Hundreds Rally To Save “Nashville’s Soul”

By Nate Rau, Tennessee Lookout

April 8, 2021

Supporters rallied on Wednesday in support of Exit/In, Nashville’s oldest rock and roll club, which is under contract to be sold to a hotel developer.

Exit/In’s operators Chris and Telisha Cobb are hoping to purchase the property, which also includes the next door bar Hurry Back. In addition to the Cobbs, Metro Councilman Brandon Taylor, who represents the area where the club is located, and Metro Councilman Jeff Syracuse, a leader on city issues related to the music industry, attended the event.

The presence of Taylor and Syracuse is notable because the company that has the property under contract, AJ Capital Partners, could conceivably seek a rezoning in order to maximize density for a new development.

Just last year, developers sought to demolish apartment buildings across the street in order to build a Holiday Inn Express. The developers sought a zoning variance to reduce the number of parking spaces they would have to build, but there was tremendous community opposition and the Board of Zoning Appeals rejected that request.

AJ Capital Partners is the developer behind the Graduate Hotel chain as well as the popular new tourist development May Hosiery.

As of Wednesday evening, the Cobbs’ Go Fund Me had earned $169,000 toward its goal of $200,000 to help save the building. The Cobbs are partnered with a North Carolina firm Grubb Properties which helps music venue operators co-own their buildings through its Live Venue Recovery Fund.

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