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MHC staff continued field work in Joelton as part of a county-wide architectural survey update. Staff documented historic residences, rural cemeteries, and potential historic districts. Some of the more interesting properties encountered included the grave of Joel R. Griffin, Joelton's namesake; a group of several Minimal Traditional 1951 cottages with matching outbuildings; and a 1930s 2-story warehouse with yellow brick accents that is in the process of rehabilitation.
An updated National Register nomination for Travellers Rest will be presented at the January 10, 2018 State Review Board meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. and will be held at the subject property, 636 Farrell Pkwy. The updated and expanded nomination justifies additional periods and areas of significance, including Ethnic Heritage and Architecture. Many archaeological investigations have been conducted on site over the last few decades, the results of which also support listing under the Mississippian
Cultural Resources of the Central Basin of Tennessee, A.D. 900 to A.D. 1450 Multiple Property Document.
The Metro Historic Zoning Commission will be giving a presentation about a potential historic overlay for the Cleveland Park neighborhood at the Cleveland Park Community Center on January 12 at 6:30 p.m. Questions regarding this event can be directed to the MHZC staff at (615) 862-7970.
Registration forms are now available for the 2018 African-American History and Culture conference. For those already on our mailing list, forms have already been sent out, but copies and additional program information can also be downloaded here. This year's theme will be "A Panoramic View of African-American History in Nashville and Tennessee," which will explore African-American contributions and impacts to Nashville and Tennessee through history, story, and song. The 37th annual conference will be held Friday, February 9 at the Avon Williams Campus of Tennessee State University. Please join us!
After years of championing to save the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), preservationists have won the battle against federal budget cuts. The ITC program, which provides a 20 percent tax credit for certified rehabilitations to historic buildings, was most recently threatened with eradication when a November 2 piece of legislation, the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) started making its way through Congress. The situation was exacerbated when the initial Senate tax reform bill, introduced 11 days later, proposed elimination of the 10 percent credit and the reduction by half of the 20 percent credit. Combined bipartisan support from several Senate and State Representatives, along with thousands of letters from individuals, resulted in the retention of the full credits. To make this possible, a solution was proposed and adopted via an amendment to the tax bill, that the credit would be phased over 5 years rather than dispensed in its entirety during the year a rehabilitation is completed. This change will allow for a significant cost reduction to the program, estimated at $2 billion of savings over a 10-year period.
 Fort Negley has several free public programs in January. The Fossil Finders group, which includes geologists and other experts, will meet January 13 at 10 a.m. as part of their regular meetings series to discuss fossil hunting. On January 16 at 7 p.m., the Nashville Civil War Roundtable will host a presentation entitled "They Changed Everything: Civil War Embalming Surgeons" by Todd Van Beck. Fort Donelson Camp No. 62, Sons of Union Veterans, will meet on January 23 at 7 p.m. at the Fort Negley Visitors Center. 2018 marks the 90th anniversary of Fort Negley Park!
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 On December 9, MHC staff attended a dedication ceremony for the Penny Campbell marker in East Nashville, located outside her former residence in Lockeland Springs. The marker has been completed under the city-funded Marker Project, which will place 53 new markers and repair 20 existing markers by mid-2020. Penny Campbell was honored for her significant role as a Nashville civil rights activist, and this is the first marker subject recognized for importance tied to LGBT history.
At the December meeting, the MHC Marker Committee approved text for three new markers: Paradise Ridge Air Force Station (Joelton), Riverside Sanitarium/Dr. Dorothy L. Brown, and the May-Granbery House and Alford Cemetery. Markers have been ordered and will be placed in spring 2018. Watch our Facebook page for updates and photos!
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 Acme Feed and Seed bar and restaurant on lower Broadway has been recognized by ride-sharing service Lyft as one of the most popular destinations in Nashville for the third year in a row. In 2016, Acme was visited by more of the company's passengers than any other restaurant in the U.S., and in 2017 was the most-visited dining spot in Music City. The c. 1890 building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as the Acme Farm Supply Building, significant for its commerce and architectural history. Constructed by Nashville businessman J.R. Whitemore in a prime location one block west of the Cumberland River and the L&N Railroad, the building functioned as the Acme Farm Supply for 60 years. The family-owned business closed its doors in 1999, as this area of town shifted from supporting hardware and supply stores to bars and nightclubs.
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 Other historic properties in Nashville were recognized by Lyft as being popular attractions. Tennessee State University (TSU), listed in the National Register in 1996, was noted as the most-visited local university. Originally known as the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial College, TSU's historic campus is comprised of 7 contributing Classical Revival brick buildings with limestone detailing that were constructed between 1927 and 1949. The property has significance in education, architecture and ethnic heritage, established in 1912 as the first public institution of African-American higher education in the state. (The photo above is excerpted from the National Register of Historic Places nomination and shows the current H.M. Love Learning Resource Center, originally the Memorial Library.)
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 Also recognized by Lyft as a local hot spot is Pinewood Social, a hip restaurant/bar that occupies one of six former trolley car structures located along Hermitage Avenue. The Rolling Mill Hill Trolley Barns at 33-39 Peabody Street were built in the 1940s under the Works Progress Administration. Listed in the National Register in 2010, these buildings retain much of their original materials and stylistic elements, including metal frame windows, stepped parapet rooflines, bowed steel truss roof systems, and decorative brick detailing.
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The Frist Center for the Arts--World War I and American Art exhibit--January 1-31
Shelby Bottoms Nature Center--New Year Moonlight Hike--January 3
Carter House--Behind the Scenes Tour--January 4
Historic Travellers Rest Plantation & Museum--Twelfth Night--January 6
Belcourt Theatre--Elvis: That's The Way It Is--January 8
Bellevue History & Genealogy Group--History Film Club showings of "The Spanish American War: First Intervention"--January 4 and "Ruby Bridge" January 25
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts--Persuaded by Posters--January 12 & 13
East Park--5K for MLK--January 15
The Hermitage--Members Only Preservation Tour--January 20
Historic Nashville Inc.--Annual Membership Meeting 2018--January 25
Cumberland River Compact--River Talks--January 25
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