Land Trust for Tennessee | Glen Leven Estate

A Preserve of The Land Trust for Tennessee

THE LAND TRUST FOR TENNESSEE invites you to play a vital role in preserving one of the most diverse landscapes in Middle Tennessee, The Land Trust for Tennessee's Glen Leven Farm. This pristine oasis, just four miles from the heart of downtown Nashville, was bequeathed by the late Susan M. West to The Land Trust for Tennessee, whose mission is to preserve forever Tennessee's natural and historic landscapes.

Please make a generous gift or pledge to help us reach our $1M goal to stabilize the 1857 home and the domestic outbuildings that unite the human and natural aspects of this rare oasis.

Stabilization Project:

The Land Trust for Tennessee must address immediate structural needs to avert further deterioration of the main buildings while at the same time we bring this rich landscape to life as an educational community resource. The Stabilization Project seeks to address these needs through a $1M fund-raising effort.

Immediate Needs:

New roof and decking (original 1857 roof)
Chimney and brick work
New gutter and drainage system
Foundation work
Electrical work
Functional and decorative wood work
Window repairs
Interior repairs
Smokehouse and farm office restoration
Eastlake-style porte-cochere and cistern restoration

Thank you for making a gift or pledge today.

For more information, please call Liz McLaurin, Glen Leven Director at 615-944-3887 or email her at lmclaurin@landtrusttn.org

Pictures Courtesy of Bob Higgins, Mockingbird Locations

Read the History of Glen Leven

Preserving a Landmark and Serving Local Vegetables

The unique collaboration between The Hermitage Hotel's Capitol Grille and The Land Trust for Tennessee at Glen Leven.

The Capitol Grille executive chef Tyler Brown was granted an acre of it to grow vegetables for the restaurant. In April, the hotel planted heirloom vegetables on one-acre of the historic farm at Glen Leven. Since Glen Leven is only five miles from the hotel's front door, diners can be assured that the heirloom vegetables they enjoy with their meal were picked the same day they were served. The hotel is committed to gardening naturally and promoting sustainability. In addition to more organic growing methods, the crops grown at Glen Leven will be as historic as the site itself. Chef Tyler Brown of the Capitol Grille has researched seed records to identify and plant heirloom vegetables from the 19th Century. Such crops include: butterstick zucchini, zephyr squash, French breakfast radishes, and Cherokee purple tomatoes. Chef Brown will then create menus specific to the crops that he will harvest each day. Glen Leven is no stranger to the hospitality industry. For years, the farm at Glen Leven provided the produce to the historic Maxwell House Hotel which was located in downtown Nashville before it burned on Christmas night in 1961.

MTSU's Center for Historic Preservation has completed it's "Historic Structure Report and Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey".

READ THIS FASCINATING REPORT

In an incredibly generous gift, The Land Trust for Tennessee was bequeathed the historic Glen Leven home and its surrounding sixty-five acres from Susan M. West, the great-great-great granddaughter of Thomas Thompson. Glen Leven, a pre-Civil War mansion whose family ownership can be traced back to Nashville's earliest settlers. The property is located in Nashville, Tennessee at 4000 Franklin Road. In fulfilling Ms. West’s wishes for her property, The Land Trust is giving thoughtful consideration to ideas on what to do with this treasure in Davidson County. The Land Trust has two primary guiding principles: (1) Ms. West’s will and (2) the mission of The Land Trust for Tennessee. Due to the importance of Glen Leven to Nashville, The Land Trust is taking the time needed, however long, to determine its future. The final decision of the use of the Glen Leven Property lies solely with The Land Trust for Tennessee. In the meantime the house is being well cared for and remains occupied.

Glen Leven is a two-story Greek Revival home, located on Franklin Road in Nashville, that was constructed with handmade bricks in 1857 by John Thompson.
Glen Leven was built on part of an original 647 acre tract claimed by pioneer Thomas Thompson, an early Nashville settler and signer of the Cumberland Compact.
The home and the surrounding 65 acres were willed to the Land Trust for Tennessee in 2006 by the late Susan McConnell West.
A board-appointed task force is actively evaluating possible programs and partnerships related to open space conservation, sustainable agriculture and historic preservation,in hopes the Middle Tennessee community will be able to enjoy Glen Leven and its open spaces in perpetuity.
Ms. West's will stipulates that the land be left as "open space", never to be developed or subdivided and that the home and adjacent five acres fronting Franklin Road be kept and maintained in "good condition".
The Land Trust has developed working agreements with The Hermitage Hotel which has planted an organic garden, and the Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation. MTSU has conducted graduate seminars in historic preservation at Glen Leven, and recently compiled a Historic Structures Report.

The property is available for viewing periodically through out the year. If you would like to be notified the next time we have an open event, please email us at glenleven@landtrusttn.org.

If you have further questions regarding Glen Leven call us at 615-244-5263 or email: glenleven@landtrusttn.org.