Nashville volunteers recover removed benches and expand grassroots effort to add public seating citywide

A dispute over downtown seating has widened into a citywide volunteer project

A Nashville volunteer coalition that began by placing simple wooden benches near bus stops has continued building and distributing new seating after several of its benches were removed from Korean Veterans Boulevard and later retrieved. The effort, organized under the name “Benches For All,” has drawn participants from transit advocacy, homelessness services and faith communities, reflecting broader debates over how public space is managed in the city’s core.

The flashpoint emerged in August 2025, when benches along Korean Veterans Boulevard were removed and replaced with large concrete spheres as part of a downtown beautification and public art initiative. In the days that followed, wooden benches appeared in the corridor; the Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT) removed them within roughly 48 hours and relocated them to a Metro facility. Community members later recovered the benches with the help of a downtown councilmember and redeployed them to other locations.

What volunteers are building, and where the benches are going

Organizers describe the benches as low-cost, quickly assembled seating meant to fill gaps where riders and pedestrians lack places to rest—particularly at busy bus stops and along corridors with long walking distances between amenities. Volunteers have used a production-line approach—cutting, assembling and painting—during public “bench-building parties” hosted at churches and neighborhood sites. One event produced 26 hand-painted benches for South Nashville, and organizers have said they have identified dozens of potential installation locations across the city.

• Benches are constructed from basic lumber and fasteners and then painted, often by families and children participating in the events.
• Organizers have focused on under-resourced transit corridors and areas where seating was recently removed.
• Build events have been hosted at faith-based facilities, including Memorial Lutheran Church, and replicated by neighborhood groups.

City concerns: safety, maintenance, and where seating “belongs” downtown

The bench removals have raised overlapping questions about public safety, liability and the intended use of specific downtown corridors. NDOT leadership has cited safety concerns with the wooden benches, including the risk of splinters. A downtown councilmember involved in retrieving the removed benches has said the argument for relocating seating on Korean Veterans Boulevard was that the corridor functions as a cut-through rather than a place designed for gathering.

The debate has centered on whether downtown seating should be reduced, relocated, or expanded—and what standards should govern benches placed in the public right-of-way.

How transit policy intersects with public seating

The controversy has unfolded alongside major changes in Nashville’s transportation funding. Voters approved the “Choose How You Move” referendum on Nov. 5, 2024, creating a dedicated funding source for transportation and mobility projects. Within that context, bench builders have called for long-term, systemwide seating at WeGo bus stops—framing their wooden benches as temporary infrastructure until more permanent improvements arrive.

For now, the grassroots program continues to expand, with volunteers planning additional builds and installations while the city navigates competing priorities for downtown design, accessibility and the day-to-day management of public space.