On December 9, a tornado hit Hendersonville, Tennessee, damaging part of what used to be known as Twitty City, a campus of buildings including the mansion built by longtime country star Conway Twitty for himself and his family. It was a tourist destination in the 1980s, but when Twitty passed away in 1993, the real estate was sold to Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Christian TV service.
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As a result of the extensive damage caused by the storm, TBN is considering tearing down the structures in what is now Trinity Music City—including the Twitty mansion—and building a new complex in its place, TBN representative Frank Amedia recently told a meeting of the Hendersonville Planning Commission, per a report from News Channel 5.
“Unfortunately, it’s a public fact, TBN was highly underinsured on that site, so now we’re at a position if we’re going to put money into fixing old things, then the new things aren’t coming,” Amedia said.
[RELATED: Conway Twitty’s Iconic Nashville Mansion at Risk of Demolition]
“Dad Worked so Hard to Build This Place”
Joni Ryles feels strongly that Twitty City should not be torn down. She is the daughter of the late Conway Twitty, and according to News Channel 5, recently spoke out against tearing down the structures. “There’s no question,” she said. “We would much rather drive by and see it standing because Dad worked so hard to build this place and make it a special place for fans to come and enjoy and for our family to live.”
According to Amedia, TBN is having a hard time coping with the toll the tornado took on the property. “We’re at a crossroads right now, and not by our doing, but by a tornado that hit December 9. We have 100 staff people, production editors, some are working from home, some are trying to work in a building that’s unsafe right now,” he said.
Ryles would like to see the property continue to be a sought-after destination and popular road-trip stop. “It breaks our hearts, but they own the property now. There’s not much we can do to stop it,” she said, further speculating, “I think it’s probably been in the plan a lot longer than the tornado because you don’t just come up with that plan. They weren’t using the property at all.”
The proposal to demolish Twitty City was voted down at the Hendersonville Planning Commission meeting; however, it will still move forward to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in two weeks for another vote.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
