NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Metro Historical Commission is beginning to remove and store building materials from one of the structures severely damaged by the bombing on Christmas morning.
Salvage of the materials began Monday morning at The Rhea Building at 166 Second Avenue. The historical commission said the step is important if the facades are to be restored.
“We want to thank the building owners for being preservation-minded and allowing this work to move forward," said Tim Walker, executive director of the Metro Historical Commission.
The work is being funded by the newly created 2ndAveStrong fund, which was created to help support the restoration and preservation of the street. The DISTRICT, Inc. and Metro Historical Commission Foundation are behind the fund.
"It is crucial that these building materials are maintained properly so that when we are ready, we can push forward with restoration," Walker said.
Robbie Jones of New South Associates was hired by The DISTRICT, Inc. to sort and catalog the salvageable materials, including hundreds of bricks. Alley Cassetty Brick has volunteered to evaluate the bricks and store them. Metro General Services is providing a secure site for storage of all other materials, just north of buildings near the Stockyard. Metro Public Works will be transporting all salvageable materials to the two sites and will dispose of unusable debris. The items will be transported, tagged and cataloged in the facilities, so it is clear what building the items came from.
The goal of the project is to ensure that as much original building material is reused as possible, rather than being sent to a landfill.
