A historic downtown Nashville church is getting a new lease on life after a local film production team gifts them more than $100,000 in renovations.
When producers for "A Music City Story” approached the Church of the Holy Trinity about using their building at a backdrop for their new film, congregation members said the aging building was in desperate need of repairs.
“If we don’t renovate this church soon, we’re going to lose it,” one member said.
Instead of passing on the potential location, the film crew saw it as a chance to do exactly what their movie is all about. “When we pitched this to Sony Pictures, we said we have a story that is Nashville-centric,” Kevin Downes explained. “One of our main characters is a carpenter by trade. He’s building this church to be able to give to the community.”
That’s when the film crew surprised them with an unexpected gift: a full restoration project.
“They couldn’t believe it,” one producer said. “We wanted to literally gift them a total makeover of their church.”
The renovations included restored hardwood floors, repaired walls, landscaping improvements and preservation work designed to maintain the church’s historic character.
“You walk inside, and it looks like a brand-new facility,” a crew member said. “But we didn’t replace anything that wasn’t original to what it was.”
For the congregation, the restoration represents more than cosmetic upgrades. They see it as an investment in future generations and a way to preserve a piece of Nashville history amid rapid downtown development.
“When we came and took a look, our jaws dropped,” one church member said. “I was christened here.”
Another longtime member described generations of family history tied to the church. “My husband and I married in 1968,” she said. “Almost all our families have been here.”
“They were recreating and restoring something that would last for years to come,” one church member said.
The upcoming “Music City Story” film is expected to be released soon.
