Nashville Downtown Partnership Points to Subcontractor for Library Fire

The Nashville Downtown Partnership — an influential business coalition that leases the parking garage attached to the Nashville Public Library on Church Street — says subcontractor Block by Block is to blame for the garage's June 10 fire. The blaze originated in a fourth-floor storage area and fed on an undetermined fuel source, fire investigators say, and has closed down the library for several weeks.

No official damage assessment has been released. Metro attorneys approved general liability insurance and fire insurance policies in its lease with the Nashville Downtown Partnership, which has overseen operations at the site for years. The two parties appear headed toward a complicated legal thicket as more information comes out about who will pay for future repairs.

The NDP says a subcontractor, Block by Block, was responsible for the fourth-floor space under scrutiny by Nashville Fire Department investigators.

"The fourth-floor storage space in the library garage was used by our contractor, Block by Block, and not by the Nashville Downtown Partnership," says NDP spokesperson Alexis Bell. "Block by Block staff used the space to store equipment and supplies needed to deliver daily cleaning and safety services. We continue to work with our contractors and partners in the Metropolitan Government and remain grateful to all those involved in the response and cleanup."

Bell tells the Scene that the NDP carries insurance policies as required by Metro, and does not have a separate insurance policy or certificate of insurance carried by Block by Block.

The Louisville, Ky.-based company has worked with Nashville since at least 2000 according to its website. Its parent company, SMS Holdings, has its corporate headquarters in Nashville. Block by Block offers beautification and maintenance services for public spaces and runs city hospitality programs like Nashville's yellow-shirted downtown ambassadors. A spokesperson for the company provided the Scene with a short statement.

"Block by Block is proud of our more than 25-year working relationship with the Nashville Downtown Partnership," reads Block by Block's statement. "We appreciate the commitment of our local and regional teams, who worked diligently to quickly restore our ability to provide a clean, safe and welcoming downtown Nashville. We will continue to work with our staff, partners and officials to serve the downtown community."