NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A beloved East Nashville institution was reduced to rubble this week when a 100-year-old historic home that formerly housed The Groove record store was demolished on Presidents Day without proper permits.
The demolition of the property on Calvin Avenue came as a shock to neighbors in the historic Lockeland Springs area, particularly because it violated established historic preservation protocols. The neighborhood association revealed that the property owner failed to obtain required permits, post notification signs, or hold mandatory public hearings before tearing down the century-old structure.
"I don't know how we're going to come back. I doubt they'll rebuild a new record store," said Eldrich Spencer, a neighbor who witnessed the aftermath.
The Groove had been more than just a music store to the East Nashville community. The record shop hosted popular "record days," live recordings, and performances that brought neighbors together. The business recently moved out of the historic home, with owners saying they "saw the writing on the wall."
"Just very saddening and jaw dropping," another resident said upon seeing the demolished building.
Elizabeth Smith, president of the neighborhood association, explained that because the property lies within the historic overlay of Lockeland Springs, any changes require specific procedures that were completely bypassed.
"We understand not everything could be saved, but we didn't even have a chance on this one to look and see if it's capable of being saved," Smith said.
The unauthorized demolition has left residents frustrated, particularly because it was carried out by what Smith described as "an absentee owner who is making this massive change in a complexion of our neighborhood that we work hard to protect."
"We would have done our best to protect it had we known they were going to do this, but we had no knowledge," Smith said.
While "stop work order" signs are now posted at the site, the damage is already done. Smith indicated that fines will likely be imposed on the property owner, though she noted that forgiveness may be harder to secure than permission would have been.
"There's nothing that can replace what's gone, but if the property owner would show some remorse for what he took away from us and work with us to try and put back something that can become the same kind of neighborhood icon that the record store was, it might ease the pain, take a little of the sting away," Smith said.
Michael Combs, co-owner of The Groove, expressed sadness about the demolition of their former home.
"We left the property on our own accord because we saw the writing on the wall. We loved that property; we loved that house. We have so many amazing memories from all the events we did there. We were deeply sad to see that it had been torn down. That building represented community," Combs said.
Combs discovered the building's front door was wide open and unattended on Monday afternoon. Less than 24 hours later, customers contacted the former business owners to report the demolition.
The neighborhood association is working with their district councilperson to address the violation and determine appropriate consequences for the property owner. Attempts to reach the current property owner for comment were unsuccessful.
Are you seeing similar issues with historic preservation in your Nashville neighborhood? Share your story with me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
