The childhood home of civil rights activist and singer Nina Simone will be restored, thanks to a fundraising campaign by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the North Carolina Arts Council and the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission.
Nina SimoneThe organizations raised over $60,000 over the course of the North Carolina Year of Music, a year-long celebration of the state’s music legacy.
Simone’s home in Tryon, North Carolina was going to be demolished before four artists bought it two years ago. In 2018, the National Trust labeled it a National Treasure and made plans to preserve it.
“Nina Simone’s childhood home helps tell the incredible story of a young black girl who transcended the constraints placed on her in the Jim Crow south to become a voice of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Brent Leggs, executive director for the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Over the past few months, we have seen an incredible groundswell of support for this National Treasure, and we are appreciative of all the contributions that will help us to protect and activate this home for future generations and cement Nina Simone’s legacy into our American narrative.”
