Ryman Auditorium
Ryman Auditorium, originally called the Union Gospel Tabernacle, is best known as a former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Construction of the tabernacle began in 1889 by Captain Thomas Ryman. Upon his death in 1904, it was renamed Ryman Auditorium. From the early 1940s until 1974, Ryman Auditorium was home to the Grand Ole Opry. Hank Williams, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Tammy Wynette and many other country musicians performed there during this time. Before the Grand Ole Opry came to the Ryman, the building had served as a place for religious meetings, conventions, lectures, operas, theatrical performances, concerts and other events. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1971. After renovation in 1994, Ryman Auditorium reopened as a theater.
The stamp art features an original oil painting by Mike Summers. The painting, completed in 1994, now hangs in the Ryman Auditorium. It depicts how the building looked around the turn of the century when it housed the Union Gospel Tabernacle.

ллл  Return to The 2000 Collection.