The Parthenon in Nashville is the world’s only exact-size and detail replica of the original temple in Athens, Greece.
When Tennessee celebrated its 100th year of statehood with the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, Nashville took advantage of its nickname “Athens of the South” and built the Fine Art Building as a copy of Athens’ most famous building and the epitome of Greek classical architecture.
Although built to be temporary, as were all the buildings of the Centennial, the Parthenon crystallized for Nashvillians their image of themselves and their city and they were loathe to tear it down at the conclusion of the exposition. The exterior coating, sculpture and decorative work were made of plaster and soon deteriorated. Repeated patching kept destruction at bay for several years, but in 1920 the city was forced to a permanent solution: tear it down or rebuild it in lasting materials.
The Parthenon built for the Centennial was not a replica on the inside; its interior was a series of galleries for exhibiting the enormous collection of paintings and sculptures borrowed from Europe and throughout the United States for the Exposition. The permanent structure, however, was to be a compete replica and as accurate as scholarship would allow, recreating the camber of the horizontal lines, the inclination of columns and walls and the entasis of the columns. Due to various financial crises, work continued haltingly until its completion in 1931.
https://www.nashvilleparthenon.com/history