May is Preservation Month across America and during the month of April, Preserve Chattanooga asked the community to nominate historic places they would like to see preserved next.
Chattanooga has an ever-growing list of historic places preserved and adapted to new uses. Historic buildings showcase our city’s unique history and architectural heritage and are worthy of investment. Preserve Chattanooga seeks to raise awareness of places that could be the next great preservation success story through its PreserveNEXT program.
The Williams-Hardy House, also known as Littleholme, retains community interest despite the National Park’s long-term goal to demolish the house for parking. Located adjacent to the Cravens House, Littleholme was designed by Chattanooga architect Clarence T. Jones for Edith Soper Hardy and dates to 1928. Mrs. Hardy was the founder of the Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga and would later become a national figure among humanitarians as a director of The American Humane Association. The property was donated to the National Park Service by the Williams family in 2001.
Preserving neighborhoods also emerged as a top priority with strong interest in revitalizing Olde Towne Brainerd and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Register District, once known as the “Big 9”. At its peak, the Big 9 earned comparisons to Memphis’ Beale Street. Since 1994, the neighborhood has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places for being the only cohesive area left that is historically associated with Chattanooga’s African American population. Home to the Bessie Smith Center and several popular bars and restaurants, the neighborhood has lost 17 of the original contributing structures to the National Register District and gaps in the streetscape are highly visible.
Several places on the Top 10 list have been popular preservation topics for years. The Burchay Building, Ellis Restaurant, and Jazzy Buildings, all on Market Street downtown, remain on the preservation wish list. So does Engel Stadium.
Nominees added three new sites this year. Rivoli Mills on E. 28th Street is an art deco brick building built in 1910. Old mills have proven to be popular adaptive reuse projects across the country. Parkway Towers on Reggie White Boulevard remains a highly visible eyesore. Built in 1920 to be a Tennessee Electric Power Company substation, it isn’t difficult to appreciate the five-story building’s imposing façade, good proportions, and its prominent spot on the Chattanooga skyline.
The All Saints Academy on 8th Street was originally home to Notre Dame Academy which relocated in 1965. Still owned by the Diocese of Knoxville, the building experienced a fire in October 2022 and has had several windows boarded since then.
Preserve Chattanooga’s mission is to protect the architectural heritage of Chattanooga, be its advocate, and celebrate it. More information on the PreserveNEXT Top 10 can be found at www.preservechattanooga.com/preservenext.
Photo courtesy Google Maps