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MHC News
Grant Updates: In mid-January, MHC submitted an application for the National Park Service’s Civil Rights History Grant. We applied for the maximum $50,000 and no matching funds were required. The grant would fund a context study of Civil Rights Associated Resources in Nashville, 1944-1966 and include at least one National Register nomination. The nominated property(ies) could then potentially qualify for grants, tax credits and other preservation incentives. The research would inform the placement of one new MHC historical marker that would relate to the project findings. We should hear back sometime in July with a decision on our application. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Mayor Cooper, MHC Chair Clay Bailey, Historic Nashville and the Metro Historical Commission Foundation for providing support letters for our application!
MHC also applied for a federal preservation grant from the Tennessee Historical Commission's (THC) current round of funding. This year’s application will be for Phase I of a countywide cemetery preservation plan that will update existing survey documentation and provide recommendations on maintenance and repairs at Davidson County's 500+ rural cemeteries. Funding will cover the cost of a consultant (approximately $40,000) and MHC and Planning Department staff will provide the required matching funds through their work on the project. Completion of this plan is estimated to take 4-5 phases, potentially one per year if strictly funded by grants. This type of project is the first of its kind in Tennessee. As such, MHC believes it would inspire other counties and CLGs to undertake similar important work in their areas. Thanks to the many individuals and organizations that provided support letters for this application, including Mayor Cooper, Council Members Burkley Allen, Kyontze Toombs, Zach Young and Jennifer Gamble, as well as Historic Nashville and Goodlettsville Mayor Rusty Tinnin.
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Views of rural Davidson County burial sites (clockwise from top left), Bashaw Cemetery, Benevolent Cemetery No. 79, Overton Cemetery and Duke Family Cemetery. Credit: MHC.
MHC continues to administer the current THC grant for restoration planning activities for historic concrete structures at the Parthenon and Centennial Park. Grant-funded activities for all structures addressed include a materials analysis, preservation recommendations and a priority list for repairs. We hope to have the project awarded in February.
Continuing Education: In late January, MHC staff member Jessica Reeves attended a webinar hosted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) and the California Preservation Foundation on Endangered Sites of Diversity in California. The webinar series will focus on a different endangered site each week; the first was on LGBTQ history and the Lyon-Martin House. The next two webinars in the series are on Immigrant History and Native American Heritage.
Other Projects: Staff member Scarlett Miles has been assisting Council members with researching the history of sites in their districts: District 26 CM Johnston with the Thompson Cemetery on Penfield Drive and At-Large CM Mendes with a stone wall along River Trace in western Davidson County.
MHZC staff member Paul Hoffman was featured in the January 2021 MTSU issue of Common Bond. Take a listen to this "Formers Corner" interview with Paul!
MHZC News
At its December meeting, the MHZC recommended approval of the YWCA building located at 201-213 7th Avenue North as a Historic Landmark District, and the MHZC adopted revised design guidelines for Historic Landmark Districts. The proposed Haynes Heights Neighborhood Conservation District is scheduled to be heard by the MHZC at its February 17, 2021 meeting.
The MHZC’s February public hearing will be on Wednesday, February 17th at 2:00 p.m. and will be a virtual meeting. Guidance regarding meeting access and submitting comments can be found on our Coronavirus Procedures page.
View the MHZC meeting schedule and application deadlines here. Access archived videos of the MHZC meetings on the Metro YouTube channel anytime!
The 2021 NCAAHC will be held online Friday, February 12th from 9:00 a.m-1:30 p.m. This year's conference will be the first-ever virtual NCAAHC and is packed with many new presenters, engaging sessions and talented musical guests. Our theme this year is "40 Years of Science, Sites and Sounds." Attendees will be treated to a thoughtful panel discussion with some of Nashville's foremost historians and a virtual tour of the Jefferson Street Sound (JSS) Museum, hosted by JSS Records CEO Lorenzo Washington. Registration for the event is $20.
In celebration of the conference's 40th anniversary, this year's registration includes a commemorative NCAAHC lapel pin and a copy of the newly-revised Profiles of African Americans in Tennessee book showcasing all 40 years of illuminating conference profiles. Online registration is now open, please contact Caroline Eller with any questions. We hope you will join us in celebration the 40th annual NCAAHC!
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Recovery continues after the devastating Christmas Day bombing on Second Avenue. MHZC staff began reaching out to property owners immediately after the bombing to make them aware of resources available for their recovery. Staff worked with the Metro Public Library and its Metro Archives, TN Historical Commission (THC), Tennessee State Library and Archives, and Historic Nashville, Inc. (HNI) to pull together all known Second Avenue images and drawings for building owners. Together, MHC Executive Director Tim Walker and MHZC Zoning Administrator Robin Zeigler have made six trips to Second Avenue with Metro Historic Zoning Commissioners Ben Mosley and Cyril Stewart, Planning Commissioner Brian Tibbs, District Board Member Ron Gobbell and preservation partners- THC, HNI and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites). We've also revised our webpage dedicated to disaster recovery to include additional resources.
We're working with Metro Public Works, The District, Inc. (the nonprofit for downtown’s historic districts and neighborhoods), and HNI, which maintains façade easements on 170-178 Second Avenue North, to salvage all building debris in the public right of way on Second Avenue in the blast zone. Once the damaged building façades are stabilized or shored, a preservation consultant will work with the groups to inventory and catalog the debris. With the assistance of Metro Public Works, all of the salvageable debris will be moved to a secure Metro site for storage. There will be no cost to the building owners, thanks to the support of the groups mentioned, especially The District, Inc., which is covering the cost of the preservation consultant through a special Second Avenue Recovery fund they've set up with the MHC Foundation. Money donated to their Recovery Fund for Second Avenue will be used to ensure the preservation of Second Avenue buildings.
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An American flag drapes Second Avenue buildings damaged by the blast. Credit: Robbie Jones/HNI Facebook.
HNI received a $5,000 emergency disaster grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's (NTHP) Daniel K. Thorne Intervention Fund, which is being used for structural analysis of the buildings on Second Avenue that have their façade easements. On Friday, January 29, Mayor Cooper and Metro Planning held an informational meeting on Second Avenue's recovery that property owners, the public and media were invited to attend and ask questions. Watch a recording of that meeting here.
Learn more about the history of Second Avenue and hear more from MHC Executive Director Tim Walker in this Tennessee Ledger piece.
Nashville Sites launched the Fisk University and Meharry Medical College tour, partially written by the late Dr. Reavis Mitchell, in December 2020. The postcard image at left of the Fisk Memorial Chapel (c. 1930) is from the Nashville Public Library Special Collections.
Nashville Sites hosted two high school interns this January: Augusta Miller from St. Cecilia Academy and Sarah Lillard from Harpeth Hall School. Both students assisted with social media posts and tour research. Because of their efforts, the East Nashville walking tour is ready to record and will launch in Spring 2021! They also wrote and recorded audio for an animated commercial produced by a Belmont student. The commercial launches Nashville Sites’ lesson plans for grades 4-12 and should be available on social media and YouTube within a few weeks.
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The Metropolitan Historical Commission is now accepting nominations for the 45th Annual Preservation Awards program, honoring Nashville's best preservation projects. Anyone may nominate buildings or structures that have been restored, rehabilitated, or carefully maintained over time. The awards also recognize well-designed new construction that harmonizes with a historic environment. To be considered, nominated properties must be in Davidson County and have an original construction date no later than 1971. Infill projects should be no older than 2019. All projects must have been completed within the past two years. Previous winners may be eligible if the work is significantly different.
The Metropolitan Historical Commission must receive all nominations by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 12, 2021. A virtual awards ceremony will be held in May 2021.
For more program details and submission instructions, please visit our Preservation Awards page!
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In 2019, Cassandra Easley founded The Nashville Historical, a yearly newspaper dedicated to telling the forgotten stories of our city's African American history. The daughter of Billy Easley, the Tennessean's first black photographer, Easley has served as a guest and panelist at various speaking engagements focused on Black history (most recently at the Willow Hill Museum in Georgia) and is also working on a book that will feature her research. Copies of the annual publication can be accessed on the website, at the Nashville Public Library or through the Tennessee Tribune during Black History Month.
The internationally-acclaimed, Washington, D.C.-based preservation firm PlaceEconomics recently released a report with 12 preservation priorities recommended to the new Biden-Harris administration. According to the firm, "while historic preservation does not need to be at the top of the agenda for the Biden-Harris administration, there are several preservation initiatives that, if adopted, would advance the priorities of the new administration... Each of the recommendations start with the question "what public end is meant to be achieved" and then identifies how historic preservation can help reach that end." Read the "baker's dozen" recommendations here.
The Equal Justice Initiative, a 501(c)3 organization based in Montgomery Alabama that works to fight racial and economic injustice, has released A History of Racial Injustice daily calendar of historical events that happened "on this day." Available for purchase, online or through a daily email digest, the calendar serves as a constant reminder of the innumerable struggles endured by people of color in their fight to attain equal rights and equal justice. Each calendar entry includes a summary of an important historical event and image or other ephemera documenting the atrocity. Nashville is recognized on the calendar entry for February 13, for the 1960 student-led downtown sit-ins.
“Closed” sign at the Walgreen’s on 5th Ave. N. on February 27, 1960 after sit-ins. Courtesy of the Nashville Public Library.
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