Restorers used a family photo and research on early 20th-century Black homes to recreate the house.
Nina Simone’s 650 sq ft childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina, has been restored after sitting vacant and severely decayed for more than two decades. The three-room house, where the legendary musician and civil rights activist lived with her family from 1933, was bought for $95,000 in 2017 by four Black artists. Its rehabilitation was completed last year, after nearly $850,000 was spent on materials, construction and engineering. The 81-year-old composer remembered playing organ inside the home and cooking with his mother on the potbelly stove.
The restored home is now painted white, while parts of its original structure have been retained, according to The Guardian. It’s like time travel,” Waymon said. Pendleton said the group wanted to protect a place connected to Simone’s life and contribution to American culture. He recalled thinking when he first walked through the property after buying it- “This is where it all started for Nina, in this humble home.”
A piece of the home’s original rust-brown varnish has been placed in a shadow box on a mint-blue wall. A small section of the original Great Depression-era linoleum has also been preserved on the restored wooden floor. For Simone’s younger brother, Samuel Waymon, returning to the house after its restoration brought back memories of his childhood. He was also happy to see a large tree from his childhood still standing in the yard. The house is restored.
In 2020, the AACHAF created a preservation easement for the property. The legal agreement restricts future changes to the site and prevents its demolition. Preservation North Carolina will oversee the historic protection of the home.