Scarritt Bennett Breaks Ground on International Peace Garden & Labyrinth Renewal
Scarritt Bennett Center will break ground on a renewal of the International Peace Garden labyrinth on Monday, October 12th at 1:30 pm on the campus grounds bordering Grand Avenue and 19th Avenue South. We extend a radical welcome to the community of Nashville to join us for this historic moment in the life of Scarritt College and Scarritt Bennett Center.
In the fall of 2025, Scarritt College alumni board of directors launched a campaign to raise funds for the renewal of our labyrinth, located on the grounds of the International Peace Garden, in honor of fellow alum Kathryn Mitchem. Mitchem led the Church & Community work for Scarritt College and returned as a volunteer with the Scarritt Library and Archives.
The Scarritt College alumni board raised over $20,000 to kick off the renewal and will lead the groundbreaking on October 12th.
The current labyrinth features a permanent, 35-foot medieval seven-circuit walking prayer labyrinth made of brick pavers and grass paths. It was designed by Battle Beasley and installed in April 2004.
The renewal design features new landscape and hardscape features that will make the well -used labyrinth and garden an updated oasis space for mid-town Nashville, suitable for weddings, community gatherings, retreats and daily moments of peace and tranquility for our community that crosses campus each day.
Please join Scarritt Alumni, Scarritt Bennett staff and community for this historic moment in the life of Scarritt Bennett Center at the International Peace Garden and Labyrinth for the groundbreaking on Monday, October 12th at 1:30p.
About Scarritt Bennett Center
In 1924 Scarritt Bible and Training School relocated from Kansas City, MO to Nashville, TN on the 11-acre campus located between 18th Ave. S., Grand Ave., and 19th Ave. S. The college continued in a number of configurations until it closed in 1988.
United Methodist Women bought the property in 1988 formed Scarritt Bennett Center which continues to be an education, conference and retreat center that carries on the foundational ideals of racial justice, transformative education, women’s empowerment and spiritual formation.
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