Construction is picking up at Fort Negley as Nashville builds a 66-acre park and memorial around the Civil War fort, with an opening planned for early 2027. Crews are working at the former Greer Stadium site in Wedgewood-Houston. The park’s design centers on a Memorial Lawn and envisions an open-air museum, combining public recreation with interpretation of the site’s history. A city plan also calls for opening the grounds toward Chestnut Street, where road work is underway to add bike lanes. Fort Negley was built atop St. Cloud Hill for the Union Army by formerly enslaved people who had escaped, enslaved people and free Black workers. In 2019, it was designated a UNESCO Site of Memory for its connection to slavery in the United States. The park project follows years of controversy over plans to develop the grounds. Commercial investors withdrew a proposal in January 2018 after months of public opposition and debate about the fort and the possibility that human remains could be present. An archaeological survey commissioned by then-Mayor Megan Barry found evidence that soil layers where remains might be located were still intact. The official groundbreaking took place in February, while visible construction has increased in recent weeks. The project was planned in 2022, and then-Mayor John Cooper allocated $17.5 million for it during his administration. Learotha Williams, a Tennessee State University history professor and Davidson County’s official historian, said the park can serve as both a memorial and a place for recreation. He expects additional archaeological work and said future research can sharpen how the site’s history is understood. Architect Cyril Stewart, a former president of Friends of Fort Negley Park, said the shift from a fenced, overgrown property to an open entrance from Chestnut Street will be among the most visible changes. The park is taking shape in a neighborhood transformed by commercial development since the Fort Negley proposal was abandoned. Its design frames the site not only as a Civil War relic, but also as a place connected to enslavement, the pursuit of freedom and Nashville’s ongoing debates over land, history and equity.