A part of country music history may soon be gone forever. Conway Twitty’s iconic mansion, located in Nashville, is at risk of being demolished.
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The mansion was the center of tourism for the country legend, affectionately dubbed Twitty City by Twitty. The singer lived at the property alongside his four children from 1981 until his death in 1993. The property also had a museum, auditorium, and a gift shop for visitors to learn about the singer. After Twitty’s death, Trinity Broadcasting Network bought the estate.
Most recently, the film Huckabee was filmed at the location. However, severe storms and tornados in December damaged the property beyond repair. Now, the Hendersonville Planning Commission is looking to demolish the historic mansion, according to the Tennessean.
The plan is for the Trinity Broadcasting Network to use the land for assisted living and independent living facilities. The company is also looking to expand its production studio.
“We’re at a crossroads right now, and the crossroads was really none of our doing. Really it was a tornado that hit Dec. 9th,” Frank Amedia, president of the real estate division for TBN, told the outlet. “We have 100 staff people – production editors – that are all displaced. Some are working from home, some are trying to work in a building that’s unsafe right now to be honest with you, were trying to get them out of there quickly.”
Conway Twitty’s Mansion In Danger
The December tornado hastened the company’s plans. “The whole building was twisted,” he said. Plans for the demolition have alarmed the city’s historians as well as commission leaders. However, according to Amedia, the mansion may be beyond saving. According to TBN, Twitty’s mansion hasn’t been habitable for several years now and is beyond preservation now.
The company does have plans to preserve “Hello Darlin'” sign at the estate. Likewise, the company plans to move memorabilia inside of its new studio to keep the singer’s legacy intact.
“I think if we go forward to try and bring forth a revival identity of what Twitty was there, I think that satisfies a lot because right now you have no identity of Twitty there,” said Amedia. “You can’t see the Twitty bird, the brick wall is there but most people don’t know what it is.”
[Photo by Mike Prior/Redferns]
