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MHC News
Marker Project: On October 9th, the new historical marker for District 6 was installed. One side of the marker details the history of East Nashville resident Cora Howe, who had a vast botanical garden called "Wildings" on the site where her home still stands on Greenwood Ave. The other side of the marker focuses on the historical development of the Eastland (now Eastwood) neighborhood. The marker was dedicated at a ceremony attended by Mayor Briley, Council Member Brett Withers and MHC Commissioners Jim Hoobler, Lynn Maddox and Chris Cotton. Eastwood Greene, current owners of the Cora Howe house, allowed for private tours of the home after the marker dedication. The beautiful stone house has been recently rehabbed and is available for vacation rentals; many interior photos can be viewed here. A special thank you to Council Member Withers and Eastwood Greene for their work in placing this new historical marker!
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Mayor Briley and District 6 Council Member Brett Withers spoke at the dedication to a crowd of supporters and neighbors. Credit: Metro Historical Commission.
MHC Commissioners Chris Cotton, Lynn Maddox and Jim Hoobler standing on the Eastland side of the new marker. Credit: Metro Historical Commission.
Also in October, a new privately-funded marker was installed for the Germantown Brewery District. Donated by the Mertie family, the marker was placed near the corner of 5th Ave. N and Madison St. in Germantown. The marker details the brewing history of that area, with an etching on one side showing a map with historic brewery locations for the North Nashville Brewery, Rock City Brewery, Cumberland Brewery, and City Brewery, all of which closed down by the 1870s with the success of J. Steifel's South Nashville Brewing Company. The marker will be unveiled on November 3rd during the 2018 Circus Brew Zerkus Nashville Beer Festival, being held in Morgan Park.
Scott Mertie and MHC staff member Jessica Reeves stand with the newly-installed marker for the Germantown Brewery Historic District. Credit: Metro Historical Commission.
Please join MHC staff and the West End Home Foundation for the dedication ceremony of the new historical marker for The Old Woman's Home on November 5th at 8:30 a.m. The group will meet at The French Shoppe, 2817 West End Ave. One side of the marker includes a photo of the historic building previously located at 2817 West End Ave. Read more here about the history of this organization, which has been in Nashville for over 120 years.
In case you missed the dedication ceremony for the Smith-Carter House historical marker in September, owner Todd Mayo and Eric Martin of Music City Roots have generously provided a full recording of the ceremony and festivities, including the private concert with Carlene Carter and members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. A short video of the dedication is available, or the full ceremony with speeches and concert can be viewed here. Thank you Todd and Eric for sharing these wonderful videos!
Economic Impact Study: MHC staff are working with Washington, D.C.-based firm PlaceEconomics on a study of the economic impacts of historic preservation activities in Nashville and Davidson County. The Phase I analysis will address downtown revitalization, public investment, neighborhood stability and property values, sustainability, tourism and employment, among other aspects. In late September, an advisory panel met with staff and the consultant to discuss the project's direction and will be meeting over the next few months prior to the final product delivery. While the project will examine the entire county, local historic districts will be one of the main points of focus. The analysis portion of the project is expected to be complete in January 2019, at which time Phase II work will begin for a corresponding recommendations report on incentives and tools. A grant application has been filed with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help fund a portion of this study, a decision is expected in December.
MHZC news
Please note, the Metro Historic Zoning Commission's November due date is earlier than usual:
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the MHZC’s November public hearing will be on Monday, November 19th at 2:00 p.m., location to be announced. The application deadline is November 2nd at noon.
The Nashville City Cemetery's 19th annual Living History Tour on October 27th was a great success! Staff members Fred Zahn (MHZC) and Paula Person (MHC) performed some fantastic portrayals of William Cornelius and Sally Thomas, respectively. A video of the tour characters is now available here. Enjoy!
Fred Zahn as William Cornelius at the NCCA Living History Tour. Credit: Metro Historical Commission.
Paula Person as Sally Thomas at the NCCA Living History Tour. Credit: MetroNashville YouTube.
The Metro Historical Commission Foundation is working with the Metro Historical Commission, the Friends of Fort Negley and Metro Parks to raise funds to complete archaeology at Fort Negley Park. Archaeology is needed for better understanding of the site including the role of African Americans in building the fort, by analyzing the areas outside the fort's walls where the African American community that constructed and maintained the fort were camped and potentially buried during the Civil War. It will also assist us in learning more about the African American neighborhood that grew up around the fort after the war, which was displaced by the construction of the I-40/I-65 interchange in the 1960s.
A legion of experts have underscored the significance of Fort Negley and called for protection of the surrounding hallowed ground. Fort Negley has been recognized as one of Nashville's most important and fragile historic resources by many preservation partners, including Historic Nashville, Inc., the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society and The Cultural Landscape Foundation. The fort, which is Nashville's only intact Civil War-era fort, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated a local Historic Landmark District in 2005. A 1996 master plan, updated in 2007, called for the Greer Stadium site to be restored to a public park, land which includes archaeological resources requiring further study. In 2013, a Historic Structures Report commissioned by Metro Historical Commission and Metro Parks documented the fort's condition and made recommendations for restoration priorities. Metro Historical Commission is currently working on a Cultural Landscape Report to inform the Metro Parks Board's decisions about the site, including development and interpretation of this rich history.
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Aerial View of Fort Negley Park. Credit: The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
Since these master plans were published, initial archaeological studies (including a 2018 report by TVAR) have concluded that cultural and natural landscape features exist that connect to virtually every era of Nashville's past. TVAR's research determined that, among other historic features, there is a high likelihood that the site contains human remains of the African American community that constructed Fort Negley. Now, intensive archaeological study is needed to document these resources so we can plan how to protect them and share these stories.
Our goal is to raise $50,000 for this archaeology work. Please help by donating to this extremely worthy cause and sharing with anyone else who you think can help. Thank you to all who have given their support!
CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!
Historic Nashville, Inc.'s annual list of the nine most endangered historic places was revealed during a press conference at the legendary Bobby's Idle Hour on Music Row on October 25th. This year, the list spotlights not only individual properties, including several Music Row buildings and historic schools (one Rosenwold School), but a spot on the list was also reserved for entire historic working class neighborhoods like Chestnut Hill, Buena Vista, the Nations and Cleveland Park. Learn about the history of these properties, listen to local news coverage, and see video of the full announcement here.
This former Rosenwold School in Pasquo made the 2018 Nashville Nine list. Credit: Historic Nashville, Inc.
A recently-released documentary, Mr. Temple and the Tigerbelles, was written and directed by Academy Award Nominee and Emmy-winning filmmaker Tom Neff. The film tells the story of legendary track and field Tennessee State University coach Ed Temple and the incredible group of 40 African American female athletes who broke the color barrier of the Olympics. Featuring historic context provided by MHC Commissioner Linda Wynn and historian Dwight Lewis, the DVD includes rare footage of these amazing athlethes who won 23 medals (16 gold) at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Sales of the DVD will go towards funding the Ed Temple Scholarship Fund and the Ed Temple Wing of Hope Academy.
Members of the 1959-1960 Tigerbelles from TSU and Ed Temple with the 50-plus trophies they won. Credit: Tennessee State University.
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