New campus hub for creativity, collaboration and innovation
Project made possible by lead gift from Belmont Trustees Cordia Harrington, with support from Belmont Trustee Andrea Waitt Carlton and the AWC Family Foundation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 24, 2026) — Belmont University today broke ground on The CORD at the Historic Powerhouse, a 17,000-square-foot renovation and addition that will transform a long-time campus landmark into a gathering and innovation hub at the heart of university life. The project, made possible by a $10 million lead gift from entrepreneur, business leader and Belmont Trustee Cordia Harrington, is slated for completion in 2027.
The CORD — which stands for Creating Opportunities and Realize Dreams — will renovate the University's historic powerhouse building and add a three-story structure to create an interdisciplinary creative center. The facility will house a student performance venue with capacity for up to 150, a state-of-the-art digital media lab focused on animation and Unreal Engine production, collaboration space bridging arts and music, a food outlet and exterior patio seating connecting the building to the main campus lawn. A green roof on a portion of the structure will provide a sustainable stormwater management solution.
The CORD at the Historic Powerhouse External Rendering
"The CORD is an invitation to every student who arrives at Belmont: to create, collaborate and realize dreams they might not have imagined on their own," said University President Dr. Greg Jones. " At Belmont, we believe students deserve every opportunity to discover their God-given gifts, and we are deeply grateful to Cordia Harrington for her visionary leadership, and to Andrea Waitt Carlton and all who have worked to make it possible."
The groundbreaking marks the latest chapter in Harrington's long investment in Belmont students, one she says is rooted in her own experience as an entrepreneur.
"As an entrepreneur, I know that the right people change everything,” said Harrington. “The CORD will be that place at Belmont, where students from across disciplines can come together, create and build something none of them could have imagined alone. I believe deeply in what these students are capable of, and I am proud to invest in a place that will bring students together. I am so thankful for the lifetime friends I met in college and their influence on my life."
The project will also serve as the permanent home of the AWC Initiative for Hope-Inspired Storytelling, established through a $3.5 million gift from Belmont Trustee Andrea Waitt Carlton and the AWC Family Foundation. A new digital production lab, funded by Waitt Carlton’s generosity, will serve as a dedicated space for animation and cinematic arts production within The CORD. The building will also be home to collaboration space designed for students from the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business and Watkins College of Art to work side by side.
"The power of story is the engine driving meaningful movements in our culture," said Rick Rekedal, chair of Faith, Hope & Culture in Cinematic Arts and leader of the AWC Initiative. "Thriving in the future will require students to be multi-disciplinary generalists, able to pivot and adapt as they unleash their entrepreneurial creativity. The story they tell will be the spark that helps ignite new opportunities. That is the vision for The CORD at the Historic Powerhouse."
The renovation revitalizes a building that has stood for more than a century, long hidden in the heart of campus and quietly overlooked for generations. The project honors its history while giving the building a new purpose to power. Exterior patio levels will connect interior spaces to Belmont's main campus circulation and lawn, making the building a natural crossroads of campus life.
The CORD at the Historic Powerhouse is a signature project of Hope Transforms, Belmont University's comprehensive fundraising campaign advancing programs and partnerships that cultivate hope as an active, transformative force in the world.
About Belmont University
Located near the heart of thriving Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University consists of nearly 9,000 students who come from every state and 33 countries. The University is nationally recognized for its innovative approach as well as its commitment to undergraduate teaching (U.S. News & World Report). As a Christ-centered, student-focused community, Belmont’s mission is to develop diverse leaders of purpose, character and wisdom who possess a transformational mindset and are eager and equipped to make the world a better place. With more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master’s programs and eight doctoral degrees, Belmont University aims to be the leading Christ-centered university in the world, producing leaders who will radically champion the pursuit of life abundant for all people. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.
About Cordia Harrington
Known as "The Bun Lady," Cordia Harrington is the founder and CEO of CROWN Bakeries, a Nashville-based enterprise and one of the nation's leading commercial bakery operations. Starting with $587 in her first business venture, she built a career spanning real estate and McDonald's franchising before founding Tennessee Bun Company — now CROWN Bakeries — in 1996. Today the company employs more than 2,700 associates across nine facilities. Harrington serves as a Trustee and Vice Chair of Belmont University's Board of Trustees and is a 2026 Horatio Alger Award Inductee.
About the AWC Initiative for Hope-Inspired Storytelling
Established through a $3.5 million gift from Andrea Waitt Carlton and the AWC Family Foundation, the AWC Initiative for Hope-Inspired Storytelling supports the development of faith, hope and culture in cinematic arts at Belmont University. The initiative funds an endowed chair, a digital production lab and programming designed to equip the next generation of storytellers to create content that positively shapes culture.
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