Scarritt Bennett Center Nashville: History, Visiting & FAQ
- Chase Gillmore
- Aug 3
- 14 min read
Scarritt Bennett Center is a nonprofit conference, retreat, and event campus in Nashville's Midtown neighborhood, built on the former grounds of Scarritt College for Christian Workers. Founded as a Methodist missionary training school in 1892, the campus moved to Nashville in 1924 and became a National Register of Historic Places district in 1982.
Key Takeaways
Scarritt Bennett Center sits at 1027 18th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212, in the Midtown corridor near Vanderbilt University.
The campus originated as Scarritt College for Christian Workers, founded in 1892 in Kansas City and relocated to Nashville in 1924 under architect Henry C. Hibbs.
The historic district, including Wightman Chapel and the Memorial Tower, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1982, covering 1.8 acres.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in Wightman Chapel on April 25, 1957, and the campus played an active role in Nashville's 1963 to 1964 civil rights activism.
Scarritt College desegregated in 1952, admitting Leila Robinson and DeLaris Johnson among its first Black students.
The nonprofit Scarritt Bennett Center formed in 1988 after the college closed, and it now runs programming focused on women's empowerment, anti-racism work, and spiritual enrichment.
If you have typed "Scarritt Bennett Center Nashville" into a search bar, you are probably trying to figure out one of a few things: what this place actually is, whether it is connected to Vanderbilt, whether you can get married in that chapel with the gray stone tower, or how a Methodist missionary school from the 1890s turned into a modern retreat and event campus. This guide answers all of it in one place, something the current top search results do not do well.
Most existing coverage splits into two extremes. The official Scarritt Bennett Center website reads like an events calendar, heavy on current programming but thin on the story behind the buildings. The Wikipedia entry on Scarritt College for Christian Workers goes deep on history but reads like an encyclopedia, not something you'd use to plan an actual visit. This article combines both: the full timeline from 1892 to 2026, plus the practical details, wedding and lodging questions, and visiting logistics that neither source covers well.
As of 2026, Scarritt Bennett Center continues to operate as a working nonprofit campus, hosting conferences, retreats, weddings, and community programming inside buildings that have stood in Midtown Nashville since the late 1920s. Understanding both halves, the 130-plus-year history and the present-day function, is the only way to really answer what this place is.
What Is Scarritt Bennett Center?
Scarritt Bennett Center is a nonprofit conference and retreat facility located at 1027 18th Avenue South in Nashville's Midtown district, occupying the historic campus of the former Scarritt College for Christian Workers. The organization was established in 1988 by the Women's Division of the United Methodist Church after the college closed, and it now focuses on women's empowerment, racial justice education, and spiritual programming.
The campus includes several buildings from the college's original 1920s construction: the Administration Building, Memorial Tower, Susie Gray Dining Hall, Bennett Hall, and Wightman Chapel. Specifically, these structures form the core of the Scarritt College Historic District, a 1.8-acre area recognized by the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. Today the Center rents meeting rooms and lodging space to outside groups while running its own calendar of lectures, book clubs, and retreats, including programs like the R.I.S.E. Retreat for Black Women and the SOUL WORK lecture series.
For general inquiries, the Center can be reached at (615) 340-7500 or sales@scarrittbennett.org. If you are researching where to stay while visiting Midtown or Vanderbilt, note that Scarritt Bennett is a program and event campus, not a vacation rental, so overnight guests are typically there for conferences, retreats, or weddings rather than leisure travel.
What Denomination Is Scarritt Bennett Affiliated With?
Scarritt Bennett Center traces its roots to the Southern Methodist tradition, having been founded as a training school for Methodist missionaries and deaconesses in 1892. The current nonprofit organization was established in 1988 by the Women's Division of the United Methodist Church after the original college closed, and it maintains that Methodist-rooted mission today, though its programming now serves people across faith backgrounds.
The founding story begins with Belle Harris Bennett, a Southern Methodist missionary leader from Richmond, Kentucky, who proposed the idea of a dedicated training school at the 1889 Southern Methodist Woman's Board of Foreign Missions conference. Nathan Spencer Scarritt then offered a $25,000 challenge grant along with land in Missouri, and construction began in April 1891 with the cornerstone laid on July 2, 1891, in Kansas City. The school opened in 1892 as the Scarritt Bible and Training School with just 3 students, a number that grew to 34 within the first year, 14 of them boarders.
Maria Layng Gibson became the school's first principal in 1892 after Laura Askew Haygood, the original choice, was unable to leave her missionary post in China. The first graduate, Layona Glenn, was sent as a missionary to Brazil, setting the tone for the school's mission-focused curriculum, which included church history, missions history, religious pedagogy, and even bookkeeping. By 1902 Bennett's fundraising efforts had helped the Southern Methodist General Conference approve her plan to formally establish the deaconess movement within the denomination.
How Did Scarritt College Move From Kansas City to Nashville?
Scarritt College relocated from Kansas City to Nashville in 1924, when it was rechartered as Scarritt College for Christian Workers under President Jesse Lee Cuninggim. The Nashville campus was designed by architect Henry C. Hibbs, who also designed the nearby George Peabody College for Teachers, in a late Gothic Revival style built from Crab Orchard stone quarried in Tennessee.
Construction on the signature buildings, known collectively as the Belle Bennett Memorial and including Scarritt Hall, Bennett Hall, Wightman Chapel, and the Memorial Tower, began in 1925 alongside the Susie Gray Dining Hall. The complex was completed in 1928. Wightman Chapel itself is named for Maria Davies Wightman, a Louisiana women's rights activist and the wife of Bishop William May Wightman, and its Gothic stonework remains the most photographed structure on campus today.
By the 1930s the college had expanded to offer a bachelor's degree along with graduate education in community and family service, social work, and religious education. Six additional buildings were added between the 1940s and 1960s as enrollment grew, cementing the Nashville campus as the school's permanent home for the rest of the twentieth century. Anyone comparing this stretch of Midtown to other historic pockets of the city, such as the areas covered in our guide to things to do in Nashville, will notice how much Gothic Revival architecture stands out against Nashville's more common brick and limestone commercial buildings downtown.
What Role Did Scarritt College Play in Civil Rights History?
Scarritt College for Christian Workers played a documented role in Nashville's civil rights movement, desegregating in 1952 and hosting Martin Luther King Jr. as a speaker in 1957, years before many other Southern institutions took similar steps. The campus later became a site of organized student activism against segregated local businesses during 1963 and 1964.
Scarritt admitted its first Black students, Leila Robinson and DeLaris Johnson, in 1952, making it one of the first private, predominantly white colleges in Tennessee to desegregate. Robinson went on to serve as yearbook editor, and Johnson became student council treasurer for the 1953 to 1954 term. This decision reportedly prompted neighboring Vanderbilt University, connected to Scarritt through the Joint University Center and Library, to begin reconsidering its own segregation policies.
On April 25, 1957, King spoke in Wightman Chapel at the Conference on Christian Faith and Human Relations, addressing roughly 350 church leaders in a speech titled "The Role of the Church in Facing the Nation's Chief Moral Dilemma." The conference was co-hosted by Scarritt College and Vanderbilt Divinity School and co-sponsored by the Tennessee Council of Churches and the Fellowship of Southern Churchmen. King had received the Social Justice Award from the Religion and Labor Foundation in New York just the day before.
In spring 1963, Scarritt student Lorine Chan, who was from Fiji, was denied service at the nearby Campus Grill restaurant. That incident sparked the formation of the Christian Action Fellowship by students including Gerry Bode, Sue Thrasher, Archie Allen, and Mary Pless. By November 1963, the Joint University Council on Human Relations, representing Scarritt, Peabody, and Vanderbilt, had organized a boycott of the Campus Grill, working alongside civil rights leaders John Lewis and Lester McKinnie. In 1964, demonstrations expanded to target Krystal, Morrison's Cafeteria, and the Tic Toc restaurant for refusing to desegregate. On April 27, 1964, activist Archie Allen was attacked while attempting to talk with Tic Toc employees, and the following day Scarritt student William Barbee was severely beaten by police, arrested for disorderly conduct, and hospitalized at Hubbard Hospital with a concussion and injuries that reportedly affected him long after.
Is Scarritt Bennett Center on the National Register of Historic Places?
Yes, the Scarritt College Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1982, under NRIS reference number 82003965. The listing covers 1.8 acres (0.73 hectares) and includes the Administration Building, Memorial Tower, Susie Gray Dining Hall, Bennett Hall, and Wightman Chapel, all constructed during the campus's original 1925 to 1928 building phase.
This designation protects the Gothic Revival architecture designed by Henry C. Hibbs and formally documents the campus's significance both architecturally and historically. Readers who want the full nomination details, including construction specifics and building-by-building descriptions, can review the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for the Scarritt College Historic District directly through the National Park Service database, or check the official NRHP Reference No. 82003965 listing record.
What makes this designation notable is that it captures a campus that has changed institutional purpose twice, first from a missionary training school to a graduate college, then from a college to a nonprofit retreat center, without losing its physical historic character. The Crab Orchard stone construction and late Gothic Revival detailing that Hibbs specified in 1925 look essentially the same today as they did when Susie Gray Dining Hall opened in 1928.
How Did Scarritt College Become the Modern Scarritt Bennett Center?
Scarritt College closed permanently in 1988 after operating under the name Scarritt Graduate School since 1981, when its focus had narrowed to church music and Christian education. Following the closure, the Women's Division of the United Methodist Church purchased the campus and formed the nonprofit Scarritt Bennett Center that same year, repurposing the historic buildings for conferences, retreats, and community programming.
The transition was not instant. J. Richard Palmer, who had previously worked at Berea College, became president in 1973 specifically to boost fundraising and enrollment, but internal politics led to his resignation in 1977. The narrowing of the curriculum to Church Music and Christian Education under the Scarritt Graduate School name from 1981 through 1988 reflected declining enrollment pressures common to many small denominational colleges during that era, a trend documented broadly by institutions like the Tennessee Encyclopedia entry on Scarritt College for Christian Workers.
Since 1988, Scarritt Bennett Center has built its mission around six stated pillars: empowerment of women, eradication of racism, prophetic justice, radical hospitality, sacred rituals, and spiritual enrichment through transformative education. Current programming as of 2026 includes the SOUL WORK lecture series covering Harlem Renaissance writers, Community Lunch conversational events, Tuesday campus tours, the Storylines Book Club, Powerhouse Conversations on urban belonging, the R.I.S.E. Retreat for Black Women, and speaker series like "A Way Forward: Hope in Uncertain Times." The Laskey Art Gallery on campus also hosts rotating exhibits open to visitors. Readers interested in the founder's fuller biography can review United Methodist Women's profile "Called to Justice: Belle Harris Bennett" or the archived full-text biography Belle Harris Bennett: Her Life Work, a 1928 account available through Archive.org.
How Much Does It Cost to Get Married at Scarritt Bennett?
Wightman Chapel at Scarritt Bennett Center is a working wedding venue known for its Gothic Revival stonework, arched windows, and 1928 construction pedigree, and it has hosted notable weddings for decades, including Sartain Lanier's 1934 ceremony there. Current rental rates for the chapel and campus event spaces change periodically based on season, guest count, and package inclusions, so couples should contact the Center directly at (615) 340-7500 or sales@scarrittbennett.org for an accurate, current quote.
What makes Wightman Chapel distinct from most Nashville wedding venues is that it was never built for weddings originally; it was constructed as a working chapel for a missionary training college, which explains the stone tower, the stained glass, and the intimate scale compared to newer event barns and industrial-style venues that dominate Nashville's wedding market. Couples drawn to a genuinely historic, non-commercial setting tend to find that character appealing precisely because it was not designed as an event space from day one.
If you are researching Nashville wedding logistics more broadly, whether for the ceremony or the celebration afterward, groups hosting a rehearsal dinner or a bachelorette weekend nearby often look at nearby lodging in the Midtown and Vanderbilt corridor, since it sits closer to campus than most Broadway-area rentals. It is worth budgeting time to compare venue quotes against the availability calendar before locking in a date, since Wightman Chapel bookings can fill up during peak spring and fall wedding months.
What Is Taylor Swift's Favorite Breakfast Place in Nashville?
This question shows up in searches near "Scarritt Bennett Center Nashville" mostly because both topics live in the same Midtown to 12 South stretch of the city that draws visitors curious about Nashville's cultural landmarks alongside its music history. While specific celebrity dining preferences are not something we can verify or attribute reliably, Midtown and the nearby Belmont-Hillsboro area do have a concentrated cluster of well-regarded breakfast and brunch spots that draw both locals and visitors exploring the neighborhood around Vanderbilt University.
Rather than chase unverified celebrity claims, a more useful approach for visitors staying near Scarritt Bennett or touring the historic district is to explore the broader Midtown food scene on foot, since much of it sits within a short walk or a five-minute drive of the campus. If you are combining a Scarritt Bennett visit with a broader Nashville trip, our things to do in Nashville guide covers additional neighborhood dining context beyond Broadway's tourist strip.
What Should You See When Visiting the Scarritt Bennett Campus?
A visit to Scarritt Bennett Center typically centers on three focal points: the Gothic Revival exterior of Wightman Chapel and the adjoining Memorial Tower, the Laskey Art Gallery's rotating exhibits, and the general historic district grounds spanning 1.8 acres of the original 1920s campus. As of 2026, the Center offers Tuesday campus tours and a downloadable campus map as visitor resources, making self-guided exploration straightforward for anyone stopping by outside of scheduled events.
Because the campus functions as a working nonprofit with active programming, not a museum, visitors should check the current events calendar before arriving to confirm public access hours, since some buildings may be reserved for private retreats or conferences on any given day. The safest approach is calling ahead at (615) 340-7500 or checking the Scarritt Bennett Center Newsletter Signup for updates on public tour dates and gallery exhibit schedules.
The Memorial Tower and dining hall exteriors photograph well in late afternoon light, when the Crab Orchard stone takes on a warm gold tone that contrasts with the ivy commonly seen climbing the chapel walls. Visitors combining a Scarritt Bennett stop with other Nashville historic sites often pair it with a walk through the Vanderbilt University campus next door or a stop at the National Civil Rights Trail markers found elsewhere in Nashville, since Scarritt's own 1963 to 1964 activism connects directly to that broader regional story.
Where Is Scarritt Bennett Center Located and How Do You Get There?
Scarritt Bennett Center is located at 1027 18th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212, in the Midtown neighborhood roughly a mile and a half from downtown Broadway and immediately adjacent to Vanderbilt University. The location places it within Nashville's academic and medical district corridor, a quieter, tree-lined area distinct from the honky-tonk energy of Lower Broadway.
Visitors driving in typically approach from West End Avenue or 21st Avenue South, with street parking available near campus and additional lot parking often accessible during scheduled events. Because Midtown sits between downtown and the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhoods, it works well as a stop for visitors already exploring Vanderbilt, Belmont University, or the shops and restaurants along 21st Avenue.
Groups planning a Nashville trip that includes a Scarritt Bennett visit alongside typical downtown attractions should factor in the roughly 10 to 15 minute drive back to Broadway, longer during rush hour or major event traffic. If your group is staying somewhere with easy downtown access for the evening portion of the trip, our Nashville bachelorette party guide and speakeasy game room feature cover what a Midtown-adjacent home base looks like for groups splitting time between historic sightseeing and Broadway nightlife.
Practical Guidance: How to Plan Your Scarritt Bennett Center Visit
Planning a productive visit to Scarritt Bennett Center means separating three different use cases: casual historic tourism, event or wedding inquiries, and conference or retreat bookings. Each requires a different first step.
For casual visitors: Call ahead at (615) 340-7500 or check the newsletter signup to confirm Tuesday tour dates and Laskey Art Gallery hours before arriving, since the campus hosts private events regularly.
For wedding inquiries: Email sales@scarrittbennett.org directly for current Wightman Chapel availability and pricing, and book your date as early as possible given the venue's popularity for its historic character.
For groups combining history with a full Nashville trip: Budget a half-day for the campus and historic district, then plan downtown time separately given the roughly 10 to 15 minute drive to Broadway.
For research or genealogy purposes: Reference the National Register of Historic Places database or the archived "Our Story" page for primary-source documentation rather than relying solely on secondhand summaries.
Common mistake to avoid: Assuming the campus operates like a public museum with regular open hours. It is an active nonprofit conference center, so public access windows are more limited than at a dedicated historic site.
One detail that often surprises first-time visitors is how residential the immediate surroundings feel. Despite being connected to major civil rights history and sitting a mile and a half from downtown, the streets around 18th Avenue South are quiet, lined with older homes and academic buildings, a sharp contrast to the density of Lower Broadway.
Frequently Asked Questions
What denomination is Scarritt Bennett affiliated with?
Scarritt Bennett Center grew out of the Southern Methodist missionary tradition, founded in 1892 as a training school for Methodist deaconesses and missionaries. The modern nonprofit was established in 1988 by the Women's Division of the United Methodist Church and retains that Methodist-rooted mission today, though its current programming serves a broad, interfaith community.
How much does it cost to get married at Scarritt Bennett?
Wedding rental rates for Wightman Chapel and the surrounding campus vary by season, guest count, and package, so exact current pricing is best confirmed directly with the venue at (615) 340-7500 or sales@scarrittbennett.org. The chapel's 1928 Gothic Revival architecture has hosted weddings for decades, including a documented 1934 ceremony for Sartain Lanier of Oxford Industries.
What is Taylor Swift's favorite breakfast place in Nashville?
Specific celebrity dining preferences are not something we can verify or confirm through reliable sourcing. Visitors interested in Midtown dining near Scarritt Bennett should explore the broader Belmont-Hillsboro and Vanderbilt-area food scene rather than rely on unverified celebrity claims.
Is Scarritt Bennett Center the same as Scarritt College?
No, they are related but distinct. Scarritt College for Christian Workers operated from 1892 until it closed in 1988, at which point the Women's Division of the United Methodist Church purchased the Nashville campus and founded Scarritt Bennett Center as a new nonprofit entity that same year, occupying the college's original historic buildings.
Where exactly is Scarritt Bennett Center located?
The campus sits at 1027 18th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212, in the Midtown neighborhood adjacent to Vanderbilt University, roughly a mile and a half from downtown Broadway. It is best reached by car, with street parking generally available near the historic district.
What is the historic significance of Scarritt Bennett Center?
The Scarritt College Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1982, covering 1.8 acres including Wightman Chapel, the Memorial Tower, and three other original 1920s buildings. The campus also played a documented role in Nashville's civil rights history, hosting Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957 and student desegregation activism in 1963 and 1964.
Can the public tour Scarritt Bennett Center?
Yes, the Center historically offers Tuesday campus tours and a self-guided campus map, along with rotating exhibits at the Laskey Art Gallery. Because the campus also hosts private conferences and retreats, calling ahead at (615) 340-7500 to confirm current tour availability is recommended before visiting.
Who founded Scarritt College and why?
Belle Harris Bennett, a Southern Methodist missionary leader, proposed the idea for a missionary training school in 1889, and Nathan Spencer Scarritt provided a $25,000 challenge grant and land to establish it in Kansas City in 1892. The school later relocated to Nashville in 1924 and was rechartered as Scarritt College for Christian Workers under President Jesse Lee Cuninggim.
Conclusion: Why Scarritt Bennett Center Still Matters in 2026
Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville is far more than a wedding venue with a photogenic Gothic tower. It carries a 130-plus-year institutional lineage stretching from an 1892 Kansas City missionary school through a pivotal role in 1957 and 1963-64 civil rights activism, into a 1988 rebirth as a nonprofit devoted to women's empowerment and racial justice work. As of 2026, the campus at 1027 18th Avenue South continues that mission through retreats, lectures, and a working Wightman Chapel that couples still choose for its authentic, non-commercial history.
Whether you are researching a wedding date, planning a self-guided walk through the historic district, or simply trying to understand how Scarritt College became Scarritt Bennett Center, the throughline is the same: a Methodist-founded campus that adapted its purpose twice without losing the Crab Orchard stone buildings that make it worth visiting.
If your visit to Midtown is part of a bigger Nashville trip with friends, family, or a wedding party, having a comfortable home base nearby makes the whole experience easier to enjoy.
If your trip includes exploring Midtown's historic sites like Scarritt Bennett Center alongside a night on Broadway, Underwood Manor puts your group about 5 minutes from downtown and 7 minutes from Broadway, with a speakeasy game room to unwind in after a day of sightseeing. Check availability here.
Written by Chase Gillmore, Owner at Underwood Manor
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That is not Scarritt's bell tower.