Grants awarded to 15 organizations to renovate and preserve historic buildings
Nearly on-half of the recipients are from East Tennessee.
Have you noticed how many town squares, particularly in smaller communities, are populated by historic buildings? We certainly have as we visited every county seat in Tennessee – some on many occasions – during Career 1.
We also noticed that many courthouses were built decades ago and lacked modern amenities.
So, we took notice last week when the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced the latest recipients of Tennessee Historic Development Grants.
“Through the Historic Development Grant Program, we are helping restore and revitalize some of Tennessee’s most historic buildings so that they once again can flourish, attracting further economic opportunity across our state,” said TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter. “Thank you to the Tennessee Historical Commission for partnering with TNECD on this program. We look forward to seeing the growth and prosperity that will follow in our communities.”
Approved by the Tennessee General Assembly in April 2021, the program will provide $6.1 million to projects that aim to renovate and preserve historic buildings across the state. The program encourages communities and private developers to invest in buildings that have contributed to a community’s history but now sit idle. These buildings can once again contribute to the economy through job creation and commercial opportunities.
For this round of the program, the state’s $6.1 million investment is expected to leverage more than $13 million in private investment.
Those recipients in East Tennessee include funding for five courthouses:
- Bledsoe County Government – $460,894 to rehabilitate the Bledsoe County Courthouse in Pikeville.
- City of Cleveland – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Cherokee Hotel, 44 Inman Street E in Cleveland.
- Greene County Government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Greene County Courthouse in Greeneville.
- Hamblen County Government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Hamblen County Courthouse in Morristown.
- Meigs County Government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Meigs County Courthouse in Decatur.
- Morristown Corner Development, LLC – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Whittaker-Holtsinger Hardware Co. 113, 115, 117 North Cumberland in Morristown.
- Rhea County Government – $250,000 to rehabilitate the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton.
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