Vanderbilt buys Sportsman’s Grille site in Hillsboro Village The university is still assessing future plans for the property on 21st Avenue South

Lizzy Alfs | The Tennessean

Vanderbilt University has paid $2.35 million for the Hillsboro Village property home to Nashville mainstay Sportsman’s Grille.

The university finalized a deal for the site at 1601 21st Ave. S. in April, said Southeast Venture broker J.C. Darby, who listed the property for sale for $2 million in January.

The lease for the bar and pool hall expires May 31, said university spokeswoman Ann Marie Deer Owens. She said plans for the site have not yet been finalized.

A representative with Sportsman's Grille could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jim and Jerry Chandler opened the Sportsman’s Grille in Hillsboro Village in 1991. For 27 years, the northern hunting lodge-inspired bar has been a staple in the neighborhood while new developments and tenant turnover change the area.

The Sportsman’s Grille property is next to a SunTrust Bank and across the street from the new Village 21 apartment development.

Vanderbilt’s purchase of the site expands its holdings near campus. In 2016, the university paid $13.25 million for nearly an acre at the northeast corner of Broadway and 20th Ave. S.

Reach Lizzy Alfs at lalfs@tennessean.com or 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.