Old Hickory Historic District

 

Is your house listed?

Do you know being listed in the Register is NOT restrictive?

Did you know you can still do whatever you want to your house?

If you are already in the Register, do you understand what it means?

 

There are many “old” houses in the United States, but few have historic significance.  In order for a house to be eligible to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the building must be at least 50 years old and be historically significant.

 

Most of you already know the Village was built in 1918 by the DuPont Company under contract with the U.S. Government to house workers for the WWI gunpowder plant.  Many additional homes were added in the 1920s when DuPont came back to build their own plant.

 

In 1985, the neighborhood association hired an historian to write the lengthy nomination to have a portion of the Village listed in the Register.  Approximately 300 homes were listed at that time, with a majority of them being “contributing” properties.  A contributing property means the basic structure, as can be seen from the street has kept its original appearance.  The existing National Register Historic District runs from 8th Street down to 15th Street and from Riverside Road over to Hadley and Jones. 

 

While the current District is quite small, considering there are about 1200 eligible homes in the Village, keep in mind it was expensive to hire the historian to write the nomination and to perform the extensive survey required.  Since funds were limited, the nomination was only done for a small portion of the Village.  This section was known as the “permanent Village”.  Many residents have expressed an interest in expanding the District to include the entire Village.  One of our Village residents has stated a willingness to write the nomination and do the survey required to add the rest of the Village to the National Register – at no cost to the neighborhood.  She is a qualified historian and would be volunteering her time to do this.

 

Being listed in the Register allows a homeowner to post a bronze plaque (see below) on the front of the house.  This adds great value to the home.  There is great interest in historic homes and being listed is a real asset.  The Register is not restrictive in any way, and is merely an honorary listing.  Homeowners are still allowed to make any modifications to their home that they wish.  Of course there are a few key items that would cause a house to be ineligible or to be de-listed, but any changes are allowed none the less.  This is a national recognition and not at all the same as local historic zoning.  Historic zoning is restrictive in the changes that are allowed, the national register listing is NOT.  Homes that are ineligible or make major changes causing it to be de-listed are simply removed from the Register.  Homeowners do not need to ask any government body for permission to make changes to their home.

 

If you think your home may already be listed, and would like to purchase a plaque, please e-mail info@OldHickory.org.

 

If you are outside of the current National Register Historic isHDistrict and would like to have your home added to the Register, simply drop a note in the mail to Historic Old Hickory Village, P.O. Box 13, Old Hickory, TN 37138 or send an e-mail to the above address.  Homeowners must grant their permission to be listed.  This is a very exciting time for the Village.  We hope you will want to be included.