The childhood home of music legend and civil rights activist Nina Simone has been triumphantly restored after sitting vacant and decaying for over twenty years. The project, completed in the autumn of 2025, transforms the humble three-room property in Tryon, North Carolina, into a preserved historic site and a future hub for the arts.
A Journey Back in Time for the Waymon Family
For Dr Samuel Waymon, Nina Simone's 81-year-old brother and an award-winning composer, walking into the renovated house was a profoundly emotional experience. Memories of playing the organ and cooking with his mother on the potbelly stove came flooding back. He expressed overwhelming joy at seeing the large tree from his youth still standing in the yard.
"It does conjure up wonderful tears of joy in my heart and in my eyes when I stand in that house," Waymon said. "It's like time travel." Simone, born Eunice Waymon, lived in the 650-square-foot home with her family from 1933 to 1937.
The restoration carefully blends the old with the new. The house is now painted white, but inside, elements of its past remain. A shadow box displays the rust-brown varnish of the original walls, and a fragment of Great Depression-era linoleum sits on the restored wooden floor.
Artists Unite to Save a Piece of Black History
The home's salvation began in 2017 when it was purchased for $95,000 by four renowned Black artists: Adam Pendleton, Rashid Johnson, Julie Mehretu, and Ellen Gallagher. Operating as the collective Daydream Therapy LLC, they saw the acquisition as a vital assertion that Black history is worthy of investment.
This private endeavour takes on added significance amidst concerns over federal funding for race-based programs. A recent presidential executive order has directed Vice-President JD Vance to halt spending on such programs at Smithsonian institutions. The Simone home restoration stands as a powerful example of how private initiatives can safeguard cultural heritage.
The total rehabilitation, which began in June 2024, was finalised on 1 September 2025. The project required nearly $850,000 in fundraising for materials, construction, and engineering. The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF) oversaw the work and is now developing a long-term plan to manage the site and create a cultural district around it, with public tours projected to start in 2027.
Building a Living Legacy for Future Generations
For the artists and preservationists involved, the project is about more than bricks and mortar. "Being able to preserve the childhood home of these icons... is really important so that future generations will understand where we came from," said Tiffany Tolbert, AACHAF's Senior Director for Preservation.
Adam Pendleton, who spearheaded the artist collective, was inspired by a line from poet June Jordan: "We are the ones we have been waiting for." He realised the responsibility to act was his. "It was a gesture that I thought could have more impact if it was a group of people joining forces," he explained.
The restoration team used historical research on early 20th-century African American homes in North Carolina and an old family photograph to guide the authentic reconstruction. A preservation easement was also created in 2020, legally protecting the property from future demolition or inappropriate changes.
Looking ahead, the vision is for the home to be a place of reflection and creativity. Pendleton hopes it will become a destination where artists "go with intention to write music, for example, or to perform in the town." Meanwhile, Samuel Waymon continues to honour his sister's memory, recently releasing a new duet featuring her 1967 vocals blended with his own.
If Nina Simone could see the restored house today, her brother believes she would be "amazed and grateful" that her humble beginnings in Tryon are now preserved for the world to experience and learn from.
