Frist Art Museum

Nashville, TN

The Frist Art Museum (FAM) opened in 2001 in a restored 1934 Art Deco in downtown Nashville. FAM is a non-collecting museum dedicated to presenting and originating high-quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. FAM presents more than ten exhibitions annually to an average of nearly 200,000 visitors.

FAM’s building was renovated for the museum’s opening in 2001. Over time, materials such as sealants and weather-stripping degrade, and an ASHRAE Level II energy audit supported by a FCI 2024 Scoping grant, identified significant opportunities for energy savings by reducing air infiltration. FAM will address this through the repair and replacement of door/window seals, sealing building penetrations, and mitigating other types of gaps in the building envelope.

The museum building has eighty-three steel frame windows with decorative iron panels that are fitted with single-pane glass. While a significant architectural component of the historic building, the windows provide minimal insulation. With FCI 2025 funds, the project will test the feasibility and performance of installing energy-efficient vacuum insulated glass (VIG) units with fresh area seals into existing frames. If successful, this will provide a model for future window renovations in historic buildings that would create significant reductions in carbon emissions.

Milestones

• Correct air infiltration deficiencies by repairing and replacing historic windows

• Reduction in energy consumption and in carbon emissions by approximately 21.6 metric tons annually