"Through careful planning and skilled workmanship, the company's construction team was able to duplicate the intricate dimensions of the original Temple to a tolerance of 1/8th of an inch."
And according to the book written by Wilbur F. Creighton, Jr. telling the company's story...
"Because of their association with this building that typifies architectural beauty and enduring construction, the Parthenon has appropriately become the emblem of Foster and Creighton."
Named after George Bennie (a businessman and former president of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce) and William Wesley Dillon (a prominent real estate developer), the building at the intersection of 7th Avenue North and Church Street still stands today. The 12-story structure, which now houses residential condos, began as a joint project of Bennie and Dillon. Sadly, Bennie passed away before construction began in 1925, but Dillon carried the project forward.
As you might expect in a Foster & Creighton blog post, they were the ones who built it. The building was designed by the Nashville architectural firm Asmus and Clark in the Renaissance Revival style, featuring ornate glazed terra cotta detailing. Completed around 1927, it was one of Nashville’s earliest skyscrapers. Over the years, it housed various businesses—including W.W. Dillon and Company—when it functioned as an office building.
The Bennie-Dillon Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
While the construction of this building was important—like all of their projects—what truly makes it significant to Nashville history (especially if you’re a hockey fan) is what was discovered during the process. While digging the foundation for the future First American National Bank, workers uncovered the skeleton of a sabertooth cat inside a cave beneath the site.
This remarkable find led to an archaeological excavation, a radiocarbon analysis of the bones, and ultimately, a redesign of the building’s lower level to preserve the cave remains—which still lie beneath the parking garage today. It also inspired the name of Nashville’s professional hockey team: the Nashville Predators.
Today, the building is now the UBS Tower located at 315 Deaderick Street.
If the nickname "Athens of the South" was inspired by the Parthenon and the city’s strong presence of colleges and universities, then the Foster & Creighton Company were the builders who helped bring that nickname to life.
From Fisk University to Vanderbilt—and across campuses throughout the Southeast—the Foster & Creighton Company built an impressive portfolio of college projects, especially student housing. Here are a few of those buildings:
The Creighton Collection includes 32 Hollinger boxes of materials, ranging from business papers to countless photographs. Needless to say, there’s no shortage of evidence showcasing the company’s work. But I’ll stop here and just say—if you're craving more Foster & Creighton details, come check out our exhibit, Building Music City: Foster & Creighton's Nashville in the Making.
The collection is housed at the Main Library (not in offsite storage), so it’s readily available for anyone interested in viewing the records.
'Til next time,
Sarah
