CMA Floats Retirement Community
For every Willie, Dolly and Garth there are hundreds of musicians and songwriters behind the scenes who made their livings in country music but never quite achieved the fame and fortune of the big dogs.
So for those musicians who can’t retreat to their mansions after years in the business, the Country Music Association is working on a new retirement community designed specifically with industry vets in mind.
The proposed $95 million Crescendo at Westhaven, in Franklin, Tenn., would feature apartments priced between $300,000 and $650,000 according to the Tennessean, as well as a 250-seat movie theatre and video libraries. Recording studios, performance halls and an amphitheatre have also been proposed for the development.
Katie Gillion, head of the nonprofit Country Music Retirement Community that has raised money for the project, told the paper the development would be a first for the music industry.
“Anybody who’s made a living in music could live here,” she said. “They can still share stories about Music Row. They can still tinker in the studio or have live music performances on site.”
Construction could begin as soon as 2011 on the community, which would feature assisted living and nursing facilities alongside 180 apartments, the Tennessean reported.
