Thanks to these four artists, Nina Simone’s childhood home is now a National Treasure

Just in the middle of African-American Music Month and on the heels of Simone’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and four African-American artists announced her childhood home will get a much-needed makeover.

“We envision this being a physical site for people to visit and interact with, and to find out who Nina Simone was,” said Adam Pendleton, one of the four artists involved in the project. “We want visitors to be introduced to her transformational life, and for artists and activists to be inspired.”

The property was purchased for $95,000 in 2017 by Pendleton, sculptor and painter Rashid Johnson, collagist and filmmaker Ellen Gallagher and abstract painter Julie Mehretu in response to what they considered their civic duty and concern for potentially losing such an integral part of Simone’s story. The home was last purchased in 2003 by Polk County economic development director Kevin McIntyre but was lost because of financial difficulties after he paid $100,000 of his own money for renovations. The house was back on the market in 2016.

Pendleton is uninterested in making this home a traditional museum, but rather a place where people can work, make music and create art. “I can’t think of a better way to support the work of one artist than to support the work of others,” Pendleton said. “It’s important to a lot of people to keep who many consider ‘the voice of the civil rights movement’ alive, and make sure it is a part of our national landscape.”

According to the preservation team, the home needs a fair amount of work but is in stable condition. The home’s restoration will cost approximately $250,000 then potentially become an artist residency site of sorts. The artists have an internal budget of $100,000 and plan to raise the remaining funds needed through donations.

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