Discovering Belmont University: A Comprehensive Campus Guide

Belmont University, a Christian institution founded in 1890, offers a blend of historic charm and modern amenities across its 93-acre campus in the heart of Nashville. Situated in southeast Nashville at 16th Avenue South and Wedgewood Avenue, the university provides a serene and secluded environment while remaining conveniently close to essential amenities. This guide offers a detailed exploration of Belmont's campus, highlighting key buildings, facilities, and landmarks that contribute to the unique Belmont experience.

A Prime Location

Belmont University benefits from its strategic location. While the campus itself maintains a quiet atmosphere, it is surrounded by churches of all faiths, hospitals, restaurants, shopping centers, and other universities. The Metropolitan Transit Authority provides bus services near the campus, ensuring easy access to and from downtown Nashville. The university's location offers the best of both worlds: a peaceful academic setting within a vibrant urban environment.

Academic Cornerstones

Janet Ayers Academic Center

Opened in the Fall of 2014, the Janet Ayers Academic Center is a 186,000 square foot structure located on the corner of Wedgewood and 15th Avenues. As the largest building on campus, it exemplifies environmental sustainability, holding the distinction of being the first University building in Tennessee to be LEED-certified at the platinum level. This certification signifies that its construction and operation save money and resources while positively impacting the health of occupants and promoting renewable, clean energy.

Inside, the Ayers Academic Center houses more than 50 majors across three colleges: the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, the College of Sciences & Mathematics, and the College of Education. The facility boasts 20 state-of-the-art science labs equipped with spectrometers, a microwave reaction chamber, a cold room, incubators for biological studies, and laser and acoustics labs. A student-centered service area on the first floor provides personal assistance through learning labs and a centrally located Service Learning and International Education office. The Ayers Academic Center is also home to Belmont’s 300-seat chapel, hosting numerous worship services and special events, symbolizing the University’s mission to be a Christian community of learning and service.

Randall and Sadie Baskin Center

The Randall and Sadie Baskin Center, which opened in 2012, houses Belmont’s College of Law, the first new law school in Middle Tennessee in nearly a century. The building features lecture-style classrooms, a two-story law library, over 20 faculty offices, and two practice courtrooms. The Baskin Center's fully functional trial courtroom allows law students to learn the art of advocacy, use technology, and prepare for interschool competitions. The space also enables the College of Law to host local judges, providing students with firsthand exposure to the law at work.

The law library, with seating for over 300 students, serves as the academic heart of the Baskin Center. Law students can reserve group study rooms, and professional law librarians are available to assist with research needs. The main lobby features a statue by Nashville artist Anthony Novak, titled Solomon: A Wise Ruling, inspired by the Old Testament passage where Solomon wisely administers justice. The Baskin Center provides a locker room and study space to meet the demands of law study, as it is a home away from home for Belmont Law students.

Lila D. Bunch Library

The Lila D. Bunch Library is located on the west side of Belmont Boulevard.

Student Life and Recreation

Beaman Student Life Center

Connected to the Curb Event Center and the Maddox Grand Atrium, the Beaman Student Life Center is a six-hundred-thousand square-foot hub of campus activities located at the heart of Belmont’s historic campus. Beaman is also home to the University’s Fitness and Recreation Center with full-service men’s and women’s locker rooms and two regulation-size racquetball courts. The rock climbing wall gives students one-thousand square feet of climb surface with natural features to accommodate various levels of ability. The second floor of the Fitness and Recreation Center has a group exercise room with mirrored walls and a beautiful view of the Lawn and the South Lawn as well as a gymnasium and weight room featuring free weights, weight machines, treadmills, ellipticals and stationary bikes. In addition to the recreational and wellness facilities, Beaman is home to the Office of Student Affairs and includes offices for the Student Government Association and Fraternity & Sorority Life.

Historic Landmarks

Belmont Mansion

Listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, the Belmont Mansion, originally named Belle Monte in the 1800s, was intended as a summer home for Adelicia and Joseph Acklen. The Acklens built, furnished, and landscaped Belle Monte as one of the most elaborate homes in the South, complete with an art gallery, conservatories, lavish gardens, aviary, lake, and zoo.

Bell Tower

Two hundred yards south of the Belmont Mansion stands the historic Bell Tower, which served as a water tower on the Acklens' original estate and as a signal tower during the Civil War. The Bell Tower is a touchstone for all Belmont visitors, with melodic bells playing hourly and a quaint prayer chapel available to all. Located at the south end of the historic lawn, this scenic structure has become a favorite backdrop for club events and graduation photos.

Freeman Hall

Built in the late 1800s, Freeman Hall reflects both the rich history and modern innovations for which Belmont University is known nationwide.

Athletic Facilities

Curb Event Center (CEC)

Home to the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate, Belmont University's Curb Event Center (CEC) is a 90,000-square-foot major sport and entertainment complex. The building offers state-of-the-art facilities for athletics, concerts, speakers, tradeshows, meetings, conferences, dinners, receptions and consumer shows. The Belmont Bruins NCAA Division 1 basketball and volleyball teams play in the Curb Event Center, which is maintained and operated by fully digital, computerized systems and represents state-of-the-art production capabilities. Prime retail space has been set aside on the front section of the Curb Event Center for Belmont students to develop retail or service businesses.

Crockett Center for Athletic Excellence

The Crockett Center for Athletic Excellence serves as the primary training home for Belmont’s nationally-regarded men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball programs, and complement the existing game day facility at the Curb Event Center.

E.S. Rose Park

The Bruins baseball, soccer, and softball teams play at E.S. Rose Park.

Sport Science Center

The Department of Sport Science is located in the Sport Science Center, which sits next to the McAfee Concert Hall on the corner of De…

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Arts and Performance

Fisher Center for the Performing Arts

Located at the heart of Belmont University’s campus, the Fisher Center is an artistic catalyst for engagement, inspiration, and discovery. The 150,000 sq. ft. The Fisher Center is named in tribute to recently retired Belmont President Dr. Named in honor of Belmont President Emeritus Dr. Bob Fisher and his wife Judy, the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts is a premiere performance venue for all of Nashville to enjoy. This 150,000 square foot space features classic marble columns and overlooks the historic Belmont Boulevard, greeting theatregoers year-round with its fantastic selection of shows. Events held at the Fisher Center include CMA Country Christmas 2023, an evening with “Braveheart” director and screenwriter Randall Wallace and DOLLY: A True Original Musical. Dolly had its world premiere at the Fisher Center in Nashville in summer 2025, featuring the life and music of Dolly Parton with both her beloved hits and new songs written for the show.

Massey Performing Arts Center (MPAC)

The Massey Performing Arts Center, known throughout campus as MPAC, provides an exceptional multi-purpose performance setting with the Massey Concert Hall, which seats approximately one-thousand people. In addition to practice rooms and studios, the building’s lower levels feature the one-hundred seat Harton Recital Hall, which provides an intimate venue for classical performances. School of Music students and faculty perform recitals and concerts in these venues throughout the year. More than two hundreds events are held in the Massey Performing Arts Center annually, from vibrant productions of former Broadway hits to pop, jazz and bluegrass concerts to lectures from such luminaries as Ken Burns and Colin Powell.

McAfee Concert Hall

Once serving as the main sanctuary for a local Baptist church, Belmont purchased this building to provide classroom and rehearsal space for its growing School of Music while still allowing the church to meet on the property. In 2011, Belmont began a $9 million renovation of the space in order to provide the campus a new, large concert venue suitable for acoustic performances. The stunning eight hundred and fifty seven seat McAfee Concert Hall opened in 2012 to rave reviews. The design concept for the Hall was developed in consultation with the architects and acousticians involved with the construction of Nashville’s acclaimed Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Acousticians conducted extensive studies and developed a plan that eliminates ambient noise, expands the volume of space to optimal acoustic proportions for a large orchestra and chorus and creates optimal sound diffusion.

Leu Center for the Visual Arts

The 40,000 square foot Leu Center for the Visual Arts houses the Watkins College of Art studios for drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpting, ceramics and photography. The Leu Center also offers the latest technology in design communications with two graphics labs with forty computer workstations and color laser printing. Gallery One Twenty-One is an exhibition space for students located in the lobby of the Leu Center for the Visual Arts. There the thesis work of all seniors is displayed to the public for the Senior Art Crawl. Among the majors offered are art history, studio art, design communications and art education for students to choose how they want to study art while taking advantage of being at a liberal arts university.

Centers and Spaces for Innovation

Hitch Building

The 22,000 square foot Hitch Building is home to Belmont's O'More College of Architecture & Design as well as practice and rehearsal spaces for the College of Music & Performing Arts.O’More College faculty provided all aspects of the design, finishes and furniture selection for this state-of-the-art space. Designed to inspire creativity and innovation, the O’More facilities boast six design studios, two computer/CAD labs, and a dedicated critique space known as the ‘Crit Pit’.

Barbara Massey Rogers Center

The recently renovated Barbara Massey Rogers Center includes undergraduate and graduate business classrooms and faculty offices for the Jack C. Massey College of Business as well as meeting places for business executives participating in professional development programs. Students will also find study lounges, seminar rooms, conference rooms and computer labs scattered throughout the Center. A significant highlight of the building is the glass-enclosed, technology-laden Financial Information Center, a visual centerpiece located on the second floor. Also located on the second floor is the Accelerator space for entrepreneurs. With entrepreneurship leading the way as the Massey College of Business’ fastest growing major, the Accelerator space is designed to help take new businesses to the next level. Student entrepreneurs must apply to take part after successfully launching a business. In addition, the building houses a number of special interest centers, including the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics, the Thomas W. Beasley Center for Free Enterprise, the Center for Global Citizenship and the Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship, which has been named a national model program by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship and a national Top 25 program by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine. Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as alumni of the College of Business, also have exclusive access to the College of Business Career Development Center for customized internship and career assistance.

Jack C. Massey Center

A central location for interdisciplinary collaboration, the Jack C. Massey Center is beloved by faculty, staff and students. Featuring the Bruin Bites Cafe, open-air study spaces, the admissions center and staff offices that overlook Belmont’s main lawn, this integrated space has become a key spot for visitors and Belmont’s community alike.

Health and Sciences

Gordon E. Inman Center

Gordon E. Inman, a successful Tennessee business leader, donated $10.5 million to the building that now bears his name on Belmont's campus, representing the largest single donor gift to the university to date. The building is home to Belmont's Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing and several schools inthe College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, which serves as a national model for educating practitioners in health and social welfare fields. The Inman Center's state-of-the-art labs are equipped with human patient simulators, digital video, bedside computer charting, electronic supply scanning and static mannequins. The labs are designed to reproduce realistic practice settings, including the basic hospital unit, critical care, surgical/operating suite, pediatrics, neonatal nursery, maternity, home care, health assessment and diagnostic labs.

McWhorter Hall

Next door to the Inman Center is McWhorter Hall, another building instrumental in Belmont’s health science programs. The College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences and the Department of Psychological Sciences all call McWhorter home. Opened in 2010, the 90,000-square-foot building continues the innovation for which Belmont University has become known, containing top-notch laboratories for both student and faculty research. In addition, the facility emphasizes integrated, "hands on" experiential learning components through medical simulation spaces and a licensed, state-of-the-art pharmacy. But even those who aren’t studying the health sciences may find themselves visiting this beautiful building from time to time. On the first floor of McWhorter Hall you’ll find our Student Health Services suite which provides care for common minor illnesses and injuries. The Health Services clinic also places significant emphasis on wellness and prevention, including allergy injections and vaccines. Next door to the clinic is the Belmont Pharmacy, which serves students’ prescription and over-the-counter needs while also offering professional counseling on the proper use of medications.

Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine

The Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine is the newest addition to Belmont’s collection of Greco-Roman inspired academic buildings. Having just opened in fall 2024, the building was designed with student learning in mind and features incredible classrooms and study spaces for its students to use.

Other Key Locations

Gabhart Chapel

The University’s first formal chapel, the Gabhart Chapel features floor-to-ceiling windows and a stained glass centerpiece over a theater-style open gallery. The second floor of Gabhart is home to offices for Career and Professional Development and Counseling Services. With Career and Professional Development staff, students can receive help with resumes, mock interviews, career and personality assessments and job placement while also receiving tips on networking and attending career fairs.

Johnson Center

The new R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center houses the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, the media studies program and a vibrant 950-seat cafeteria. Moreover, the second floor of the Johnson Center is devoted to a new cafeteria to serve the entire campus, a facility that nearly triples the seating capacity of the former dining hall.

Alumni House

The last remaining historic clubhouse on the campus interior, next to the Bell Tower, is the home for alumni. As Belmont looks to the future and honors the past, alumni now have a place to reunite with former classmates and professors and reminisce about college days.

Fidelity Hall

Built in 1905 and connected to Freeman, Fidelity Hall once served as a residence hall for the Ward Belmont School, a high school and junior college for young women. Alumna Sarah Cannon, who was perhaps best known as her alter ego Minnie Pearl, had a room on the second floor. Fidelity now provides administrative space for the university.

Maddox Grand Atrium

The Maddox Grand Atrium, completed in 2003, connects the Beaman Student Life Center and the Curb Event Center and is used for receptions, dinners and concerts. Dan Maddox was a respected businessman who established his career in the worlds of finance, oil and real estate development. Margaret Maddox shared her husband's reputation as a leader in business and in the community. Dan and Margaret Maddox died tragically in a boating accident in 1998 but their legacy of entrepreneurship and service lives on through the world of the Maddox Foundation.

Natural Beauty and Outdoor Spaces

Belmont’s Gardenscapes

With a vibrant rose garden and whimsical floral tapestries, Belmont’s enchanting gardenscapes deserve a mention all on their own.

Bear Creek

Tucked away on the upperclassman lawn, Bear Creek is a tranquil locale for students to sit beside and enjoy the rippling water as it cascades down a rolling hill.

Freedom Plaza Fountain

Freedom Plaza Fountain sits at the north end of the main lawn, situated among several academic buildings.

Historic Quad

Belmont’s rich past remains alive and well on the historic quad, with an array of cast iron gazebos, statues and picturesque landscaping.

Visiting Belmont

If you are planning a visit to Belmont University, you are in for an exceptional experience. Belmont offers visitors a range of activities to explore, from admissions visits and athletic events to performance events at its Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Admissions visits provide prospective students with a chance to tour the campus, meet with faculty and staff, and learn more about the university's academic offerings. Sports enthusiasts can attend NCAA Division I sports events, while lovers of the arts can enjoy a range of performances at the Fisher Center, as well as visit art galleries like the Leu Art Gallery. Belmont also boasts two fascinating museums - the Gallery of Iconic Guitars (The GIG) and the Frederick Hart Studio Museum - which offer visitors an opportunity to explore a range of exhibits and collections.

Life Beyond Campus

Located in the thriving city of Nashville, the university offers the best of both worlds: a stunning campus and a front-row seat to one of the country’s most dynamic, thriving cities. When looking for apartments near Belmont University, look in the neighborhoods surrounding the university, such as Belmont/Hillsboro, Wedgewood-Houston, Melrose, 12 South, and Music Row. You might be able to get out and walk when living in this area.

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