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MHC wants to thank Professor Heather Brown and MTSU's School of Concrete and Construction Management for their assistance in testing historic materials from buildings affected by the 2020 Christmas Day bombing. The school was gracious enough to assist the office by expeditiously testing brick from four 19th century buildings to determine its compressive strength. The resulting reports will assist MHZC in their review of the application to demolish 170, 172, 174 and 176 Second Avenue North, which will go before the commission in the coming weeks.
MHC News
Staff has been overseeing two Nashville Sites interns who are working remotely to revamp the South Broadway Architecture tour and develop lesson plans for the East Nashville and Civil Rights Sit-Ins tours. We continue to work with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation (NCVC) on marketing and outreach efforts, and work continues on the Jefferson Street and Civil Rights Driving tours, in partnership with Vanderbilt, TSU, and Fisk.
Staff recently completed historical research on the Wharf Park site, located along the river behind Rolling Mill Hill, at the request of Metro Parks who is completing a master plan for the new park. This research has been shared with consultants working on the master plan with the goal of having some type of historical interpretation on site. With a prominent river location, the site has historically been home to the city's second reservoir and Douglas Mill/Reservoir Mills. The site also sits adjacent to the extant TN School for the Blind building and former site of Nashville General Hospital.
In early July, MHC staff participated in the first Nashville Environmental Justice Initiative advisory committee meeting. NEJI is a partnership between staff of Urban Green Lab and Tennessee State University and the group works to educate the community about and find solutions for environmental hazards that have historically affected marginalized communities in Nashville and beyond. The committee will meet quarterly and is helping to guide a planned grant project that will research Nashville’s history of these issues, conduct baseline assessments, and provide training and demonstrations through a pilot educational program.
MHC staff recently surveyed the Mid-Gulch neighborhood for Metro Planning’s Mid-Gulch Community Planning Study. While few historic buildings remain in this area, we expanded the Nashville Electric Service (NES) NRE designation from an individual property to a district that was constructed between 1952 and 1965. The NES campus NRE district notes the addition to the main building and includes significant concrete parking structures as well as workshops and construction and maintenance buildings. This brief history on NES outlines some of the company's major regional impacts since its founding in 1939.
MHZC News
Council member Kathleen Murphy (District 24) has filed legislation to expand the existing Bowling House District to include two blocks each on Utah and Nebraska Avenues. Graduate Assistant Meredith Funderburk from the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU is working on the architectural resource survey for expansion. The MHZC public hearing will be September 15th, the Planning public hearing will be September 23rd, and the Council public hearing will be October 5th.
Council member Murphy has also filed legislation to require mailed notices and yard signs for preservation permits. The current bill is expected to be revised prior to the Council’s public hearing on September 21st.
Council member Nancy VanReece (District 8) has filed to Landmark the Nichols-Sadler House at 435 Old Hickory Blvd (91 Donna Dr.). The MHZC public hearing will be August 18th, the Planning public hearing August 26th, and the Council public hearing September 7th. The building is significant for its association with Harry Sadler, a prominent Madison businessman who was active in politics and civic organizations.
Staff have been offered one month’s free membership to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors that will allow them access to several online structural classes during that period.
The MHZC’s next public hearing will be held in person on Wednesday, August 18th at 2:00 p.m. at Sonny West Conference Center, Howard Office Building, 700 2nd Ave S.
View the MHZC meeting schedule and application deadlines here. Access archived videos of the MHZC meetings on the Metro YouTube channel anytime!
**Please contact your Council member before next Tuesday (8/3) to voice SUPPORT for the proposed tax abatement for Nashville's historic properties! A vocal few can make all the difference in getting this important piece of legislation passed on next week's third and final reading.**
Metro Council member Jeff Syracuse (District 15) has proposed bill BL2019-3 which will provide an incentive for saving Nashville's historic properties. The mechanism for this program is a tax abatement (freeze) that will encourage significant rehabilitations over replacement/new construction. Rutherford County is the only other municipality in Tennessee that has enacted this type of program. As Nashville continues to grapple with unprecedented growth in the face of pandemic recovery, now is the time to advocate for this vital tool that will enable protection of our city's irreplaceable historical and cultural assets. This draft of the proposed program framework outlines expected benefits, impacts, eligibility requirements, and some of the many reasons why this tax abatement program should be approved.
VOICE YOUR SUPPORT TODAY! Write to Metro Council members at councilmembers@nashville.gov or find your Council member on the Metro Council webpage.
Learn more about the potential for a historic tax abatement program in Nashville on page 22 of Shaping Nashville’s Progress: Historic Preservation Tools, Strategies and Incentives, part of Nashville's first Economic Impact Study on historic preservation activities in Davidson County, completed in 2020.
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The MHC and MHZC recently welcomed three new staff members--Trevor Porter (MHC) and Joseph Rose and Kelli Mitchell (MHZC). We are thrilled to be onboarding three new highly skilled individuals and are grateful for their additional help during a time of increased work volume across several of our programs!
Trevor Porter was born and raised in Memphis, TN. He came to Nashville in 2007 to attend Tennessee State University and originally majored in Music. While completing his undergraduate studies, Trevor discovered a passion for history and found himself interning with the MHZC. Since graduating with a bachelor's degree in History with a minor in Music, he has been a very active keyboardist and saxophonist, a friend and volunteer to MHC and MHZC. Trevor is now the father of two girls. His current goal is to successfully complete a master’s degree in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University. Welcome, Trevor!
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Kelli Mitchell grew up in the Atlanta area. By default, she is a huge Braves fan and probably knows a little too much about the team. She attended Southeast Missouri State University for undergrad and studied Historic Preservation. While there, she worked at the school’s Special Collections and Archives. Kelli also interned at Fort McAllister State Historic Park (GA-DNR) in Richmond Hill, GA, and Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, PA.
Kelli also holds a master's degree in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and completed the program online while working full time. Post-undergrad, she worked at Historic Jefferson College (Historian, Mississippi Department of Archives and History) in Natchez, MS; with the City of St. Augustine, FL (Historic Preservation Planner); and with Landmark Preservation, LLC in Savannah, GA. With the latter, she aided with assessment work and RFPs along with carrying out trades work. Stripping, staining, and shellacking doors was her favorite thing to do! Outside of work, Kelli is in the process of writing a book. Currently in the editing phase, she will gladly accept meals and tissues (because writing is stressful). Welcome, Kelli!
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Joseph Rose is a Middle Tennessee native hailing from Columbia, Tennessee. Prior to earning his undergraduate degree, he served in several leadership roles at Mississippi State University (MSU) as the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) Event Coordinator, School of Architecture Gallery Coordinator, and a position on the Dean's Council where he facilitated communication between students and the Dean. Joseph also amassed teaching experience at MSU as a counselor of architecture students and as a teaching assistant in the architectural history program. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Mississippi State University in 2017.
Prior to joining our staff, Joseph worked in New York City for an architecture firm that specializes in the design and restoration of theatres, performing arts centers, and other cultural institutions. He has been involved in the design, construction, and restoration of a number of theatre and cultural projects during his career, including the recent renovations of Muny Theatre in St. Louis. Welcome, Joseph!
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MHC received a notification letter in late June that the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) has awarded us with a $37,042 grant for completion of Phase I of a countywide cemetery plan. Funding will allow us to re-survey county cemeteries, map specific site boundaries, assess conditions, and create a countywide cemetery preservation plan over several phases of the project. The awarded amount is well above our application request ($24,000) and enables the completion of a significant amount more work than originally planned. Phase I will be completed at an estmiated total cost of $61,736. MHC hopes that this plan will not only guide cemetery preservation efforts in Davidson County, but will serve as a planning model for historic cemeteries in other Tennessee communities. Work on the project is expected to begin in mid-2022.
Great progress is being made on MHC's current Tennessee Historical Commission grant project for Centennial Park's historic concrete structures and the Parthenon. The four structures include the 1910 Gunboat Tennessee, 1906-1912 Shell Spring, and two c. 1910 bridges. In mid-July, staff met with consultant Amanda Trienens of Cultural Heritage Conservation, LLC (of New York) who came to town to perform initial assessments and on-site work including moisture meter readings, rebar scanning, and test cleaning. She also collected material samples that will be analyzed to provide detailed composition details about these early concrete works. CHC will return in August to conduct assessment activities at the Parthenon. The final report will aid in long-term stewardship and planning for these historic concrete structures by providing detailed materials analysis results, conditions assessment findings, preservation recommendations, and a priority list for repairs.
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Congressman Jim Cooper (TN-05) announced on July 29th the allocation of $4,796,812 towards projects at American Baptist College and Meharry Medical School, both Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as well as a Jefferson Street interstate cap and connector. MHC has partnered with American Baptist on the restoration of campus buildings and the creation of a Civil Rights campus walking tour. The college is renowned for its connection to many notable Civil Rights Movement leaders. Meharry will receive funds for technological improvements towards genomics research. The planned cap and connector for Jefferson Street aims to reconnect the North Nashville community to the city after decades of disconnection caused by the construction of Interstate 40.
MHC was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of local historian Michael "Mike" Dean Slate on July 24th. A Nashville native, Mike attended Metro public schools and earned a B.A. from David Lipscomb College, a M.A. from Harding University Graduate School of Theology, and a M.L.S. from George Peabody College. Mike founded the Nashville Historical Newsletter (NHN) in January 1997, first publishing the newsletter in hard copy and then, by e-mail subscription. His wife, Kathy, joined the NHN staff as editor in 2002 and the couple published two books composed of NHN essays, The Confederate Twenty-Dollar Irony: And Other Essays from the Nashville Historical Newsletter (2004) and From Knickers to Body Stockings and Other Essays from the Nashville Historical Newsletter (2006). Mike was instrumental in advocacy for Buchanan's Station and led the charge with the Friends of Buchanan Station Cemetery (formed in 2012). In addition, he encouraged the launch of the Nashville Retrospect and wrote numerous articles for that publication. Mike and Kathy were recognized with a Fletch Coke Award during MHC's 2017 Preservation Awards.
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![[Official Seal of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County]](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/TNNASH/2017/12/1699826/3560306/metro-seal-black-and-white_crop.png)
