On the Right Track

Pullman Standard opens to honor a railroading past

When first preparing to open a cocktail bar in Nashville’s famed Cummins Station, Greg Hooper, the owner of Pullman Standard, began a deep dive into the history of the building and the area around it.

Completed in 1907 as an industrial warehouse and commercial center, Cummins Station was strategically located near Union Station and the L&N railroad tracks. “I immersed myself in the history of this building and the old railroad — all made possible by the Pullman Company,” says Greg, “and then Pullman bought Standard Steel [in 1930] to become Pullman-Standard. I read that and realized: ‘That is the name of a cocktail bar if I ever heard one — an award-winning cocktail bar.’”

Bar Director Amy Van Buren, well known in Nashville for crafting innovative cocktails, is the creative force behind the beverage menu for Pullman Standard, which opened in January. The drinks have monikers that conjure up images of luxury train cars, such as 'The Kid in Upper 4' — aged rum, crème de cassis, lime, ginger and Peychaud’s Bitters. Another, dubbed 'Safety and Comfort,' taking a phrase out of an early-1900s marketing campaign, consists of tequila reposado, papaya, brown sugar, vanilla, lime and Angostura bitters. According to Greg, the cocktails are “the belle of the ball.”

That may be, but it doesn’t mean the food isn’t important as well. “If you get cocktails, but all you have to eat are some chips, it brings the entire experience down,” says Greg. Enter RJ Cooper — James Beard Award-winning chef of Saint Stephen and Acqua fame — to design the commercial kitchen and create the menu. It features light bites and shareable items such as dry-aged beef tartare; duck confit tacos; and American wagyu beef with aerated cheddar and onion jam on puffed bread. And there are chips — served with onion dip and the optional addition of Kaluga caviar.

Remick Architecture and Denver-based interior design firm Xan Creative leaned heavily into the area’s past, embracing and preserving the building’s original details such as the exposed brick and concrete columns and floors.

A classic deco print wallpaper of gold and dark green sets the scene. The concrete floors — now sporting a brilliant, polished sheen — are dotted with oriental rugs, tufted emerald velvet sofas, charcoal velvet club chairs that swivel and round wooden coffee tables. Winecolored leather banquettes line the exposed brick wall, and the original concrete columns are wrapped in walnut casings to add warmth to the industrial space.

BY WHITNEY CLAY PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMY ZAWACKI

First Impressions

When guests sit down to order, there’s no QR code to scan. In keeping with Pullman Standard’s theme of bygone days, the menus are enclosed in leather covers — custom-made by artisans at Lockeland Leather in East Nashville — and secured with brass inserts to weave in one of the space’s key design elements. On this intentionality, Greg says “You get the [other senses] and then, when you sit down, this is the first thing you touch. I wanted to make sure that this was beyond reproach.”

The Devil In The Details

Having worked for Intel for many years, Greg’s background in computer forensics helps him understand the importance of the little things and how they can make a world of difference. At the bar, which seats 15, black leather stools have backs for added comfort. Underneath the bar, guests will find brass hooks for handbags as well as the decidedly modern addition of electrical outlets and USB ports. Small cocktail tables are situated next to chairs, so your drink is — conveniently — never more than an arm’s length away.

Private Party

The focal point of the intimate private room — which seats up to 15 — is a massive, stunning crystal chandelier. Tobacco-colored leather sofas and black leather club chairs atop an oriental rug are flanked by brass cocktail tables. There is a service bar, but you won’t find a TV — in plain sight, at least. It’s cleverly hidden, designed to double as an art piece. Throughout the bar, the artwork features colorful early-1900s posters and vintage drink advertisements, curated by Sai Clayton, the Frist Art Museum’s inaugural fellow.

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