Preserve Chattanooga is the professional voice for historic preservation in our city. We connect Chattanooga to national preservation leaders and ideas, bringing nationally recognized experts such as Donovan Rypkema and Bonnie McDonald—author of The Relevancy Project—to engage our community in conversations about the future of our historic places.

Our work and perspective have been featured in Edge Magazine, CityScope, Chatter, the Times Free Press, and through local radio and television, including On the Move Radio and regular interviews on Scenic Roots. Preserve Chattanooga regularly speaks with neighborhood groups, civic organizations, and community partners to share the importance of preservation and how protecting our historic places strengthens Chattanooga’s future.

Preserve Chattanooga protects some of our region’s most significant historic landmarks through legally binding preservation easements. These agreements help ensure that iconic places such as Terminal Station, the Dome Building, the Customs House, and the Tivoli Center are cared for and preserved for future generations. We recently expanded this work beyond Hamilton County by accepting our first easement at the Highlander Folk School Library in Monteagle, extending our commitment to protecting Tennessee’s historic places. Learn more about our easements HERE.

Preserve Chattanooga partners with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Interior Architecture & Design Program through two important historic preservation initiatives: the annual Senior Thesis projects and the Minor in Historic Preservation.

The annual Senior Thesis Project serves as a capstone experience, allowing students to explore historic buildings through research, documentation, and design solutions. Each year, students apply their knowledge and creativity to reimagine how significant places can continue serving the community, culminating in a final exhibition showcasing their work.

Preserve Chattanooga also supports UTC’s Minor in Historic Preservation by providing adjunct faculty with professional preservation expertise. The interdisciplinary minor complements majors such as Interior Architecture, Archaeology, and Anthropology, introducing students to the history, methods, and practice of preservation. Coursework includes Introduction to Historic Preservation, Survey of Architecture, and Field Documentation of Historic Buildings.

Together, Preserve Chattanooga and UTC are helping prepare the next generation of professionals who will protect and thoughtfully transform our community’s historic places.

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Preserve Chattanooga recognizes the individuals, organizations, and projects that demonstrate exceptional commitment to the rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, adaptive reuse, and long-term stewardship of historically significant places throughout Chattanooga and Hamilton County.

Historic preservation is accomplished through the vision, investment, and dedication of property owners, architects, craftsmen, developers, community leaders, and advocates who understand that our historic places are valuable assets for the future. By celebrating these efforts, Preserve Chattanooga highlights the many ways historic buildings can be thoughtfully renewed, reimagined, and kept active for generations to come.

In September 2025, Preserve Chattanooga honored ten outstanding preservationists and projects that exemplified excellence in preservation. The awards recognized a range of achievements, including the Preservation Project of the Year, the Waymark Hotel, for its thoughtful approach to adaptive reuse and its contribution to Chattanooga’s architectural heritage.

Through these awards, Preserve Chattanooga celebrates the people and projects helping to protect the character, history, and sense of place that make our community unique.

Every historic building has a story. Preserve Chattanooga’s architectural tours provide an opportunity to experience our city through the places that shaped it—exploring historic neighborhoods, architectural landmarks, and the people and events behind them.

From downtown landmarks to neighborhood treasures, these self-guided tours highlight the character and craftsmanship that make Chattanooga unique. We invite you to look closer, learn more, and discover why protecting our historic places matters. Preservation begins with appreciation—and these tours are a way for everyone to connect with the history all around us.

Historic preservation is strongest when a community comes together. Preserve Chattanooga is building a network of people, businesses, organizations, and partners who believe that our historic places are essential to Chattanooga’s identity and future.

Through our membership program, business partnerships, community collaborations, educational programs, and signature events, we create opportunities for people to engage, learn, and take action. We connect local preservation efforts to a broader national movement through affiliations with organizations including the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Preservation Partners Network, bringing new ideas, resources, and best practices to our community.

Together, this growing network strengthens our ability to protect Chattanooga’s architectural heritage, support thoughtful growth, and ensure that the places that tell our story continue to inspire future generations.