The Exit/In, a local music venue, is one step closer to historical protections

This article has been updated to reflect the need for Metro Council approval before the Historic Landmark Overlay District goes into effect.

In a yearlong saga surrounding the fate of a building that houses one of Nashville's longest-standing music venues, the Exit/In, the property is one step closer to becoming a historical landmark. 

The Metro Planning Commission approved on consent a Historic Landmark Overlay District for a portion of the property located at 2208 Elliston Place, at the northern corner of Elliston Place and Louise Avenue. 

The zoning overlay must pass through three readings at Metro Council before going into effect.

A Historical Landmark Overlay designation would make redevelopment of the venue more difficult, as any modifications would have to adhere to national guidelines. 

"The situation with Exit/In is an example of how we are losing a critical aspect of our culture in this city," said Councilmember Jeff Syracuse in support of the historic overlay at the planning commission on Thursday. "And increasingly becoming a victim of our own successes in this city."

AJ Capital Partners, a local development firm that relocated from Chicago in 2020 and known for its line of Graduate Hotels, purchased the venue last spring. In November, the firm filed the request to deem the iconic music venue a historic landmark, giving it added protections. 

Exit/In:Property owners AJ Capital asks Metro to deem the music club a historical landmark

The request came after fans of the venue expressed concern for the building's future. 

Last April longtime operators of the Exit/In, Chris and Telisha Cobb attempted to raise enough money to outbuy the development firm. While the Cobbs raised more than $200,000 through a GoFundMe site, AJ Capital closed on the property for $6.45 million. 

"My fear is that corner, that neighborhood, it's currently being transitioned from a local neighborhood to just another spot for tourists," Chris Cobb said. 

AJ Capital's founder Ben Weprin said the company's intent was never to turn the Exit/In into a hotel, or into any other use. 

"Those conversations are also driving our first action as owners: to add the EXIT/IN to the National Register of Historic Places, so that nobody can ever alter or change the space, as it belongs to Music City," Weprin said in a statement last spring.

The 50 year-old venue on Elliston Place hosted early performances by Billy Joel, The Ramones, B.B King and Jimmy Buffett, bringing rising stars to Nashville and cemented a place for the city's rock scene. 

Arcelia Martin covers growth and development for the Tennessean, a part of The USA TODAY Network. Reach Arcelia at amartin1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @arcelitamartin.