In July 2024, the Nashville Metropolitan Historical Commission approved the application for a historical marker to be erected where Primo Bartolini’s home once stood, at 511 5th Ave S (now 511, Rep. John Lewis Way).
Now that Primo Bartolini’s house – a unique example of architecture built on the site of Captain William Driver’s homestead– has been demolished in 2015 as part of the modernization of the ‘So.Bro.’ [South of Broadway] area and radical changes in its cityscape, a two-sided cast iron marker is important to memorialize not only Primo Bartolini but also a piece of urban history that would be otherwise lost forever.
The Primo Bartolini marker, placed in the vicinity of the one honoring Capt. Wiliam Driver, is also an important testimony of the transformation of Music City’s appearance over time. The plaque is tangible proof of the importance of preserving the memory of what may not be visible anymore yet contributed to shape the cultural fabric of a great American city.
