African American Music Museum on track to be built

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ Construction on the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville could start as early as next year.

Project leaders told The Tennessean http://tnne.ws/1j7SiNo the construction will be one component of a larger redevelopment on the site of the old Nashville Convention Center near downtown.

The wheels were put in motion to build a museum to honor African American culture in 2000 when the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce created a task force to study the issue.

 Initially, the project had a fundraising goal of more than $43 million, but that was reduced after the city offered up the convention center. In 2006, the city committed $10 million toward the project, and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean says the city’s commitment still stands.