Our History
Built in 1865 by German immigrant and shoemaker H. H. Wallman, the two-story Federal-style brick townhouse at 1218 6th Avenue North is one of the oldest buildings in Nashville's historic Germantown neighborhood. Known to neighbors for generations as "The Wallman House," it stayed in the Wallman family until the mid-1900s. In 2015, local entrepreneurs Phil Hyde and Jim Creason purchased the property and led a year-long restoration that preserved the original brick exterior, interior walls, fireplaces, and period character while adding modern luxury throughout.
The Germantown Inn opened in December 2016 as a six-room boutique hotel. In 2018, a Carriage House behind the main building added four new suites, bringing the total to ten. Each room is named for a U.S. president or a prominent woman from the mid-to-late 1800s — the Adams, the Anthony, the Buchanan, the Jackson, the Jefferson, the Madison, the Monroe, the Parks, the Polk, and the Roosevelt.
From Home to Inn
The Wallman House
German immigrant H. H. Wallman — a prominent shoemaker supplying Nashville's elite — builds the two-story Federal-style brick townhouse at 1218 6th Avenue North. It is one of the earliest homes in Germantown, Nashville's first suburb. The Wallman family keeps the house for generations.
A New Vision
Local entrepreneur Phil Hyde discovers the property and envisions a boutique hotel. He commissions an architect to design the transformation and brings in Jim Creason — managing partner and president of Germantown-based Trust Development, LLC — to develop the project. The property sells for $754,900.
The Inn Opens
After a year-long restoration, The Germantown Inn opens as a six-room inn. Original brick exterior and interior walls are restored. Rooms are named after presidents and pioneering women. Modern luxury fittings are introduced alongside period details.
The Carriage House
The Carriage House opens behind the main building, adding four new guest suites. Room count expands from six to ten — the layout the inn maintains today.
The Tornado
An EF3 tornado tears through Nashville in the early morning of March 3, ripping part of the roof off the inn and sending a tree crashing into the courtyard. No one is injured. The inn closes for four months of repairs, reopening in late summer.
Five Years
The inn celebrates its fifth anniversary, recognized in Garden & Gun's "Small Inns with Big Charm" as a Southern inn that survived 2020 by doubling down on craft and care.
Designed With Nashville
The post-tornado refresh highlighted the inn as a showcase for Nashville creatives. The interiors feature Andra Eggleston's colorful textiles, custom lighting by Southern Lights Electric, bold portraits of historical figures by Caitlin Mello in every room, and Frette linens on every bed.
Andra Eggleston
Textiles
Southern Lights Electric
Custom Lighting
Caitlin Mello
Portraits
Frette
Linens
Why The Wallman House Matters
The Germantown Inn sits inside the Germantown Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since August 1, 1979 (NRHP reference #79002422). The district covers eighteen city blocks bounded by Jefferson Street, Third Avenue North, Taylor Street, and Eighth Avenue North.
Most of Germantown's historic fabric was built between the 1840s and the 1920s. The Wallman House's restrained Federal-style brick stands out as one of the more conservative survivors — closer in spirit to the antebellum townhouses that gave the neighborhood its early texture than to the ornate Victorian houses that followed in the 1880s and 1890s.
- Federal-style brick
- Tall ceilings
- Original fireplaces
- Restored interior brick walls
- Carriage House addition
- Private rooftop terrace