for the mall on August 12, 1992. That month, Tuck Hinton Architects and staff from SSOE Engineers and Ross/Fowler Landscape Architects were hired to develop a master plan for the mall. This plan was unveiled to the public on June 2, 1993, and approved by the State Building Commission on July 8, 1993. The cornerstone for the mall was laid on June 27, 1994, in a ceremony overseen by Governor McWherter. By October of that year, the project had already gone over budget, and engineers began to recommend reductions to the original plan, which resulted in the carillon being deferred in March 1995. On April 27, 1996, the time capsules in the Walkway of the Counties were buried in a ceremony. The park was dedicated on June 1, 1996, by then-Governor Don Sundquist and then-Vice President Al Gore as part of a celebration of Tennessee's 200th anniversary of statehood. The World War II memorial was dedicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 1997. On April 18, 1998, the Civilian Conservation Corps monument was dedicated in a ceremony officiated by David B. Roosevelt, a grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Construction on the carillon began in January 1999, and operation began on July 14, 2000. The bell on Capitol Hill was dedicated on June 1, 2003. The Tennessee Department of Transportation placed a time capsule on the north end of the park on July 1, 2015, as part of a celebration of the agency's centennial. It will be unearthed on July 1, 2115. Legacy and events Since its opening, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park has routinely hosted numerous events, including festivals, concerts, and community gatherings, and has come to be the most visited state park in Tennessee. It was ranked by the Nashville Business Journal as the number one tourist attraction in Nashville in 2006. In 2011, the American Planning Association listed the park as one of the top ten public spaces in the United States. Since 2004, the mall has hosted the Tennessee History Festival. This event, which takes place during the second weekend in October, includes reenactors of historical figures and events, and numerous exhibits chronicling the state's history. Since 2017, the park has hosted a New Year's Eve celebration which includes concerts and the ceremonious dropping of a musical note, owing to the city's nickname as "Music City". In addition, the park routinely offers tours and interpretive events. Gallery