Last summer this mural went up on a new restaurant that wasn’t even open at the time. Usually, you get the business first and the art later, but art seems to be a key element of Greko Greek Street Food, as the interior walls are heavily decorated as well. It makes some sense that Mobe Oner (nome de paintbrush of Eric Bass) would feature Athens as part of a mural for a Greek restaurant, but “Athens of the South” is a nickname for Nashville that rests on the presence of Vanderbilt and later many other universities. (Your intrepid blogger, as both a Vandy and a UGA grad, is torn about this, as there is another southern university town actually named “Athens.”) This is one of the reasons that Nashville sports a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in the original Athens. The Nashville Parthenon is seen in the “H,” while “A” recognizes the Predators and the Titans, “T” the restaurant itself, “E” The Stage on Broadway, and “N” the Nashville skyline. “S” contains one of the best known though not best-loved pieces of outdoor art in Nashville, the Musica statue. I have yet to blog about it. Someday.
Located at 704 Main Street. The mural is on the east side of the building, facing the parking lot of the Mapco Mart next door. Greko has parking, and there is some free parking on 7th street. Grab you some skewered grilled meat and enjoy the art!
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