Environmental Division
Social & Cultural Office, Historic Preservation Section
James K. Polk Building, Suite 900
505 Deaderick St.
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0334
Phone: 615.253.2461
Fax: 615.741.1098
Martha Carver, Historic Preservation Program Manager
Survey
To identify historic properties, TDOT
historians, or historic preservation consultants working for
TDOT, begin their work by conducting a records search at the
Tennessee Historical Commission (THC), which houses the
Tennessee State Historic Preservation Office (TN-SHPO). THC is
located in Nashville and is the central repository for
information on architectural surveys for the state of Tennessee.
Their records assist historians in determining if any properties along
the project corridor have been listed in the National Register
of Historic Places or if they have been inventoried in past
surveys.
After conducting preliminary research at the THC, TDOT historians perform field surveys to inventory properties along the project corridor. During the field survey, historians talk with property owners, photograph properties, complete survey forms describing the property’s features and complete a site plan for the property. After the initial field survey, TDOT completes the official THC survey form on each property and provides all of the information to the THC to update their files. This symbiotic relationship allows both agencies to maintain a more complete understanding of the resources found throughout the state. For more information on the Tennessee Historical Commission, go to www.tennessee.gov/environment/hist.
This
thorough documentation provides information crucial in determining if a
property is eligible for listing in the National Register of
Historic Places. For example, as part of the environmental
review for the Knoxville Beltway project, a
historic consultant inventoried nearly 500 properties. From that survey process,
properties such as the Frank Kincer Gas Station (at left)
were identified as eligible for the National Register of
Historic Places. Built in 1931, this unusual cobblestone and
concrete gas station is located at the junction of Friendship
Road and U.S. 70, the old Lee Highway. Through early
identification, the proposed project will not adversely impact this unique resource.
