Project Team Announced for New Tennessee State Museum

Experts assembled to create a state-of-the-art facility to tell Tennessee’s story

NASHVILLE – November 13, 2015 – Rep. Steve McDaniel (R-Parkers Crossroads), chairman of the Douglas Henry State Museum Commission, today announced the team of experts that will be responsible for the design, development and construction of the new Tennessee State Museum, which is scheduled to break ground in the spring of 2016.

The project team includes:
• Compass Partners, LLC - project manager
• EOA Architects, PLLC – architect
• HGA – architect
• Turner – construction manager and general contractor
• Gallagher & Associates (G&A) – exhibit designer

“The team of experts we’ve been able to assemble for this project is a testament to the excitement around a new, state-of-the-art museum to capture Tennessee’s rich history and look ahead to our bright future,” McDaniel said. “This team represents a good mix of homegrown talent and international expertise, and putting a group of this caliber together is a critical first step in ensuring a great museum for our state.”

Based in Nashville, Compass Partners is a full-service facility development, planning consultancy, project management and owner representative firm with a diverse client portfolio that spans the entire country. Compass has extensive experience with every aspect of project management, pre-construction services and project supervision.

The team of EOA/HGA Architects will serve as building architects for the project and provide proven experience in project delivery and on numerous high profile Tennessee and national projects that have made a significant impact. The combination of EOA’s local experience and HGA’s experience from across the country will combine to create a museum for the future that honors Tennessee’s past.

Turner is a North America-based, international construction services company that has been in Nashville for 40 years. During that time, Turner has played a significant role in Nashville’s development including 14 buildings on Vanderbilt University’s Medical Center Campus, numerous buildings and renovations on the St. Thomas Hospital campus, the Juvenile Court building, the Nashville Airport Terminal Complex, Luton Community Mental Health Center, and the Andrew Johnson and Davy Crockett state government office buildings.

G&A has designed some of the world’s most memorable visitor experiences branching from a long-standing relationship with the Smithsonian Institution, to high-profile projects in Asia and Europe. With offices in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco and Singapore, the firm has collaborated globally with clients on projects such as the National World War II Museum, the National Gallery Singapore, and the New Mexico History Museum, gaining international acclaim for its leadership in the field of museum planning and experience design. G&A has extensive expertise in creating experiences that promote regional tourism, link tourism and instigate urban redevelopment.

About The New Tennessee State Museum:

Gov. Bill Haslam proposed, and the Tennessee General Assembly approved, $120 million in the FY-2015-16 budget to build a new home for the Tennessee State Museum on the Bicentennial Mall to maximize the state’s rich history by creating a state-of-the-art educational asset and tourist attraction for the state. The governor also announced that $40 million would be raised in private funds for the project.

The Tennessee State Museum was established by law in 1937 “to bring together the various collections of articles, specimens, and relics now owned by the State under one divisional head,” and “to provide for a transfer of exhibits wherever they may be.”

Today, the Tennessee State Museum is housed in the James K. Polk Cultural Center building in downtown Nashville, where it has been located for nearly 35 years.

A 130,000 square foot facility is planned to be built on the northwest corner of the Bicentennial Mall at the corner of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Jefferson Street to tell Tennessee’s story in a way that the museum is unable to do in its current and outdated location. The new building will provide a more appropriate showcase for the institution's one-of-a-kind artifacts, art and historical documents in an interactive and engaging manner.

For further information contact:
Mary Skinner
Community & Media Relations Officer
Direct: 615-253-0103
Mary.Skinner@tn.gov