In early-20th-century Nashville, there were few Black families more influential and involved than the Boyds. Founders of publishing houses, banks and newspapers, they helped draw what would become Tennessee State University to North Nashville. Their home, designed by renowned architectural firm McKissack & McKissack, held meetings and salons, with high-minded discussions about civil rights and arts and religion. Fisk University acquired the home in 1938, and in the ensuing decades, it’s fallen into disrepair — so much so that Fisk pulled a demolition permit. TSU history professor Dr. Learotha Williams sprang into action, launching an online petition that stopped the destruction of history. Fisk and the still extant R.H. Boyd Publishing then launched an effort to raise $1.1 million to preserve the home and transform it into an instructional and event space, launching a new chapter in the legacy of an important family and their historic home.
Best Historical Preservation Effort
