The period after World War II also brought a nationwide suburban boom. Planned neighborhoods with uniform lot sizes and consistent housing styles became the norm. During the late 1940s through the 1960s, (32) ranch-style subdivisions began to emerge on the outskirts of Franklin’s historic downtown, such as Rolling Meadows, Green Acres, Meadow Lawn, and the Rucker Subdivision, the first post war exclusive African American neighborhood. Built for practicality and affordability, these neighborhoods also reflected the rise of automobile-centered suburban living. In 1956, the Federal Aid Highway Act, commonly known as the Interstate Highway Act, was signed into law and in the late 1960s the Tennessee Division of Highways completed I-65 through Williamson County. Though located east of town, the interstate further connected Nashville and Franklin, and the increased ease of access encouraged more daily commuters to live in Franklin and work elsewhere, leading to a growth in the city’s population. However, the growth took place primarily outside of the historic downtown core through annexations and commercial and industrial development. While the population grew, the downtown core entered a period of gradual decline. Businesses covered storefronts and building facades with aluminum panels and highway-scale signage was installed to attract passersby. The existing infrastructure, or lack of it, and historic buildings faced an uncertain future. CONTEMPORARY (1975– CURRENT) SATURN ANNOUNCED Since the 1970s, Williamson County and Franklin have grown into affluent communities on the south side of Nashville. In 1985, General Motors announced plans to construct a new manufacturing facility for its Saturn brand near Spring Hill, in southern Williamson County. The announcement immediately drew new residents to the area and spurred intense growth pressures in Franklin. By the time the first new automobiles rolled off the lot in 1990, the population of the City of Franklin had grown from 12,407 in 1980 to 20,098. During this period, Nashville’s music industry leaders and celebrity entertainers began to make their homes in Franklin. MACK HATCHER MEMORIAL PARKWAY BEGAN Planned since 1949 and named after the Williamson County Roads Director, work began in the 1980s on the Mack Hatcher Memorial Parkway (SR-397), a bypass road intended to alleviate traffic through the center of town. By 1990, the road connected Columbia Pike in the south to Hillsboro Road in the north, around the east side of town. The Tennessee Department of Transportation completed the most recent section, from Hillsboro Road to SR-96, in 2021. MAIN STREET REVITALIZED AND THE COOL SPRINGS GALLERIA OPENED The Main Street Streetscape Enhancement Program was completed on August 3,1991, within the same week that the new Cool Springs Galleria, the regional shopping mall, opened northwest of downtown Franklin near the Interstate-65. Both of these major economic catalysts were understood as a way to both accommodate new growth as a progressive community while preserving historic resources and small town character. 54 FRANKLIN, TN | PRESERVATION PLAN
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