Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the original Parthenon stands proudly as the centerpiece of Centennial Park and serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture.  The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece.  The building and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals.  The plaster replicas of the Parthenon Marbles found in the Naos are direct casts of the original sculptures which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, dating back to 438 B.C.  The originals of these powerful fragments are housed in the British Museum in London.  The Parthenon also serves as the city of Nashville's art museum with the focus of the Parthenon's permanent collection which is a group of 63 paintings by 19th and 20th century American artists donated by James M. Cowan (whose statue is in one photo below).