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Keep Hillwood GREEN!

A campaign to preserve public land for community use

For nearly sixty years, the name Hillwood has been synonymous with Hillwood High School, the anchor of the Hillwood/West Meade neighborhoods that it serves. In its heyday, the school was a community of its own, bustling with students. That school community produced many business and civic leaders who helped to make Nashville the thriving city that it is today.

 

In the Spring of 2017, the MNPS Board of Education voted to move the high school to Bellevue. As this chapter in the story of Hillwood High School ends, we are presented with an opportunity to envision a new future for this property so generously offered by the Hill Family for our community.

The MNPS Board of Education is now considering new construction to replace our community's last remaining elementary school, Westmeade Elementary. In a public survey, over 80% of respondents were in favor of keeping Westmeade Elementary in Hillwood-West Meade. We support using the 33 acre Hillwood High property to build a new elementary school, as well as a park and new library branch.

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Learn more about Westmeade Elementary.

Hillwood Park Proposal

In 1910, Horace G. Hill Sr. purchased rolling farmland that H.G. Hill Jr. eventually developed into the Hillwood neighborhood. Construction began in 1948 and was one of the largest post-war projects in the city. H.G. Hill had a vision for a park-like community, with beautiful winding roads. He also had the great foresight to complete the neighborhood with a police station, churches, and public schools. To ensure our area would have such amenities, he generously provided land for the city's and immediate community's needs. In 1959, the land for Hillwood High School was offered to the Board of Education followed by the land H.G. Hill Middle School currently sits upon. 

While the land for our neighborhood schools now belongs to MNPS, we seek to honor H.G. Hill's quiet, generous, charitable legacy by continuing his designation for community use. During the spring of 2015, neighbors met to write a Special Policy provision included in NashvilleNext for the Hillwood High School property. This Special Policy Area language encourages city planners to preserve the High School property for public use either as a school or a park. In a city bustling with new development and construction, this rare jewel of open space should remain as an oasis of green space, a community gathering place, and an amenity to our beautiful city. 

*After image represents a vision for the Hillwood property, actual layout of park elements subject to change.

Join us to help keep the spirit of the Hill family's agreement with Nashville alive and

Keep Hillwood GREEN!

Photos courtesy of Mary Glynn Williamson, @mgw_pics

Did You Know?

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  • The 33 acres available for a Hillwood Park can accommodate a new library and an elementary school. 

Act now to show the city of Nashville that our community cares deeply about saving the Hillwood land for use as a public library and park.

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