The space home to Woolworth on 5th is now for lease, with the closed downtown restaurant looking like it may not reopen.
Located at 221 Rep. John Lewis Way (Fifth Avenue North), Woolworth on 5th's name is a nod to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, when activists conducted lunch-counter sit-ins at what was then a Woolworth's department store.
Bone McAllester Norton partner and attorney Charles Robert Bone, one of the owners of Woolworth on 5th and the building from which it operates, emailed our sister publication the Nashville Post the following statement:
Woolworth on 5th has remained closed since the onset of the pandemic and the Mayor’s original order closing bars and limiting capacity for restaurants. We are hopeful for the return of downtown events, the downtown workforce, visitors to Nashville and large groups and receptions. In the interim, and with more than 17,500 square feet of restaurant space, we thought it was appropriate to understand the possibilities for leasing this space or a part of it. We remain committed to preserving, protecting and honoring the historical importance of this remarkable landmark.
Via an LLC, Bone and other investors (including Fresh Capital President Michael Bodnar) paid $3.4 million for the three-story building in December 2015, according to Metro records.
The Woolworth on 5th space spans about 18,000 square feet across a main floor, a basement and a balcony. Elam Freeman and Nathan Frost — principal and adviser, respectively — with Nashville-based Ojas Partners, are handling the marketing of the space.
Local restaurateur Tom Morales was one of the original owners in Woolworth on 5th prior to selling his stake.
