When did you last walk into the library on Benham Avenue? Probably not since the first days of January. The Green Hills Branch Library at 3701 Benham Ave closed on January 4, 2026, for its first full renovation in 25 years. Nashville Public Library's renovation notice still gives an anticipated reopening in "early 2027." By the time this post goes up, the branch will have been closed for most of a year, and it will stay closed through the holidays.
According to that notice, the project follows a public input phase with more than 600 participants. Two features lead the list of what the community asked for: a new children's area and additional meeting spaces. So the branch is closed, and the two jobs it is being rebuilt to do better, hosting kids and hosting gatherings, have moved to other addresses for the season. Here is where each one landed.
The Small Errands Break First
The first thing most people notice is the book return. The outdoor drop at Benham Avenue is unavailable during the closure. The branch page asks patrons to bring items to any other NPL location. Leaving an overdue picture book in the drop on the way to Hillsboro Pike won't work again until the building reopens.
Borrowing still works. You just need to change one setting. Under NPL's loan rules, cardholders pick a preferred branch for picking up physical holds, and the library sends a notice when a hold is ready. A ready hold waits seven days. If your account still lists Green Hills, update it so your next request goes to a branch you'll actually pass.
For anything that doesn't need a shelf, NPL's Libby service gives cardholders e-books, audiobooks and magazines in an app or a web browser. It's the one part of the library that was never tied to the Benham Avenue building.
Four Branches, Four Different Weeks
Which branch makes a sensible stand-in depends on when you're free. The closest options keep different hours, and some differences matter more than they first appear. Two of the four are closed on Sundays, and only three stay open past 6 p.m. on weeknights.
| Branch | Address | Weekdays | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgehill | 1409 12th Avenue South | Mon–Fri 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Closed |
| Edmondson Pike | 5501 Edmondson Pike | Mon–Thu 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | 2–5 p.m. |
| Bellevue | 720 Baugh Road | Mon–Thu 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | 2–5 p.m. |
| Richland Park | 4711 Charlotte Ave | Mon–Thu 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Closed |
NPL's own closure notice names Edgehill Branch Library as the alternative, describing it as about three miles from the Green Hills branch. It's the nearest choice on the list, but it closes at 6 p.m. every weekday and stays closed on Sundays. If you need an evening or a Sunday afternoon, the branch NPL points to is the wrong pick. Edmondson Pike and Bellevue are the two in this group that offer both.
Where Story Time Went
Children's programming has left Green Hills too, and it is the main thing the renovated branch is being built to bring back. For now, the scheduled children's events closest to the neighborhood split between Edgehill and a bookstore on Hillsboro Pike.
On the library side, the NPL events calendar lists Baby Story Time at Edgehill on November 5. The same calendar lists a Family Story Time for ages 0 to 5 at Edgehill.
Inside the neighborhood itself, Parnassus Books at 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14, keeps a children's calendar that covers part of the gap. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Two children's events fall in the weeks after publication:
- Saturday, November 7: an author storytime with Aria Joy Prichard.
- Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m.: the store's Holiday Storytime, led by Parnassus staff. The invitation asks the whole family to come in their finest pajamas.
Until NPL opens the new children's area, Parnassus is the closest place to Benham Avenue with a scheduled read-aloud on the calendar.
Where the Book Clubs and Gatherings Went
The other half of the renovation is meeting space. NPL's notice lists "additional meeting spaces" next to the children's area as an improvement residents asked for. Until then, book clubs and talks that might have used a Green Hills room are meeting in other parts of the city.
These NPL clubs are on the November calendar:
- Edmondson Pike, Thursday, November 5: the branch's 1st Thursday Book Club.
- Edgehill, Saturday, November 7: Slow Burn Book Club, reading Wild Love.
Edgehill and Richland Park also host recurring clubs, the Caffeinated Book Club and the Black Female Authors Book Club, and both showed sessions on their late-October calendars. Check the branch pages for the next dates.
On Hillsboro Pike, the in-person author calendar runs into December, and two of the events feature the novelist Ann Patchett:
- Saturdays, November 14, 21 and 28, 4 to 5 p.m.: Patchett's Holiday Office Hours. She'll be in the store to sign and personalize books, timed for holiday gifts.
- Tuesday, December 8, 6:30 p.m.: Neal Shusterman, celebrating his new book Rising Thunder. This is a ticketed event.
- Wednesday, December 9, 6:30 p.m.: the in-store Parnassus Books Holiday Special featuring Ann Patchett, a ticketed evening of book recommendations for everyone on your list.
The neighborhood's own history has moved for the season as well. On December 8, the Nashville History Club meets at Sevier Park Community Center for a presentation by Tom Henderson on "The Green Hills Theater." Sevier Park is the club's fall 2026 substitute location while Fort Negley Park is under construction. The Metro Parks event listing has the details. It falls on the same Tuesday as the Shusterman event, so anyone hoping to attend both should compare the start times first.
What "Early 2027" Does and Doesn't Promise
NPL's current renovation pages give a window, "Coming Early 2027," but no fixed opening day. The estimate has already moved once. When the branch closed in January, WSMV reported that reopening was expected in "winter 2026." The library's notice now says early 2027. Plan around a reopening that comes after the new year, without a set date. Branch hours and event listings also change, so check the NPL events calendar and the Parnassus pages before you head out.
Until then, NPL's message to Green Hills patrons is the same as in January. Staff at any NPL location can help, and the library takes questions through its online contact form.
If your Saturday route now runs past Edgehill or a signing line on Hillsboro Pike, Kim would love to hear how the neighborhood is getting by until Benham Avenue reopens. Oak Leaf Real Estate is always glad to swap local notes. Let's grab some coffee and talk about what's changing close to home.
