50 Years of the Jet Potter Center (part 4)

By 1975, the design for the new Jet Potter Scout Service Center was well established. The location would be at the corner at Hillsboro Road and Woodmont Blvd, well aware from the hustle and bustle of downtown Nashville.

The site at Hillsboro Road was purchased in 1967 for $90,000. In 1970, Council President Robert D. Stanford, Jr. (whose son was Don Stanford) established a 42-member Long Range Planning Committee, of which C. A. “Neil” Craig II was the chair. This committee recommended the creation of the 1972 Capital Campaign, which included among its goals a new camp at Boxwell, a canoe base, and a new Boy Scout service center. William C. Weaver, Jr. was chosen as chair of this campaign. Webb Folin chaired the Scout Center Committee of this campaign.

Gresham and Smith Architects developed the plans for this center and Foster and Creighton Company were awarded the contract to build the facilty. Foster was Edgar M. Foster, the first Council President who died in 1925, and Creighton was Wilbur F. Creighton, 4th Council President, serving from 1951-1953. His son, Wilbur Jr., attended the first Boxwell at Linton and wrote the 1983 Council History, Boys Will Be Men.

Shown here are two artist renderings of the final design for the Jet Potter Scout Center. The Street view was used in the materials at the ground-breaking. Both are part of the Creighton Collection in the Metro Nashville Archives.

Artist Rendering of Jet Potter Center, street view, 1975. Metro-Nashville Archives, Creighton Collection, Series IV, Sub-Series II, Box 12.

Artist Rendering of Jet Potter Center, 1975. Metro-Nashville Archives, Creighton Collection, Series IV, Sub-Series II, Box 12.