Bea Lurie
Through the support of the Lyndhurst Foundation, Preserve Chattanooga was able to hire its first development manager, Bea Lurie.
Using her expertise in fund development and fundraising, she will raise the money needed to expand the impact of Preserve Chattanooga by identifying new partnerships, protecting historic assets that are not currently protected in commercial and residential neighborhoods, offering for the first time programming for neighborhoods, saving more historic buildings and creating excitement in Chattanooga about preserving its heritage through marketing and outreach.
Officials said, "Preserve Chattanooga, Chattanooga’s only historic preservation organization, protects the city’s extraordinary architectural heritage through preservation education and advocacy.
Our city’s historic assets include landmarks known to many Chattanoogans such as the Terminal Station (Chattanooga Choo Choo), the Dome building, Brown’s Ferry Tavern, and local historic districts such as Fort Wood and Ferger Place."
As part of the Lyndhurst Foundation’s support, Preserve Chattanooga will work in partnership with the Chattanooga Hamilton County Regional Plan Association to update the county’s 1977 Preservation Plan and lay out a community-based road map for expanded areas of impact through Preserve Chattanooga.
Officials said, "When a historically significant place is destroyed through neglect or demolition, it is gone forever. Every such loss means that our city’s unique character fades away. Historic places that are properly maintained and utilized present valuable economic, environmental and cultural benefits for everyone and are a draw for tourists. Through preservation, Chattanoogans are good stewards of the architectural gifts we’ve been blessed to inherit for ourselves and future generations."