New Development, Transformation in Store for Nashville's Ever-Shifting Wedgewood Houston
written by molly davis
Just up the hill from Bastion rests Merritt Mansion on Humphreys Street. It's a big old house with a long expanse of grass out front. Originally constructed as a log cabin in 1799 by Fort Nashboro co-founder Captain John Rains, the mansion was relocated to its current site in 1840.
It was expanded into a larger home for Rains' daughter Sally Merritt in 1870. It's changed hands a few times over the years. At one point, Kings of Leon used the space as a recording studio.
It's undergoing a new transformation.
"Our job is to create spaces and backdrops that allow for connectivity and collaboration to continue. We believe the best way to do that is by honoring an area's texture and history that has been there for decades before we showed up," says Leslie Florie, AJ Capital.
For the first time since the original log cabin was built, the home will be opened to the public later this year. Owners AJ Capital announced that curator Clarence Edward will operate a fine art gallery there during the spring and summer months.
Opening the mansion is the developer’s first step in activating the space after purchasing the land in 2021 for $30.9 million. Future plans will see the mansion preserved, following the other massive adaptive reuse projects AJ Capital has steered in the neighborhood. AJ Capital is the group behind the preservation of May Hosiery Mills and the Greer Stadium sign. In 2021, the firm completed Nashville Warehouse Co., a high-end office building on Fourth Avenue.