MHC News
The next Historical Commission public meeting will be held on Monday, September 18 at 12:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Midtown Hills Police Precinct, 1441 12th Avenue South. You can find a full list of upcoming and previous MHC meetings on our website.
Nominations are now open for the 2024 Preservation Awards. Applications are due by Friday, March 1, 2024.
Staff have been busy conducting the county-wide Community Plan Survey in southeast Davidson County, while also finishing up the Tennessee Historical Commission Phase II Cemetery Grant project. Survey work for phase II of this cemetery grant project is largely complete, with about 115 sites surveyed. In late July, Caroline gave a presentation about this project at a District 3 community meeting led by CM Jennifer Gamble. Over the next six weeks, final work on this phase will be completed. In addition to survey assistance, MHC staff are once again contributing to the project (and required matching funds) by researching various sites, fielding public inquiries, completing file organization, and regularly promoting the project. Our primary project consultant, Lydia Simpson of New South Associates, will present phase II findings at the September MHC meeting.
Caroline and Claudette continue to work closely with our project consultant, Richard Grubb & Associates (RGA), on the National Park Service African American Civil Rights grant project and have recently reviewed the draft deliverables, including a countywide historical context and an associated National Register nomination for the Clark Memorial Methodist Church Complex. After an initial round of revisions based on MHC comments, the consultants submitted revised deliverables earlier this month. We have in turn submitted this documentation to our project advisory committee, the state historian, National Register staff at the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC), and our grant contact at the National Park Service. We are working with RGA to plan for a fall public meeting where we can engage the public, share project findings, and solicit additional feedback. We will provide more detail about the public meeting once the location and date have been confirmed, but it will likely be held in October or early November.
Interested in joining the MHC staff? Passionate about the Nashville City Cemetery? This is the job for you! The Historical Commission is hiring a City Cemetery Site Manager to coordinate all repair, maintenance, and improvements at the Nashville City Cemetery, as well as oversee maintenance crews and conduct historical research. Apply online through September 7.
MHZC News
The MHZC’s next public hearing will be held on Wednesday, September 20 at 2:00 p.m. at the Sonny West Conference Center, Howard Office Building, 700 President Ronald Regan Way. View the MHZC meeting schedule and application deadlines on our website. Access archived videos of the MHZC meetings on the Metro YouTube channel anytime!
BL2023-2053 was approved by Metro Council on August 15 to expand the Downtown Historic Preservation Overlay District. Thirty-six buildings/sites were added to the overlay district’s two properties, the Noelle Hotel, formerly the Noel Hotel, and the Courtyard by Marriott, formerly Third National Bank. Many thanks to CM O’Connell for shepherding this designation through the process amidst opposition.
The Metro Historic Zoning Commission approved the Two Rivers Event Center at its August public hearing. Additionally, extensive exterior repairs to the mansion should begin next month. The work includes roof work, tuck pointing, new gutters, new painting of wood, foundation work, and repairs to the front porch. Work should be completed by the end of 2024.
This new monthly segment will feature an article from one of our MHC Commissioners about a topic from one of their areas of expertise. Kicking us off this month is MHC Chair Linda Wynn, writing about the Morris Memorial building, 330 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The Morris Memorial Building: A Valuable Cultural and Historical Asset
The Morris Memorial Building, the last remaining building in what used to be the African American business district, was a part of Nashville’s printing industry. The city’s entrance into the printing industry dates to the 1830s. When the Methodist Episcopal Church, South established the forerunner of the United Methodist Publishing House in 1854, the city’s standing as a center for religious printing began to come into its own. Later, the Tennessee Baptist became the city’s most popular publication, however, the company had no relation to the later Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) that traces its origins to 1891. Today, the SBC’s Sunday School Board asserts that it is the world’s largest publisher of religious materials. African American religious publishing contributed to Nashville’s religious publishing tradition and the Morris Memorial Building, as the previous home of the National Baptist Publishing Convention, Sunday School Publishing Board, U. S. A., Inc., designed in the Neoclassical architectural style by the architectural firm McKissack & McKissack, the country’s first African American architectural firm, contributed to that religious publishing tradition. The Neoclassical building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places since January 1985, is the only extant building associated with African American businesses in the downtown area.
A monument located on the Nashville historical landscape that stands in proximity to the center of the city’s market that trafficked in the selling of enslaved people pays homage to the ancestors’ tenaciousness and their esprit de corps of the early 20th century. In July of 2020, the Tennessee Historical Commission approved the placement of the Morris Memorial Building/Pi Sigma Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority historical marker at the Morris Memorial Building as a reminder to the public of its contributions of the city’s architecture, commerce, culture, and its importance to the city in general and the African American community in particular. Though listed on Historic Nashville Inc.’s most endangered buildings list (Nashville Nine) in 2016 and 2019, the Morris Memorial Building still occupies the corner of Fourth Avenue and Charlotte Avenue (now Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd). The preservation of this significant cultural and historical asset is worthy of the entire community’s effort. Spearheaded by the Metro Human Rights Commission and others, the Morris Memorial Building is one of the few extant Nashville sites associated with the Nashville’s African American heritage, not to mention should it house an African American History or a Civil Rights Museum it would be a tourist attraction illuminating the significant contributions of African Americans to Nashville.
Image: Morris Memorial building (1925, TSLA)
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More discoveries at Sunnyside...
As the renovation of Sunnyside continues, the building continues to yield its secrets. Recent removal of siding on the front façade of the main structure has exposed additional damage from the Union attack on the forward position of the Confederate line on December 15, 1864. Several of the exposed studs show evidence of damage from both bullets and larger projectiles. It appears the building absorbed fire from positions to the north and west. This newly recorded evidence in combination with the analysis of the ballistics data from the cabins shows an intense concentration of fire during the battle against positions in and around the buildings at Sunnyside.
Please stay tuned as we continue to learn more about this important building during its renovation.
 A bullet strike on the exterior trim of the main structure. Image courtesy of MHC.
There was such a great response for the first Citizen Historic Preservation Academy that the Metro Historical Commission’s selection committee decided to accept 14 participants rather than just the 12 originally planned. The six-week, two-hour, Citizen Historic Preservation Academy will begin on September 11, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. and continue through October 23. The Academy is an opportunity for Nashville residents to learn more about Metro Nashville’s involvement in preservation and the related benefits and resources, and how citizens can participate in local processes. We look forward to sharing more about the group in the coming months!
Tour the Nashville City Cemetery on their Second Saturday Tour: Colonizers, Enslavers, Soldiers, and Influencers with Debi Cox and Betsy Thorpe on September 9 from 10:00-11:00 a.m.
The City Cemetery will once again be hosting Lantern Tours on Saturdays throughout October. Visit their website for more details and ticket information. Saturday, October 7 will also feature a FREE family-friendly scavenger hunt!
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Historic Nashville, Inc. (HNI) is now accepting nominations for the 2023 Nashville Nine, the annual list of neglected and endangered historic properties, including landmarks, bridges, signs, and neighborhoods in Nashville and Davidson County. The deadline to nominate a property for this year’s list is October 15, with the final list being announced later this fall.
The Nashville Nine program gives HNI members, as well as citizens of Davidson County and surrounding areas, the opportunity to prioritize historic places in Nashville currently in danger of being lost. It has been one of the organization’s most effective tools for saving places unique to our city. We continue to see the successful results of these efforts. Jefferson Street’s Elks Lodge #1102, a 2021 inclusion, is undergoing renovations that will honor its history as Club Baron, an integral part of Jefferson Street’s entertainment scene during the 1950s and ‘60s. Another win, Fisk University announced it will create a business incubation and innovation center at Burrus Hall, listed in 2019.
Did you know that 2nd Avenue downtown used to Market Street? Or that Seventh Avenue was Vine Street? These street names haven't been around since the early 1900s, but in Germantown--they are back! The Historic Germantown Neighbor Association partnered with local businesses and Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT) to erect new street signs with both the current and historic names. Monell’s, Mother’s Ruin, Cumberland Machine, Germantown Café, and the Church of the Assumption helped defray the cost of the new signs. The neighborhood celebrated the completion of this project at Monell's on 6th Ave N/ Historic High Street on Sunday, August 27. Congratulations!
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The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) has released a joint Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) programs, which will combine two major discretionary grants into one NOFO. Together, this combined program will be known as the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Program. While they remain separate programs for the purposes of award, the programs share many common characteristics, including:
- Prioritizing disadvantaged communities;
- Aiming to improve access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, and recreation;
- Fostering equitable development and restoration;
- Reconnecting communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access, or economic development.
Under the combined RCN Program, USDOT offers three grant types: Capital Construction, Community Planning, and Regional Partnerships Challenge. Applications are due by September 28, 2023.
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The National Park Service announces availability of grant funding through African American Civil Rights Grant Program (AACR). The program will document, interpret, and preserve sites and stories telling the full story of the long struggle for African American civil rights from the transatlantic slave trade onwards across two separate grant funding opportunities. The NPS 2008 report, Civil Rights in America, A Framework for Identifying Significant Sites, will serve as the reference document in determining the appropriateness of proposed projects and properties.
AACR Grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), administered by the NPS, and will fund a broad range of preservation projects including survey and inventory, National Register nominations, oral histories and more. Grants are awarded through a competitive process and do not require non-Federal funding match. Congress has appropriated $24 million in FY2023 funding for History and Preservation projects. Applications are due by October 10, 2023.
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Don't forget about the Centennial Park weekly History Tours and monthly Architecture Tours.
Centennial Park Conservancy's beloved, free outdoor annual concert series Musicians Corner returns to offer chill vibes and a diverse line-up of stellar musicians. Admission is Free and concerts will be held each Saturday in September, beginning September 1.
Support Friends of Warner Parks and the Warner Parks BIRD Program at the Hummingbird Happy Hour at Warner Park Nature Center on Thursday, September 7 from 5:30-7:30 pm.
Enjoy free admission to Centennial Park's Parthenon for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) students, staff, and faculty— and their entire families--on September 12 during MNPS STEAM Night.
Celebrate Welcoming Week & National Arts Education Week from September 8 to 17 at the Nashville Parthenon.
Attend the Nashville Civil War Roundtable as they discuss "James Longstreet's East Tennessee Campaign" at Fort Negley on September 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Join Dr. Richard Blackett for a free lecture entitled "Telling Their Stories: Fugitive Slaves and the Underground Railroad" at Fort Negley on September 30 at 2:00 pm.
Then and Now, presented by Vanderbilt University and hosted by Nashville Public Library Special Collections, is a six-part series on the history and impact of different minority communities across Nashville. At this month's event on September 13 they explore "The History of Nashville’s Latinx/Hispanic Communities,” and its impact on our city. The series is moderated by Dr. André L. Churchwell, Senior Advisor on Inclusion and Community Outreach at Vanderbilt University. Admission is free but please RSVP.
Become a member of the Nashville Public Library Foundation Next Chapter Society, then sign up for their Special Collections tour on September 10!
Everyone is welcome to attend a behind-the-scenes tour of the Main Library with the Nashville Public Library Foundation on September 13 at 9:15 am.
The Annual Wine on the River will be hosted at Riverfront Park in Downtown Nashville for the 21st year. The event will be held on Saturday, September 9th from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. A portion of the ticket proceeds will benefit local charity The DISTRICT, the non-profit organization dedicated to the economic and community revitalization of Nashville’s downtown historic districts. Tickets can be purchased online.
Volunteers are needed to help with ticketing and to monitor entrances, pour drinks (must be 21+), and runners to help bring ice around to vendors, help empty the dump buckets, give breaks, etc. You will be sent a confirmation email to be a volunteer along with all event information a week before the event (9/3).
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Exit 207: The Soul of Nashville, a 20-minute documentary about Jefferson Street directed and produced by Belmont University students, premiered in May 2023. Now, Belmont is partnering with the Nashville Black Market (NBM) and Nashville Public Television (NPT) for a very special event. On Tuesday September 26 from 5:00-8:00 pm, NPT will host several screenings of Exit 207 in their studio while NBM vendors and food trucks will operate a pop-up market in the NPT parking lot (161 Rains Avenue). The event is open to the public and will include free mini-movie posters that can be signed by the film's cast—many of whom will be in attendance.
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**Broadway Bridge/ State Route 1 (US 70) Broadway Viaduct closure through September 7**
various locations--FirstBank First Saturday Art Crawl--September 2
National Museum of African American Music--NMAAM Presents 615 Stories: Nashbro Records--September 4
Travellers Rest--Mystery of the Mississippians Homeschool Day--September 8
Tennessee State Museum--TN Writers|TN Stories: Carrie Allen Tipton, Ph.D.: "From Dixie to Rocky Top: Music and Meaning in Southeastern Conference Football"--September 9
National Museum of African American Music--heARTBEAT Saturdays--September 9
Tennessee Historical Society-- Tennessee 101: The History of Tennessee Music Session 10: Music and the Politics of Treason and Disloyalty in the American Civil War--September 13
Tennessee Historical Society--Tennessee Talks Session 9: A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor--September 13
Andrew Jackson's Hermitage--An Edgar Allan Poe Living History Event--September 15
National Museum of African American Music--Roots and Streams presents A Conversation with Friends with Bobby Rush--September 15
Tennessee State Museum--Building Community, Continuing the Legacy: A Rosenwald Schools of Tennessee Symposium--September 15-16
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens--Cheekwood Harvest--opens September 16
Tennessee State Museum--Lunch and Learn: Americana Portrait Sessions: Revealing the Soul's Essence-September 21
Frist Art Museum--Curator’s Tour, Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage--September 22
Andrew Jackson's Hermitage--Ghost Tours at the Hermitage--September 22, 23, 24, and 29
Travellers Rest--Archaeology Day at Travellers Rest--September 23
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens--Japanese Moon Viewing--September 24
Belmont Mansion--Members' Tour of the Historic Harrison House--September 24
Travellers Rest--Live at TR Songwriter Night--September 28
Bellevue Harpeth Historic Association--Living History at Red Caboose Playground, Bellevue Park--September 30
Andrew Jackson's Hermitage--The Hermitage Gala--September 30
Belmont-Hillsboro Neighborhood--2023 Tour of Homes--October 7
National Museum of African American Music--Nissan Free Wednesday--free admission on the first Wednesday of each month courtesy of Nissan
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens--Thursday Night Out--each Thursday at 6:00 pm
Frist Art Museum--Architecture Tours--each Saturday from 3:30-4:30 pm
Tennessee State Museum--Museum Highlight Tours--each Saturday at 2:00 pm
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum--Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues--online exhibit
Check out our online newsletter archives!
Have a preservation-related event that you want us to include? Send a message to Jessica.Reeves@nashville.gov
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