The Outfield
History Remixed
Before the Nashville Sounds built their ballpark in Germantown, the team played at Greer Stadium near Fort Negley in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood.
When the Sounds moved ball fields, AJ Capital made an ambitious decision: They purchased and restored the giant guitar-shaped scoreboard that once framed the ballpark and then relocated the sign a few blocks away, to the heart of Wedgewood-Houston.
Today, a pocket park sits beneath the salvaged scoreboard. Because the site runs directly alongside a CSX rail line, shipping containers were placed under the scoreboard to create both a visual and sound barrier from the active tracks.
That practical move sparked a creative insight. The team at AJ realized the containers echoed the advertising panels that once lived on the outfield wall beneath the scoreboard at Greer Stadium. They approached us with the idea of reimagining classic outfield ads as a large-scale mural, bringing vibrant, playful energy back to the space.
The result is a trip down memory lane, mixing what was with what is and what could be.
Design: Studio Delger
Owner: AJ Capital Partners
Fabricator: Jarvis Signs
Sign Painter: I Saw The Sign
Location: 416 Chestnut St, Nashville, TN 37203
Digging through old photos of games at Greer Stadium, the ads lining the outfield wall are a constant presence. Local restaurants, TV news programs, and grocery staples all made appearances. Some ads are simple logos; others lean into quirky mascots and classic taglines.
Our approach ultimately fell into three categories. Some ads are faithful re-creations pulled directly from the ballpark’s history. Others are historic ads that we cleaned up and refined for scale and legibility. And a third group imagines what it might have looked like if today’s beloved local brands had advertised on the wall decades ago.
Iconic entertainment venues like the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, with its century-long history, and Opryland anchor the institutions that make Nashville special. Arnold’s Country Kitchen, Gabby’s, United Record Pressing, and Fork’s round out nearby shops and neighborhood favorites.
One image jumped out immediately: an unnamed, dog-like character advertising Universal Tire. The apparent gimmick was a promotion offering a new set of tires to any batter who knocked a home run through the tire. We couldn’t help ourselves and took the idea one step further by incorporating a real tire into our iteration. Thanks to Jarvis Signs, two giant records and an actual tire were installed to bring the concept to life.
The result is a wall that moves fluidly between past and present, treating history with respect while leaving room for imagination.
Photo credit: © Frank Epson / The Tennessean via Imagn Images
Photo credit: © Frank Epson / The Tennessean via Imagn Images
As the project wrapped up, our attention turned to the back side of the containers. We needed to decide how to treat the reverse faces in a way that felt finished and cohesive, especially since the giant guitar has become a popular photo spot for tourists. We mocked up several color options, exploring a range of straightforward solutions.
As a wild-hair idea, the final page of the PDF was titled “Huge-Ass Amps.” Instead of a flat color, we proposed painting the containers to look like oversized amplifiers, tucked beneath the giant guitar. It was an easy “Yes” for a client with a great sense of humor.
