Davidson County | US Courthouses

Davidson County is named for William Lee Davidson, who was a colonial soldier during the American Revolutionary War.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Robertson County and Sumner County

E – Wilson County and Rutherford County

S – Williamson County

W – Williamson County and Cheatham County

Created: October 6, 1783

County Seat:

Nashville 1783 – present

County Courthouse – Nashville

Location: 1 Public Square / 3rd Avenue

Built: 1935 – 1938

Style: Art Deco

Architect: Emmons H Woolvine and Frederick C Heirons

Contractor: J A Jones Construction

Description: The building faces south and is a seven story granite, Indiana limestone, steel framing and reinforced concrete walls and roof structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Nashville. There are sets of twelve Doric columns between the windows on the north and south sides rising grom the fourth story to the seventh story. The top story is recessed and the roof line is flat. The building has three central recessed entrances on the south and north sides. At the entrances are the symbolic figures of Courage, Loyalty, Law, Justice, Security and Wisdom. The entrance hall has Art Deco ornamentation. In the interior the corridors run east-west. There are eighteen courtrooms. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County Circuit Court – Probate and County Chancery Court of the 20th Judicial District. The building also houses the City Hall offices. The building was a Works Project Administration project. The building is named as the Metropolitan Courthouse.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Davidson County Metropolitan Couthouse

County Justice Center – Nashville

Location: 408 2nd Avenue North / James Robertson Parkway

Built: 2004 – 2006

Style: Modern

Architect: Gresham Smith & Partners

Contractor: Bell & Associates Construction Company

Description: The building faces south and is a six story structure. The rectangular shaped building is located in the center of Nashville to the north of the courthouse. The main entrance is located on the south side where there is a projecting three story section. On the southwest corner is a concrete tower rising above the roof line. The windows are vertical. The roof line is flat. In the interior is a high two story atrium on the south side. The building houses the County Criminal Court and County General Sessions Court – Criminal and Traffic of the 20th Judicial District. The building is named as the Adolphus A Birch Justice Center.

See: The contractor, Ray Bell Construction Company, Inc.also constructed the Courts Center in Montgomery County and the Judicial Center in Bedford County and Rutherford County.

County Metropolitan Justice Center ( Ben West Municipal Building ) – Nashville

Location: 100 James Robertson Parkway / 2nd Avenue North

Built: 1936 – 1937

Style: Modern Greek Revival

Architect: Henry C Hibbs

Contractor: Foster & Creighton

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Nashville on the south side of the County Justice Center. The central entrance has a porch with six columns and recessed entrance. A horizontal white colored belt runs between the first and second stories. At the east and west ends are entrances with gabled roof above. At the center of the building is a large red colored brick dome with white colored roof. The roof is hipped. The doom rises above a large interior rotunda. The building is connected to the County Justice Center on the north side and houses Chancery Court, Circuit Court, and several Metro Government offices. In 1956 a large addition was constructed on the north side. The building was renovated in 1983. The architect was Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates, Inc. and the contractor was B B Anderson Construction Company. The building was renovated in 2006 to 2007 when the Justice Center was constructed on the north side.

Note: The building was constructed as the Nashville City Market and became the Municipal Safety Building in 1955, the Metropolitan Justice Center in 1983 and later named as the Ben West Municipal Building.

County Juvenile Courthouse – Nashville

Location: 100 Woodland Street / South 1st Street

Built: 2004 – 2006

Style: Modern

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces southwest and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Nashville to the east of the courthouse. The southwest front has a projecting concrete section with three large rectangular openings. The entrance has glass panels and at the roof line is a large curved roof section with glass panels. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the building has eight courtrooms.

History: Before the county was created a log cabin courthouse was built on the Public Square in 1783. The county was created in 1783 and Nashville was selected as the county seat. The First courthouse was built in 1802 to 1803. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1830 and which burned in 1856. The third courthouse was designed by Francis Strickland and constructed in 1857 and which was enlarged and remodeled in 1909 to 1910. The architect was Wheeler, Runge and Dickey. The building was demolished to make way for the fourth and present courthouse which was constructed in 1935 to 1938 at a cost of $1,595,000. The County Justice Center was constructed in 2004 to 2006.

See: Located in the county is the Tennessee Supreme Court – Nashville.