America’s Best Restroom: The Hermitage Hotel’s Art Deco Men’s Room
Every room at Nashville’s historic Hermitage Hotel reflects beautiful craftsmanship.
Cover photo: The 1930s Art Deco men’s restroom at the Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee, United States (2026). Photo by Danny With Love.
Intro
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Located on the lower level near the Oak Bar, the Hermitage Hotel’s men’s restroom is one of Nashville’s most unexpected architectural attractions. Its striking green-and-black tile, vintage fixtures and elegant details have made it a destination for visitors, photographers and celebrities.
Art Deco Design and Craftsmanship
Dating to the 1930s, the restroom features green-and-black leaded-glass tiles, a terrazzo floor, lime-green fixtures and a two-seat shoeshine station. An antique Sultan telephone adds another distinctive detail.
The restroom’s craftsmanship earned it the title “America’s Best Restroom” in 2008, when it won a nationwide contest sponsored by Cintas Facilities Services. The award also recognized restrooms for their hygiene, style and accessibility to the public.
A Restroom With History
The Hermitage Hotel opened in 1910 as Nashville’s first million-dollar hotel and has welcomed generations of notable guests. According to hotel lore, President John F. Kennedy had his shoes shined here, while Elvis Presley—who was a repeat guest of the hotel—may also have visited the restroom. These stories remain part of the room’s enduring legend.
Notably, the restroom appeared on the 2006 7-inch record cover of “Steady, As She Goes” by The Raconteurs. The band posed for a group photograph in the restroom, and a later Third Man Records reissue was pressed on emerald-green vinyl inspired by the location.
A Nashville Must-See
The restroom’s appeal extends well beyond music fans. In June 2017, TODAY hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb visited the men’s restroom for a photo, posing beside the lime-green urinals.
Although it remains a functioning men’s restroom, the hotel welcomes visitors who want to admire its design. The Hermitage notes that nearly as many women as men visit the Art Deco room—proof that exceptional architecture can make any space a landmark.
