Conway Twitty's Hendersonville mansion faces possible demolition after tornado damage

A country music legend's home may be facing demolition following the deadly Dec. 9 tornadoes.

Conway Twitty's Hendersonville mansion could possibly be demolished as Trinity Broadcasting Network goes forward with their development plan for the property on which the mansion stands.

The "Hello Darlin'" singer had 41 Billboard No. 1 singles on both country and pop charts, exceeding numbers by Elvis Presley, George Jones and the Beatles.

The property was known as “Twitty City” from 1981 until Twitty's death in 1993. The development included homes for the singer and his four children, a museum, a gift shop and an auditorium. The following year the Christian based broadcast television network purchased the property.

During the Hendersonville Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, leaders laid out their plans for the development.

According to Greg Tidwell with Smith Gee Studio, the land planners and architects behind the project, TBN owns excess property behind the Huckabee Theater of which they are seeking the rezoning for development of assisted living and independent living.

TBN is also seeking to expand on an already existing production studio which was damaged in the tornado.

"We're at a crossroads right now, and the crossroads was really none of our doing. Really it was a tornado that hit Dec. 9th," said Frank Amedia, president of the real estate division for TBN. "We have 100 staff people - production editors - that are all displaced. Some are working from home, some are trying to work in a building that's unsafe right now to be honest with you, were trying to get them out of there quickly.

"The whole building was twisted," he added.

Included in the plans is the possible demolition of the Twitty mansion, which concerned commission leaders due to wanting to preserve the tradition and history of Hendersonville.

Amedia said although TBN has tried to figure out ways to preserve the mansion, efforts have been futile as the mansion sits in the middle of the complex and is dysfunctional. He said he understands the affection for the history but the mansion hasn't been viable for many years.

The "Hello Darlin'" sign plans to be preserved. Memorabilia will also be displayed inside the new studio, rights pending said Amedia.

"I think if we go forward to try and bring forth a revival identity of what Twitty was there, I think that satisfies a lot because right now you have no identity of Twitty there," said Amedia. "You can't see the Twitty bird, the brick wall is there but most people don't know what it is."

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter at @_leyvadiana

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Conway Twitty's Tennessee mansion faces demolition after tornado