In the early 1900’s there were car factories springing up everywhere in America. If you built bicycles or horse carriages you were likely to become a automobile manufacturer.
Marathon Village, located in Nashville TN, is a neighborhood born out of the buildings that once housed Marathon Motor Works (1910-1914). The company started in Jackson, Tennessee in 1907. It was the first factory to totally manufacture automobiles in the southern United States and the only one to do so until General Motors made the Saturn in 1990.
Beginning with the purchase of his first Nashville building in 1986, owner Barry Walker has supported a thriving creative community and made a center for commercial, performing, and visual arts. He designed a plan to preserve the historical and architectural significance of each space while creating a space for:
- Affordable work studios
- Unique retail shops
- Commercial artists
- Performing arts and Entertainment
- Food and drinks
- Event spaces for banquets, wedding receptions & parties
Marathon under restoration.
Serving as a model for adaptive re-purposing of historic structures, Marathon Village has become a diverse destination where artists, performers, designers, business professionals, and inventors co-exist. The first-floor retail experience is like no other that includes flagship stores from the History Channels’ American Pickers to legendary whiskey makers, Jack Daniels. In addition to shopping, there is the Marathon Motor Works museum showcasing five of the remaining eight Marathon vehicles located in the original MMW showroom. To see a full roster of shops, restaurants, and businesses in our village, click here!
