Nina Simone’s Childhood Home in North Carolina Restored

The childhood home of Nina Simone in Tryon, North Carolina, has been fully restored after being saved from demolition. The restoration is part of a movement to protect Black heritage and cultural sites across the United States.

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced the restoration news in November, after a near decade-long fight to protect the home.

Preservation is an expression of what we choose to honor, and Nina Simone’s childhood home is an essential landmark in our nation’s artistic and cultural landscape,” Brent Leggs, executive director of the AACHAF, said in a statement, “The restoration of her home affirms her rightful place in the American story — one defined by brilliance, resilience, and the power of art to shape our collective conscience.”

The completed restoration returned the 650-square-foot home back to its historic appearance and preserved original materials and period-accurate paint and finishes.

Though the restoration is complete, the home will remain closed for now. Project leaders said the next phase for the home is to be determined, but are hoping for future plans of restoring more homes belonging to Simone’s family and eventually cultural tourism of the historically Black neighborhood in Tryon.

In a statement, Simone’s brother, Samuel Waymon, said, “Preserving our home preserves the piano lessons, the joy, the discipline and the discovery of her gifted talent all recorded in those walls.”

You can watch a tour of the restored home below.