State doles out $6.1M in grants to preserve historic buildings, many in rural communities

A historic neighborhood in Haywood County and Memphis’ historic Greyhound Bus Lines Complex are among the 15 recipients of $6.1 million in the latest round of Tennessee Historic Development Grants.

The program was approved by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2021 with the aim of renovating and preserving historic buildings that are vacant or underused. The state funding is “expected to leverage more than $13 million in private investment,” according to a Tuesday news release.

The North Washington Historic District in Brownsville — located about 20 miles north of Ford’s new BlueOval City electric vehicle manufacturing plant — will receive $500,000 in rehabilitation funds. The district includes about 150 buildings built between the mid-1800s and the 1960s, ranging in architectural style from Greek and Gothic Revival to Folk Victorian, Colonial Revival, Craftsman and Ranch. The district was home to prominent business owners, doctors, military officers, bank presidents, and farmers in the Brownsville community.

“This span of time tells the story of the architectural and residential progression of Brownsville: from its settlement, to a time when residential development changed in Brownsville as a result of the mass production of the automobile and subsequent development of suburban sprawl,” according to the district’s National Register of Historic Places registration.

To be eligible for the grant, historic structures must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places individually or in a historic district. They must also be in a distressed county, federally qualified opportunity zone, or an accredited Tennessee Main Street or Downtown community. Municipalities with populations of 200,000 or fewer are also eligible with National Parks Service approval, as are courthouses listed on the National Register of Historic Places in certain counties.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development partnered with the Tennessee Historical Commission to vett applications. Projects must be completed within three years.

Tennessee Historic Development Grant Recipients

West Tennessee

• N6GH Investments, LLC – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Greyhound Bus Lines Complex in Memphis, TN
• Sterling Hedrick, LLC – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Sterick Building in Memphis, TN
• Henry County Government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Henry County Courthouse in Paris, TN
• Haywood Historical Foundation – $500,000 to rehabilitate the North Washington Historic District, 127 N Lafayette Ave in Brownsville, TN
• Bethel University – $196,000 to rehabilitate the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church building in McKenzie, TN

Middle Tennessee

• Lewis County Government – $350,000 to rehabilitate the Lewis County Courthouse in Hohenwald, TN
• City of Dickson – $60,000 to rehabilitate the Dickson War Memorial Building in Dickson, TN
• Montgomery Alumni Association, Inc. – $50,000 to rehabilitate the Montgomery High School Building in Cunningham, TN

East Tennessee

• Rhea County Government – $250,000 to rehabilitate the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, TN
• Bledsoe County Government – $460,894 to rehabilitate the Bledsoe County Courthouse in Pikeville, TN
• Hamblen County Government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Hamblen County Courthouse in Morristown, TN
• Meigs County Government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Meigs County Courthouse in Decatur, TN
• Greene County Government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Greene County Courthouse in Greeneville, TN
• Morristown Corner Development, LLC – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Whittaker-Holtsinger Hardware Co. 113, 115, 117 North Cumberland in Morristown, TN
• City of Cleveland – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Cherokee Hotel, 44 Inman Street E in Cleveland, TN