State of Tennessee Announces 28 Historic Preservation Fund Grants
Tuesday, April 06, 2010 | 09:46am
Grants to Community Organizations Support Preservation of Historic and
Archaelogical Sites, Districts and Structures
Archaelogical Sites, Districts and Structures
NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee Historical Commission have announced Historic Preservation Fund grants to 28 community organizations for programs and activities that support the preservation of historic and archaeological sites, districts and structures.
“Protecting Tennessee’s historic places is vital to the preservation of our state’s heritage,” said Bredesen. “I'm pleased these funds are available to support the work of local governments, non-profit groups and others that work to ensure these special places are available for generations to come.”
The grants awarded come from federal funds allocated by the Department of Interior under the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act. The programs authorized by this Act are administered by the Tennessee Historical Commission. The grants pay for up to 60 percent of the costs of approved project work and the grant recipient must provide the remaining 40 percent of the costs as matching funds.
"These grants help facilitate the protection and revitalization of Tennessee's treasured historic buildings, sites and neighborhoods – places that make our state unique," said Patrick McIntyre, executive director of the Tennessee Historical Commission and the State Historic Preservation Officer. "Heritage tourism is one of our state's biggest industries, and restoring historic buildings creates construction jobs and is key to helping create a sustainable environment."
This year’s selection process emphasized projects conducting architectural, archaeological and historic site surveys. Such projects are designed to identify and to record historic districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects built before 1960 that are significant to Tennessee's history. Surveys could be for a specific geographic area or for sites associated with themes or events significant in the state's history. Priorities for funding survey projects included areas experiencing rapid growth and development, other threats to cultural resources, areas where there are serious gaps in knowledge regarding cultural resources, and thematic surveys based upon existing historic study units produced by the State Historic Preservation Office.
Assistance also was made available for other types of historic preservation projects, including preservation planning studies for towns, neighborhoods and historic districts; the preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places; planning or pre-development work necessary to undertake restoration of a historic property; and restoration of historic properties. For restoration or restoration pre-planning, properties must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The FY 2009-2010 grant recipients and/or sites of the projects include:
In Bedford County:
- Shelbyville Historic Zoning Commission - $1,900 to fund the development of design guidelines for historic districts and properties.
- Shelbyville Historic Zoning Commission - $3,600 to provide training for commissioners at the National Alliance of Preservation Commission’s biennial meeting in Michigan.
In Bledsoe County:
- Bledsoe County - $17,000 for the restoration of the 1850 Bledsoe County Jail, which will be used as military museum and house the offices of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter.
In Carter County:
- Elizabethton Historic Zoning Commission - $1,000 to provide training for commissioners at the National Alliance of Preservation Commission’s biennial meeting in Michigan.
In Davidson County:
- University of Tennessee Department of Anthropology - $19,000 to fund an archeological survey of the Bells Bend area, along the Cumberland River.
In Fentress County:
- Sgt. York Patriotic Foundation -$46,000 for the completion of protective stabilization at the York Agricultural Institute in Jamestown.
- East Tennessee State University - $9,500 to fund an archeological survey of Pickett State Forest.
In Jefferson County:
- Glenmore Mansion Chapter / Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities - $20,000 for the continued restoration of the Glenmore Mansion, including work on dormers, soffits and cornices.
In Knox County:
- Airplane Filling Station Preservation Association, Inc. - $24,000 to complete the next phase of restoration, including electrical wiring, plumbing, HVAC installation, window repair, exterior metal skin repair and painting.
In Maury County:
- Columbia Academy - $25,000 for roof replacement of the Academy Hall, located on Columbia Academy’s campus (formerly the Columbia Arsenal and Columbia Military Academy, respectively).
In Monroe County:
- Monroe County - $17,000 for the cleaning and re-pointing of brickwork on the south and west elevations of the Monroe County Courthouse.
In Obion County:
- Westover Center for the Arts - $17,000 for the continued restoration of the Westover School for use as a community arts center.
In Rhea County:
- Friends of Cumberland Trail - $24,000 to fund a survey in the Laurel-Snow State Natural Area of resources associated with the Dayton Coal and Iron Company for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
In Roane County:
- City of Harriman - $30,000 to fund an architectural and engineering analysis of the Temperance Building for the purpose of a historic structures report and restoration plan.
In Shelby County:
- Memphis Landmarks Commission - $16,800 for the creation of a Multiple Property Documentation Form for potential National Register nominations for properties associated with music in Memphis. An additional $3,600 has been granted to provide training for historic zoning commissioners at the National Alliance of Preservation Commission’s biennial meeting in Michigan.
In Williamson County:
- Tennessee Division of Archeology - $9,600 for archeological testing at the Coats-Hines Archeological site in Brentwood.
Multi-County Grants:
- Tennessee Preservation Trust - $15,000 to fund the 2011 Statewide Historic Preservation Conference.
- Tennessee History for Kids - $5,000 to fund posters for Tennessee schools and libraries, highlighting the “Preservation in Tennessee 2010” program about notable historic preservation success stories across the state.
- Middle Tennessee State University - $20,000 to digitize data for historic / architectural survey files.
- Upper Cumberland Institute / Tennessee Technological Institute - $15,000 to fund computerization of historic / architectural survey files.
- South Central Tennessee Development District - $50,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the South Central Tennessee Development District.
- East Tennessee Development District - $32,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the East Tennessee Development District.
- First Tennessee Development District - $25,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the First Tennessee Development District.
- Greater Nashville Regional Council - $25,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the Greater Nashville Regional Council.
- Southeast Tennessee Development District - $52,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the Southeast Tennessee Development District.
- Southwest Tennessee Development District - $50,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the Southwest Tennessee Development District.
- Upper Cumberland Development District - $50,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the Upper Cumberland Development District.
For more information about the Tennessee Historical Commission, please visit the Web site at: www.tn.gov/environment/hist.
###