For nearly fifty years, the Metropolitan Historical Commission has recognized outstanding efforts to preserve Nashville’s historic architecture with its annual Preservation Awards program. For a list and map of previous award winners, from 1973 to the present, please visit the Preservation Awards dataset on Metro Nashville's Open Data Portal.
49th Annual Preservation Awards
Please join the Metropolitan Historical Commission in celebrating National Preservation Month by honoring the winners of Nashville’s 2025 Preservation Awards, representing the categories of Residential, Commercial, Educational/Institutional, and Infill architecture. The 49th annual event will be held on Thursday, May 22 at 4:30 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church Street. The Nashville Historical Foundation will host a reception immediately following the ceremony at the Customs House, 701 Broadway.
Along with celebrating exceptional preservation projects, the Historical Commission will present four honor awards during the ceremony. The Commission will recognize the enduring legacy of Dr. Kevin E. Smith and the outstanding career of Ron Gobbell, FAIA, with Achievement Awards. The Commission will present its Commissioners’ Award to the Nashville History Club and will celebrate the contributions of Shain Dennison with the Fletch Coke Award.
The Historical Commission holds the Preservation Awards program annually to celebrate National Preservation Month, which is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and observed nationally each year in May. The 2025 Preservation Month theme “Harnessing the Power of Place” celebrates the countless ways, big and small, that preservation work strengthens communities, breathes new life into neighborhoods, supports a healthier planet, and builds a more just and connected society.
Invitation to the 2025 Preservation Awards
The Historical Commission holds the Preservation Awards program annually to celebrate National Preservation Month, which is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and observed nationally each year in May. The theme for Preservation Month 2025 is Harnessing the Power of Place.
History Of the Preservation Awards Program
The Metropolitan Historical Commission’s Preservation Awards program began in 1973 as an Architectural Awards program. Miss Margaret Lindsley Warden, a charter member and former chair of the Metropolitan Historical Commission, had the idea to create an incentive for people to preserve historic buildings. She had observed how successful prizes were in horse shows and had heard of similar awards programs for preservation of buildings in other cities.
In 1973, the purpose was stated as:
- To stimulate interest in the owners of pertinent buildings to preserve and restore them with authenticity, and
- To spread information, i.e., to educate the community, on the merits (architectural and historical) and contemporary uses of distinguished buildings of the past.
The awards were originally aimed at residences, but the categories have increased as the need arose. In 1973 the categories included dwellings, offices, and historic districts. In 1997 those properties were expanded to six categories: residences (both single and multi-family structures), commercial buildings, religious properties, educational and institutional buildings, engineering and industrial structures, and infill construction.
Since 1973, over 400 awards have gone to a broad range of historic structures – dwellings, churches, commercial and industrial buildings, schools, even to bridges and new developments. Nominated by the public, they are honored for their sensitivity to the original architecture and the surrounding environment, creativity in adaptation for contemporary use, architectural merit and/or historic interest, long-term maintenance, adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, and pioneering spirit. The public awards ceremony coincides with National Preservation Month, which is celebrated every year in May.
Today, in addition to recognizing various preservation projects, the Commission recognizes individuals and groups with a select number of special awards, including the Achievement and Commissioners’ Awards.
The Achievement Award is given to an individual in recognition of his/her extraordinary leadership in preserving Nashville’s history -- either through research and writing history or through advocacy and raising public awareness of history and preservation. The Commissioners' Award recognizes a group, program, or project that enhances Nashville’s history and historic resources. It is designed to honor projects that do not fit within the traditional preservation award categories. Achievement and Commissioners’ Awards are selected by the Historical Commission. In 2016, the Commission introduced the Fletch Coke Award, named in honor of Fletch Coke and her extraordinary efforts to preserve the history and historic landmarks of Nashville and Davidson County. Recipients are selected for their tenacity, curious spirit, and excellence in historical research, writing, and promotion of Nashville's local history and historic places.
In the early years, the Commission held a separate event to recognize various individuals, groups, and projects that were involved in the preservation of the built environment and the promotion of our local history. Eventually, the two awards programs were combined. In recent years, the name of the new program changed to “Preservation Awards” to acknowledge the diversity of individuals, groups, and types of projects receiving awards.
Participation In the Preservation Awards Program
Nominations for the 50th Annual Preservation Awards program are due on Monday, March 2, 2026. Please email Scarlett.Miles@nashville.gov for details.
For more information about the Preservation Awards program, please call the Metropolitan Historical Commission at 615-862-7970 or email scarlett.miles@nashville.gov.