R.C. Mathews Contractor recently partnered with the Civic Design Center and several local organizations to bring a new permanent parklet to Kingdom Café & Grill on Nashville’s historic Jefferson Street. Created through the Civic Design Center’s Annual Parklet Design Competition, the project transformed six existing parking spaces into a new outdoor gathering space for the North Nashville community. The parklet was unveiled on September 19 during the Civic Design Center’s annual PARK(ing) Day celebration.
The winning design, created by CSDG and Anecdote Architectural Experiences, was brought to life with construction support, labor, and materials donated by R.C. Mathews. Inspired by Jefferson Street’s musical history, “Take a Beat” draws from the quarter rest in musical notation to create a welcoming space for dining, live music, community activities, and neighborhood events.
Photo Credit: Civic Design Center
For R.C. Mathews, this project was an opportunity to use our construction expertise to give back to the Nashville community. Avinash Palaparthy, who serves on the Civic Design Center Board, helped connect RCMC with the project and managed its completion from start to finish, including the coordination of a large donation of concrete work from WASCO, Inc.
As planning progressed, the scope grew beyond the original concept of constructing the parklet over the existing asphalt. Through the Cumberland River Compact’s ongoing depaving efforts in North Nashville, the team identified an opportunity to remove more than 900 square feet of asphalt and concrete to incorporate nearly 800 square feet of landscaping and trees. R.C. Mathews assisted with coordinating the pavement removal and took on the more involved construction required for the permanent parklet structure. Working alongside the project’s design and community partners, our team completed construction in just over two weeks.
As a Nashville-based contractor, we are proud to give back to the community we have called home for more than 85 years, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work alongside our project partners to create a new gathering space for the Jefferson Street community.
Photo Credit: Andrew Keithly
