Nashville Fairgrounds
The Nashville Fairgrounds, also known as The Fairgrounds Nashville and the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, is an entertainment complex in
History
The fairgrounds originally opened in 1891 as a
On September 20, 1965, a fire on the opening night of the fair destroyed four buildings and caused $10 million in damage.[4][5]
The fairgrounds were re-branded as The Fairgrounds Nashville in 2015, in an attempt to lure more events.[6]
Sports Arena
The Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena is on the grounds of the Nashville Fairgrounds. It is also known by the nickname the TNA Asylum due to the venue hosting Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now
The building was constructed in 1922, by workers from South Dakota. The building was originally a flea market. It was operated throughout the 1960s and 1970s by promoter Nick Gulas as a professional wrestling venue.
After taping their initial shows in the
After debuting
On October 6, 2009 it was announced that the Nashville Mayor Karl Dean would be closing down the Tennessee State Fairgrounds at the end of June 2010.[7]
On November 12, 2010, TNA Wrestling returned to the Asylum for a one last
On January 29, 2011, there was a "Tribute to the Fairgrounds" pro wrestling event, highlighting many of the Memphis-area wrestling legends who helped make the arena famous, with the main event being Jerry "The King" Lawler vs "Superstar" Bill Dundee in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,700.
Beginning in 2012, Crossfire Entertainment used the Sports Arena for their live events. They hosted "Tribute to the Fairgrounds" events before the proposed demolition, but later used it as a primary location for their shows. On August 4, 2012, Crossfire Wrestling announced TV production would return to the Nashville Fairgrounds Sports Arena, thanks to Paramount Pictures, as they were to be hosting HD/3D TV Tapings there. To add on to this, Crossfire was to be the first professional wrestling organization to be shot in 3D. On February 17, 2013, Crossfire Wrestling announced that they had to cease operations, leaving the venue empty for the time being.[10]
On September 6, 2013, TCW Wrestling's "Tennessee Takeover" was held at the Sports Arena, which was the first event held in the arena since January 2013. On June 22, 2014, the first-ever live televised pay-per-view for Ring of Honor, Best in the World 2014, was held at the venue.
On October 21, 2018, the
The venue hosted the Starrcast wrestling convention in July 2022.[12]
Redevelopment
In 2009, Mayor Karl Dean announced the Metro government's intention to redevelop the fairgrounds into a mixed-use neighborhood, displacing the state fair amid financial struggles.[13] Opposition to the closure prompted a citywide referendum in August 2011 that would amend the Metro charter to continue existing activities at the fairgrounds site. The amendment was passed by over 70 percent of voters.[14][15]
In 2016, mayor Megan Barry proposed demolishing several buildings on the fairgrounds to make way for community parks and soccer fields. The plan, which also included a new soccer stadium for the new Nashville SC, was accused of displacing the fair[16][17] although Metro Nashville maintains that there would still be adequate space for the fair.[18] However, after not hosting the fair in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced in May 2021 that the fair would be moved to the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Tennessee, and held in conjunction with the Wilson County Fair in mid-August, earlier than the traditional September date.[19]
References
- ^ Morris, Chuck. "Mayor Cooper, Bristol Motor Speedway reach deal to renovate Fairgrounds race track". WSMV Nashville. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- ^ ISBN 0-9755646-7-6. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ "Tennessee State Fairgrounds Master Plan – Phase 1" (PDF). Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. February 18, 2013. p. 3. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Bliss, Jessica (September 11, 2015). "TN State Fair survived epic fire in 1965". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Garrison, Joey (March 23, 2015). "Tennessee State Fairgrounds re-brands with new name". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ "Mayor's statement puts an end to State Fair". The City Paper. 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
- ^ Goodman, Larry (2010-11-13). "TNA house show report 11-12 Nashville". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (2011-01-23). "Former TNA Asylum to Be Kept Open". 411Mania. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
- ^ "Crossfire Wrestling Gone". PWInsider.com. 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
- ^ "IMPACT Wrestling Announces 'Homecoming' PPV For January 6th In Nashville, Tennessee – Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "Starrcast 2022: Time, Channel and How to Watch Ric Flair's Last Match".
- ^ Cass, Michael (September 19, 2009). "Fair's future in air as Metro bails out". The Tennessean. p. 11A. Retrieved December 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Garrison, Joey (August 4, 2011). "Fairgrounds referendum rolls". The City Paper. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ "Fairgrounds referendum draws voters in Nashville". WSMV. Associated Press. August 4, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Garrison, Joey (August 9, 2016). "Mayor's office unveils $15M plan to upgrade Nashville fairgrounds". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Garrison, Joey (June 28, 2017). "After more than 100 years, Tennessee State Fair might leave Nashville's fairgrounds". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ WVLT. "Tennessee State Fair looking for a new home". www.wvlt.tv. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
- ^ "Tennessee State Fair Debuts New 2021 Location".