Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art I

            Photo 1 From the Nashville Series

THE HISTORY OF CHEEKWOOD

The history and origin of Cheekwood are intimately interwoven with the growth of Nashville, the Maxwell House coffee brand and the Cheeks, one of the city's early entrepreneurial families.

Christopher T. Cheek moved to Nashville in the 1880's and founded a wholesale grocery business. His son, Leslie Cheek, joined him as a partner.

In 1896, Leslie Cheek married Mabel Wood of Clarksville, Tennessee. Their son, Leslie Jr., was born in 1908 and their daughter, Huldah, in 1915. By that year, Leslie Cheek was president of the family firm.

GOOD TO THE LAST DROP

During these same years, the elder Cheeks cousin, Joel Cheek, developed a superior blend of coffee that was marketed through the best hotel in Nashville, the Maxwell House. His extended family, including Leslie and Mabel Cheek, were investors. In 1928, Postum (now General Foods) purchased Maxwell House's parent company, Cheek-Neal Coffee, for more than $40 million.

With their income secured by the proceeds from the sale, the Cheeks bought 100 acres of what was then woodland in West Nashville for a country estate. To design and build the house and grounds, they hired New York residential and landscape architect, Bryant Fleming, and gave him control over every detail - from landscaping to interior furnishings. The result was a limestone mansion and extensive formal gardens inspired by the grand English houses of the 18th century. Fleming's masterpiece, Cheekwood, was completed in 1932.

Taken on: September 13, 2015

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