Our impact

2022-2025

preservation

That Moves Nashville Forward...

Nashville is a city in motion—evolving, growing, and continually redefining itself. Yet amid all that change, one truth remains: we share a responsibility to protect the stories and places that make this city feel like home. The Preservation Society of Nashville exists to ensure that preservation has a strong, credible voice in shaping Nashville’s future. With your support, PSN has quickly become a trusted advocate for the places that define us.

Our work is guided by three core beliefs:

Preservation is for everyone. It transcends background and politics, fostering pride, belonging, and a shared sense of responsibility for the city we call home.
Preservation is the keeper of culture. Our stories, architecture, and historic places form Nashville’s identity. Protecting them strengthens the community and deepens our connection to one another.
Preservation is about the future as much as the past. This is not nostalgia. It is thoughtful growth that ensures Nashville’s character evolves alongside its progress.

Preservation work is often quiet and complex—policy review, coalition-building, research, and community representation. But its impact is undeniable. Because of you, preservation now has a seat at the table where Nashville’s future is shaped.

Together, we are ensuring that the Nashville we pass on to our children, our neighbors, and the generations still to come remains rich in culture, connection, and place. Thank you for being part of this mission.

PSN at a glance

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150+

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1,200+

Historic properties strengthened through overlays, advocacy, and design standards

Members standing up for Nashville's history and character

Subscribers and supporters engaged through programs, tours. and regular outreach

Corporate sponsors investing in preservation and Nashville's quality of life

our impact areas

Protect

We protect Nashville’s unique character and historic places—both the icons you recognize and the everyday sites that could easily be overlooked.

Recent impact includes:

Expanding the Downtown Historic Preservation Overlay, protecting 35 additional properties in areas like Printers Alley and the financial district, and reinforcing wins like the 201–205 Broadway height restriction and Bonus Height Program amendment.
Advocating for vulnerable landmarks, including Belle Meade Theatre, Colemere Manor, Morris Memorial Building, Walter Stokes School, Engine Co. No. 13 Firehouse, and the Elliston Place “Rock Block”, as well as Douglas Corner and Inglewood Place overlay protections.
Serving as a key stakeholder in Nashville’s 2026 Preservation Plan with the Metro Planning Department, helping ensure preservation is built into the city’s long-term vision from the start—not treated as an afterthought.

Engage

We engage with preservation supporters, neighbors, and institutions so more Nashvillians can see themselves in the city’s story.

Recent impact includes:

Hosting “Nashville Sites” LIVE programs in collaboration with the Nashville Historical Foundation, showcasing Christ Church Cathedral, McKissack & McKissack, and Sunnyside bringing architecture, music, and history to life inside the spaces that shaped them.
Offering tours and programs at places like Travellers Rest (Your Legacy Tours), Downtown Presbyterian Church, Hubbard House, and Nashville City Cemetery, as well as the Nashville Historic Overlays 101 webinar, to deepen public understanding of how preservation tools work.
Convening neighbors, advocates, and professionals at events like Preservation Coffee, For the Love, and Paint the Town, turning shared concern into sustained community and support.

Support

We support like-minded projects and partners that show how growth and stewardship can move in the same direction.

Recent impact includes:

Advising preservation-minded developments like Rutledge Hill and 320 44th Avenue North, helping retain historic elements while projects evolve.
Providing grant support for sacred and historic sites such as Mt. Olivet Cemetery and Hubbard House, so caretakers can repair, interpret, and share these places with the public.
Supporting the re-creation of the historic Sunnyside Summer House—from its debut at the Antiques & Garden Show to its installation at Sevier Park in partnership with the Metro Historical Commission and collaborators.
Establishing and growing a Ground-Penetrating Radar Fund and launching PSN’s “Beneath Nashville” GPR work, including the Calhoun Cemetery survey with the Metro Historical Commission and Vanderbilt University, which helped rediscover graves and restore a vital African American story along Nolensville Pike.

Amplify

We amplify our efforts by building capacity, raising PSN’s profile, and connecting with new audiences.

Recent impact includes:

Growing staff capacity so preservation has a consistent, professional presence in Metro conversations and community spaces.
Producing PSN’s inaugural Paint the Town and continuing high-visibility events like the Symphony Fashion Show, “Girls of Nashville” show at City Winery, the Veronica Beard partnership, and GivingTuesday and National Preservation Month campaigns—each expanding our circle of supporters.
Elevating preservation in the public arena through media interviews and features (including WSMV-TV and local outlets), as well as presentations to civic groups like Nashville Rotary, reminding leaders that Nashville’s heritage is an asset to be leveraged, not an obstacle to be removed.
Strengthening relationships with Metro Council, city staff, and peer nonprofits, positioning PSN as an indispensable collaborator as Nashville explores new tools such as a Transferable Development Rights (TDR) program and implements the 2026 Preservation Plan.

your role in what comes next...

The work you see here is only the beginning. In the coming years, your support will help PSN:

Shape and implement the 2026 Preservation Plan so it reflects the needs and histories of neighborhoods across the city.
Continue to advocate for practical tools—like a thoughtful Transferable Development Rights (TDR) Program framework and stronger overlays—that balance growth with long-term stewardship.
Protect more landmarks, modest homes, sacred spaces, and under-recognized cultural sites that together make Nashville feel like Nashville.

If you believe Nashville’s future should still feel like home, your gift today helps make that possible.

Ways to Support >>