The City of Bristol, Tennessee’s Department of Community Development recently hosted the 1st Annual Historic Preservation Awards in the Paramount Center. The City presented five awards recognizing preservation work by individuals involved in revitalizing historic homes and buildings within the city.
The Bristol Downtown Commercial Historic District award was presented to Joseph Gregory for the preservation of the E.W. King Building located at 636 Shelby Street. The building was designed by C.B. Kearfott, a prominent Bristol architect of the early 20th century, and was constructed in 1929. The building is now home to a company headquarters and will house other business and offices in the future.
The Fairmount Neighborhood Historic District award went to Emily Blackwell for the work she had done in bringing back the historic character of the home located on 423 Pennsylvania Avenue. The building is an outstanding example of a three-bay center gable house with a Dutch Colonial Revival influence and was built in 1913.
The Holston Avenue Neighborhood Historic District award was presented to Debra Kennedy for the efforts she provided to ensure the home’s preservation. Her home is located at 916 7th Avenue and is an example of an American Foursquare, a home type popular from the mid-1890’s to late 1930s.
The City-Wide Historic Preservation award went to George and Kim Knoll of 924 Maryland Avenue. This property is an example of the Colonial Revival style and was designed by architect Clarence B. Kearfott. It was built between 1920 and 1926 by the original owners, E. Munsey and Maxie Slack. Mr. Slack's family owned many newspapers in the region including the papers that would become the Bristol Herald Courier.
Each of the awards recognized the positive impact the projects have had on the community.
The first Historic Preservation Stewardship Award was presented to Mr. Allen Hurley. This award was designed to recognize those individuals who have gone above and beyond expectations in historic preservation, to acknowledge their efforts and the sensitive management of the properties in their care. Mr. Hurley owns eight properties in the downtown area and has worked tirelessly in preserving many of those properties to their original beauty and revitalizing them for reuse.
“The City is focused on raising awareness of historic buildings and celebrating those projects which have shown excellence in historic preservation, said Cherith Marshall. “The hands-on work and investment by these private sector community members needed to be recognized. Their blood, sweat and tears have gone into ensuring that these properties from our past remain as a steadfast reminder of where we came from as a community.”
The Historic Preservation Award Committee who reviewed each application and declared the award recipients were local community members. The members were Susan Tanner, Kelly Moran, Rebecca Wilkerson, Gray Stothart, Maggie Bishop, Linda Kirk, and Joel Staton.
For more information on the Preservation Awards, please contact Cherith Marshall, City Planner at 989-5500 Ext. 2082 or at [email protected]
