African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Announces Completed Restoration of Nina Simone’s Childhood Home

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (Action Fund), a division of the National Historic Trust for Preservation, has announced the completed restoration of legendary musical artist Nina Simone's childhood home in Tryon, NC. While not yet open to the public, the home will serve as a historic place to inspire visitors and artists, authentically showcasing where Simone grew up and grew into her artistic voice.

Originally built in the early 1900s, the 650-square foot, three-room clapboard house where Simone (née Eunice Waymon) was born and lived from 1933-1937 had fallen into disrepair and was threatened by demolition until it was purchased in 2016 by Daydream Therapy, LLC-a collective of the artists Adam Pendleton, Ellen Gallagher, Julie Mehretu, and Rashid Johnson.

The Action Fund's engagement with the site began in 2017 in the role of lead partner with the artists alongside Simone's brother Dr. Samuel Waymon, Tryon's East Side neighborhood residents; St. Luke CME Church, where Simone's mother was a minister; and a team of construction, architectural, and philanthropic partners (see a full list and selected quotes below).

"Preservation is an expression of what we choose to honor, and Nina Simone's childhood home is an essential landmark in our nation's artistic and cultural landscape," said Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and strategic advisor to the CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The restoration of her home affirms her rightful place in the American story-one defined by brilliance, resilience, and the power of art to shape our collective conscience. We share this moment with a coalition of national and local partners, who together dedicated their expertise and resources to safeguard this site of extraordinary significance to our nation."

The Action Fund helped ensure Simone's home was officially protected in perpetuity via a preservation easement in September 2020. In 2023, the Action Fund partnered with tennis champion and philanthropist Venus Williams and artist Adam Pendleton to co-curate an auction and fundraising gala dedicated to the project hosted by Pace Gallery in New York. With additional investment from the Mellon and Tejemos foundations, the funds raised supported the comprehensive renovation and restoration efforts that began in June 2024.

Through partnerships with Every Angle Inc.; Matthews Architecture; Nelson, Byrd, Woltz Landscape Architects; and Superunison; the home has been faithfully restored using historically accurate and preserved sections of original materials, paint, and stain colors reflecting the home's appearance during Simone's time there. While it will not be reopened as a traditional house museum, furnished with her or her family's belongings, the rehabilitation honors the period and character of the space. Highlights include:

• A preservation-compliant ADA ramp that will enable visitors of all abilities to access the front porch and enter the home. The ramp's design ensures that if it is ever removed the historic property's essential form and integrity will remain intact.
• A minimally invasive, energy efficient geothermal heating and cooling system that will keep the home and grounds free of bulky, noisy equipment, and provide future visitors with a quiet space to reflect on Simone's contributions and enduring legacy.
• A swept dirt yard and the foundations of an archaeologically discovered work shed and out houses which provide an understanding of African diasporic traditions and Black life in America's rural South.
• The preservation of a nearly century-old Magnolia tree nicknamed "Sweetie Mae," that has stood on the property since Simone's childhood.

While the home's restoration is complete, it is not open to the public. The Action Fund and Daydream Therapy LLC are closely engaged with the Tryon community and its East Side neighborhood on the next phase of this project, determining a strategy for creative programming, ethical interpretation, and eventual cultural heritage tourism at the site. Until further announcements are made, the Action Fund encourages would-be visitors to engage with news about the home and progress toward a public opening via their website and social media channels.

For more information about the project, please visit https://savingplaces.org/ninasimone

A press kit of photos is available here: https://we.tl/t-2mVoNZr1hB