MHC News
The next Historical Commission public meeting will be held on Monday, January 27 at 12:00 p.m. at the Sonny West Conference Room, Howard Office Building, 700 President Ronald Reagan Way. You can find a full list of upcoming and previous MHC meetings on our website.
Phase 4 of the countywide cemetery survey project is now underway. We held a kickoff meeting with our consultants, and a staff member from Metro Planning who has been working to help us map the cemeteries in their new portal to discuss mapping, optimization of online survey data, public engagement, and a fieldwork strategy. Since the State provided this contract earlier than previous phases, we will be able to start survey work much earlier, our goal being January or February to take advantage of the leaf-off season.
Additionally, we’ll be exploring options for a standalone African American cemeteries phase and phasing options for creation of the countywide cemetery preservation plan, our capstone project under the larger initiative. We continue to receive regular inquiries about cemeteries, much of which has been spurred by our survey work, and recently responded to inquiries for the Duke, Taylor-O’Connell and Davidson cemeteries.
We continue to move forward with several other grant funded projects as well. Staff recently conducted field work surveys of the Haynes Meade, Fisk Park, Enchanted Hills, Gardner’s Gold Coast, and Clintondale neighborhoods for the Underrepresented Communities grant. We are also moving forward with consultant Richard Grubb and Associates (RGA) on the Club Baron/ Donelson survey grant, and work should begin in Spring 2025 on stabilization efforts at the Hubbard House, funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
We recently received funding for signage that will mark the Trail of Tears route through Davidson County. Archaeologist Dr. Adam Fracchia is leading this project, which will feature over 40 Trail of Tears signs from the National Historic Trail Program. We hope to have the signage fabricated and installed by late spring.
At the end of December, Nashville Sites launched their newest driving tour, North Nashville Community Leaders. Funded by the 2024 Participatory Budget grant, this tour focuses on past and current generations of African American community leaders across North Nashville. From entrepreneurs to athletes, journalists to physicians, activists to attorneys, we hope you'll enjoy taking this tour and learning about the rich history and continued family leaders in this community. This tour was written in part by students from Fisk University and Belmont University participating in a joint curriculum designed to have students work together at both institutions. The tour was narrated by Fisk professor Dr. James Pratt.
A second tour funded by the Participatory Budget grant will launch in 2025, focused on McKissack and McKissack architects and significant architecture across North Nashville.
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MHZC News
The MHZC’s next public hearing will be held on Wednesday, January 15 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!
Please mark your calendars for the 44th annual Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture, to be held Friday, February 14, 2025 from 8:30am-3:30pm at Tennessee State University’s Avon Williams campus. This year’s conference theme is “Prismatic Revelations: African American Stories of Resilience.” Pre-registration is now open for both in-person and virtual attendance. You can register online or by mailing or bringing a check to the MHC office (1113 Kirkwood Ave.) We look forward to seeing you in February!
Dr. Edward J. Robinson, assistant professor of history and Bible at Abilene Christian University, will lead a discussion about one of Nashville’s most significant African American leaders, Preston Taylor. Next, we’ll hear from author and award-winning songwriter Alice Randall, as she explores how Black artists have shaped country music. Author and North Carolina State University history professor Tammy Gordon will challenge us to consider the Black visitor perspective at sites of enslavement. DaShawn Lewis, a native of Nashville’s Edgehill neighborhood, will approach our theme with a more artistic perspective through Tennessee Life photography. We welcome back Soul Fire, TSU’s poetry and spoken word organization, whose performance “Voting, Love, and Black History” is sure to evoke inspiration. Author and journalist Betsy Phillips will examine the events and injustices surrounding the bombing of civil rights attorney Z. Alexander Looby’s home. Vanderbilt professor and distinguished author Dr. Dennis Dickerson will detail the architecture of the Civil Rights Movement. Our second performance, presented by Elliott Robinson with the Nashville Public Library’s Special Collections Division, will highlight the Nashville Student Movement and leadership in the Selma campaign. Our final presentation from Dr. Learotha Williams, Jr., TSU professor and founder of the North Nashville Heritage Project, will shine a light on Nashville’s marginalized voices. Additional remarks will be provided by conference co-chairs Linda T. Wynn and Dr. Lea Williams, Jr., MHC Executive Director Tim Walker, and TSU’s College of Liberal Arts Dean, Dr. Samantha Morgan-Curtis.
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The Metropolitan Historical Commission is now accepting nominations for the 49th 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 of 1975 or earlier (50 years of age). Infill projects should be no older than 2022. All projects must have been completed within the past three years. Previous winners may be eligible if the work is significantly different.
Nominations are due Monday, March 3, 2025.
The awards ceremony will take place in May 2025 in recognition of National Preservation Month. For more program details and submission instructions, please visit our Preservation Awards page!
The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), a Washington, D.C.-based education and advocacy non-profit, today published Landslide 2024: Demonstration Grounds, a report and digital exhibition about thirteen sites of significant protests in American history where the protests and acts of civil disobedience are at risk of fading from public memory, or worse, being forgotten. For the past twenty years, TCLF’s annual thematic report and digital exhibition has focused on threatened landscapes and landscape features. In a break with tradition, this year’s Landslide focuses on events at thirteen sites across the country and the extent to which online, on-site, and other forms of interpretation keep the stories of those events alive. The 1924 student protests at Fisk University are included on this national list. See the press release for more information about all 13 sites, and how to get involved in keeping these important memories alive.
This month's partner spotlight is the Nashville Historical Foundation (NHF), formerly the Metro Historical Commission Foundation (MHCF). Founded in 2012, the Foundation announced its new name and logo at the end of December 2024. Below is a welcome letter from new board president, Jill Meese.
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I am honored to have become president of the Nashville Historical Foundation and am excited about our many changes, most obviously our name. I am delighted that the Metro Historical Commission Foundation is now the Nashville Historical Foundation. With that change, we have a wonderful new website! Please visit www.nashvillehistoricalfoundation.org for information, announcements, and short board-written articles about Nashville history and preservation efforts.
I want to thank Ann Roberts, outgoing president, for her dedication and leadership of MHCF/NHF over the last five years. Ann’s experience and knowledge have complimented her enthusiasm for all of our projects, and we are most grateful. Thankfully Ann will continue to serve on our board and I will be counting on her wisdom! To honor Ann, NHF will be offering a three part lecture series, the Ann Roberts Lecture Series on Midcentury Architecture in Nashville, later this year. Stay tuned for more on that exciting topic as David Paine and his team develop the series.
We are still reveling in the amazing renovations at Sunnyside! The endless efforts of Tim Walker and team have resulted in a fabulous preservation of the house, created excellent office space, a well appointed meeting room, interpretive signage, and an outside café coming soon. What a fabulous facility and home for Metro Historical Commission and a gift to the city. We look forward to supporting more interpretative and educational opportunities at Sunnyside in the future.
Ideas are abundant for new NHF projects and events. I am so pleased to be serving with Kem Hinton, Vice President/President Elect; Paula Godsey, Secretary; Nicola Bullard, Treasurer; Mary Ellen Pethel, Project Director; Tim Walker, Ex-officio Board Member as well as the rest of our board. Welcome to our three newest members: Michelle Ganon, Melanie Moran, and Kathleen Campbell. Please see our website for a complete list of NHF board members. With the support of the full board I look forward to many fun and significant happenings in 2025.
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Centennial Park and the Parthenon:
Join Dr. Stephen Kershner (Austin Peay) for Writing Our Story: Clio's Gift to Modern Communities as part of the Muses Educational Series on Wednesday, January 15.
The 17th Annual Middle Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition opens on January 23. A reception will be held that evening to meet the artists!
The Centennial Park Conservancy ECHO Chamber Music Series welcomes local duo SistaStrings, sisters Chantee and Monique Ross, on Sunday, January 26.
Fort Negley:
Volunteers are needed on January 4 to gather the flags laid out to honor the laborers that built Fort Negley and other Federal fortifications. A guided walking tour of the park will also be offered on January 4. The Nashville Civil War Roundtable will meet at Fort Negley on January 14. Historian and author Scott Sallee will present on "Confederate General Jo Shelby."
Bells Bend Park:
Join Lottie Fottrell on January 11 to learn about 19th century techniques for creating watercolor paints. While not a formal paint-making class, this demonstration offers a foundational experience in creating watercolor paints, connecting modern artists to historical practices.
Warner Park:
Learn about the cemeteries of Warner Parks with Rachel Carter on January 25.
Celebrate the end of the holiday season with the Season's Greetings from the White House to Your House exhibit at Metro Archives, through January 5.
Parnassus Books, in partnership with Nashville Public Library Foundation, is pleased to present an evening with Sarah Adams on January 6 to celebrate her new book, Beg, Borrow, or Steal, in conversation with Clare Gilmore.
On January 25, a new exhibit will open in the Main Library Courtyard Gallery. Explore the Nashville Banner archives (held by the Special Collections Division) through a selection of photos and articles on display.
The Then and Now Series continues on January 15 with The History of Communities from the Gulf State Region of Southwest Asia: Iranians, Iraqis, Kurds, Kuwaitis, Saudi Arabians, Bahrainis, Qataris, United Arab Emiratis, Omanis and Yemenis. Join community leaders for this important and thought-provoking discussion!
Andrew Jackson's Hermitage--Winter Frolic--January 4
TN Historical Society--Tennessee 101: Arts and Crafts Session 4: Tennessee Samplers: Female Education and Domestic Arts, 1800–1900--January 8
Andrew Jackson's Hermitage--Battle of New Orleans Commemoration--January 8
Frist Art Museum--Woven Nashville: An Evening of Music, Art, and Conversation--January 9
Vanderbilt University--MLK Commemorative Speaker Event--January 15
The Parthenon--IMF 2025 Nashville MLK Day Black Tie Gala--January 16
**find a full schedule of Nashville 2025 MLK Day events here**
Andrew Jackson's Hermitage--A Historic Inauguration: Andrew Jackson's 1828 Campaign & Inauguration--January 20
Marathon Motor Works--Historic Nashville Inc. Annual Membership Meeting--January 23
Cheekwood Estate & Garden--Orchids at Cheekwood--opening January 25
Cheekwood Estate & Garden--Winter Concert Series: Music City Latin Orchestra--January 25
Cheekwood Estate & Garden--Becky Suss: The Dutch House--opening January 25
Cheekwood Estate & Garden--Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville--January 31-February 2
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens--10th Annual Holiday LIGHTS--through January 5
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens--Holidays at the White House with the First Ladies: Jacqueline Kennedy to Michelle Obama--through January 5
National Museum of African American Music--Nissan Free Wednesday--free admission on the first Wednesday of each month courtesy of Nissan
Tennessee State Museum--Museum Highlight Tours--each Friday and Saturday at 2:00 pm
Frist Art Museum--Architecture Tours--each Saturday from 3:30-4:30 pm
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum--From Where I Stand: The Black Experience in Country Music-online exhibit
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum--Music Row: Nashville's Creative Crossroads--online exhibit
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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