Union Station has a lot of unique attributes. And no, we’re not talking about the fact that it doesn’t serve any train lines.
If you look up at the top of the clock tower, you’ll see a two-dimensional rendition of Mercury, the Roman Messenger God. That’s not the original, though. The first Mercury was 3D and mounted near the turn of the century, where it stood for nearly fifty years until heavy wind gusts knocked it off its fastening.
Listener Christina phoned into Curious Nashville and asked this question:
“It was Mercury, and it was there until the renovation, and until Union Station became a hotel, and it came down, was never put back up…we have a very primitive replica, I think, up there but, the original? I’m wondering where it could be!”
Maybe it was sent off for scraps, or placed in a warehouse to collect dust. Either way, it got the Curious team interested.
Phone lines and our live stream are open for this one. Give us a call at 615-760-2000 or pop into chat on our YouTube stream.
Guests:
- Josh Deepan, This Is Nashville Multimedia Producer
- Jessica Hanson, Meharry Medical College Historian and Archivist
- Kem Hinton, Architect
- Randy Diamond, Retired Architect
Further Reading:
- How the polar bear lives on as Edgehill’s symbol (WPLN)
- Those sculptures you wondered about in Centennial Park are finally on track for repairs (WPLN)
- How one question about one little cement marker leads us to the tale of one gigantic monument (WPLN)
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM