A preservation group is asking the Tennessee Historical Commission to protect Fort Negley Park from Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s redevelopment plans.
The Friends of Fort Negley filed a petition Monday asking the commission to include the property, which includes the abandoned Greer Stadium, in the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2016, reports the Nashville Business Journal. The petition names Metro government as the respondent.
Barry’s plans have drawn fierce opposition from a variety of groups who say they don’t honor the area’s history. She wants the Cloud Hill Partnership development team to build affordable housing, shops and restaurants, green space and creative spaces for artists on the land.
The stadium has sat abandoned since the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team moved to a new stadium north of downtown in 2015.
The fort was built during Union occupation of Nashville during the Civil War. It was constructed with the forced labor of slaves and free blacks, a quarter of whom died from sickness in the winter of 1862. The United States Colored Troops, 13th Infantry Regiment, were among those stationed at the fort during the war and the Battle of Nashville, and reeanactors have relived their stories.
“The city attempts to justify the development under the premise that Greer Stadium is a ‘separate parcel,'” the petition says. “In fact, the Fort Negley Greer Stadium property was never conveyed as a separate parcel. Rather, such designation is only an internal, administrative description.”
Barry spokesman Sean Braisted told Nashville Business News that “Metro and the Cloud Hill Partnership are absolutely committed to preserving historic Fort Negley Park while improving the adjacent Greer Stadium parcel” and that they will review the petition “to determine what, if any, response is needed or appropriate.”
Last week, the nonprofit group Historic Nashville named Fort Negley this year’s most-endangered city property.
This is part of Mayor Moonbeam’s payback to Music Row and Renata Soto’s Casa Azafran for help in getting elected. The keyword here is “affordable” housing costs which will be passed on to us middle class taxpayers. Wonder what those fundamentalist Somalis will say when they see the scantily-clad artists and musicians in their neighborhood?
Another real estate payback Mayor Moonbeam comes in the form of a re-do of the Fairgrounds and Speedway which would become a soccer field so Nashville can be an international city and bring glory and fame to all of our sophisticated elites who think Nascar and Fairs are for hicks. The soccer field would also be financed by taxpayers if it doesn’t pay for itself. John Ingram is all behind this project since his new soccer team needs a home.
Blondie, go make hand-hearts with the billionaires and leave us alone.
Yes heaven forbid some actual GOOD for the neighborhood can be had all to make the ecolib greenies happy,
“The fort was built during Union occupation of Nashville during the Civil War. “It was constructed with the forced labor of slaves….”
For the Nathan Bedford Forrest haters (yes, you Lamar! & Haslam)….this was the “other” side building their stuff with slaves and forced labor – by the U.S. Military no less (led by white supremacist “Honest” Abe). I guess they forgot about the whole war thing being solely for “freeing the slaves” – like you teach in the government schools.
No need to call for it to be removed though….right?