About Us

Preserve Chattanooga believes that historic places connect people to their shared story and play a vital role in shaping a vibrant future. Since 1975, our nonprofit organization has worked to protect the buildings, neighborhoods, and cultural landscapes that define the character of Chattanooga.

Through advocacy, education, and community engagement, Preserve Chattanooga champions the stewardship of historic places while demonstrating how preservation strengthens neighborhoods, supports economic vitality, and enriches civic life. Our work includes protecting threatened historic resources, providing public programs and preservation guidance, and collaborating with community partners to celebrate the architecture and history that make Chattanooga unique.

Preserve Chattanooga also connects our community to the broader preservation movement. We maintain active membership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Preservation Partners Network, the Society of Architectural Historians, and the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. We stay engaged with statewide preservation initiatives through the Tennessee Historical Commission and nationally through the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors, Preserve Chattanooga is supported by community members who believe that protecting the past helps build a stronger future. Through partnerships, philanthropy, and community support, we work every day to ensure that Chattanooga’s historic places remain meaningful, relevant, and preserved for generations to come.

  • Todd Morgan

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • Nich Youngblood

    DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

  • Delton Chen

    BOARD PRESIDENT

Get To Know Us

  • To protect the architectural heritage of Chattanooga through preservation, education, and advocacy.

  • To ensure that Chattanooga’s historic resources are identified, protected, and celebrated for their beauty, history, and the valuable role they bring to the city’s economy, environment, and quality of life.

  • Collaboration and Partnership: Our mission is advanced when we can successfully communicate complex issues to large audiences, engage supporters in the cause, and foster inclusive relationships throughout the community.

    Stewardship: We seek to influence behavior and practice by promoting the means and incentives to preserve historic properties for their economic value, their role in preserving community identity, and as a tangible link to the past for current and future generations.

    Respect for History: We believe Chattanooga can continue to grow and prosper without losing sight of its past, a past that makes this city distinct from all other places.

    Informed Decisions: We believe government leaders, property owners, design professionals, and all preservationists will save more historic places when they make informed decisions regarding the use and treatment of historical resources.

  • Our local preservation advocacy efforts prioritize the following:

    • Local Historic District assets and Local Historic Landmarks.

    • Individually listed National Register properties and districts.

    • Places and neighborhoods eligible or potentially eligible for official historic designation (local or national).

  • Delton Chen - President
    Dr. Dana Moody - Past President
    Rachel Shannon - Vice President
    Amber Mueller - Treasurer
    Emily Mack- Secretary

    Dan Brewer
    Cody McGee
    Clecia Joi Mason
    Maury Nicely
    Kelly O’Mara
    Natalie Phillips


    Cassie Cline, Advisory Member, Chattanooga Historic Zoning Commission

    Nicole Osborne Watson, Gov. Relations Advisor

    Miller & Martin - General Counsel

    If you are interested in becoming a board member, please fill out a Nomination Form and email it to Todd@preservechattanooga.com.

  • Todd Morgan has served as Executive Director of Preserve Chattanooga since November 2021, where he leads efforts to protect and celebrate Chattanooga’s historic places while advancing preservation as a tool for community vitality and economic development.

    Before joining Preserve Chattanooga, Todd was Executive Director of Knox Heritage, where he helped guide preservation initiatives and advocacy efforts in Knoxville. Earlier in his career, he served as Tennessee Main Street Director, leading statewide downtown revitalization programs that supported local economies and strengthened historic commercial districts.

    Todd’s professional background bridges preservation, economic development, urban planning, and architecture—allowing him to approach historic places not only as cultural assets but as catalysts for vibrant communities.

    In 2022, Mayor Tim Kelly appointed Todd to the Chattanooga Historic Zoning Commission. He is a 2024 graduate of Leadership Chattanooga and was honored as Adjunct Professor of the Year for teaching historic preservation at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

    Todd received the Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2021. He is certified in historic real estate finance by the National Community Development Council and remains actively engaged in the preservation field through service on the board of the National Preservation Partners Network and the East Tennessee Historical Society. He is also a member of the Chattanooga Rotary Club.

    todd@preservechattanooga.com

    Office: 423.265.2825

  • Nich Youngblood leads fundraising initiatives, cultivates donor relationships, and helps expand philanthropic support for Preserve Chattanooga’s mission.

    He brings nearly two decades of nonprofit experience to this role, including a deep background in development, donor stewardship, and international fundraising. Throughout his career, Nich has helped numerous organizations expand their impact through strategic fundraising, authentic storytelling, and meaningful community partnerships.

    Nich previously served as Director of Operations for a historic polo ranch and event venue, where he oversaw programming, events, and stewardship of the 400-acre estate. Earlier in his career, he spent years living in Haiti, where he founded a youth tennis mentorship program dedicated to empowering at-risk youth through sport, mentorship, and education.

    Nich has called Chattanooga home for several years and is passionate about preserving the places that give the city its unique character.

    He and his husband own MDRN MUSE Dental Aesthetics in Chattanooga’s Southside neighborhood. Nich also enjoys staying active, exploring the city’s restaurants and historic neighborhoods, and rooting on his alma mater, the University of Texas Longhorns.

    nich@preservechattanooga.com

    Office: 423.265.2825

IMPACTING PLACES

  • Ellis Hotel Saved

    Built in 1915, this historic building was donated to our organization by the City of Chattanooga along with $80,000 that would have been spent on demolition. Preserve Chattanooga stabilized the structure and sold it. Now it is home to the popular St. John’s restaurant and is credited with being the catalyst for revitalizing the Southside area of town.

  • Central Block Saved

    Built in 1883 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Preserve Chattanooga purchased the property for $250,000 and spent $500,000 stabilizing the structure. Valued at $1.5 million, the Central Block Building was gifted to the Greater Chattanooga United Way in 2002. The renovation had a major impact on the revitalization of Market Street with a total investment of $3 million.

  • Burchay Building Saved

    Burchay’s Furriers has 1,800 square feet of its original 4,800 square feet remaining. The City of Chattanooga donated the c. 1900 building to our organization which was originally scheduled for total demolition for the City’s Fourth Street Boulevard project. Preserve Chattanooga saved the limestone Richardsonian Romanesque façade by investing over $400,000 in its renovation.

  • Park Place Saved

    Preserve Chattanooga assisted with the preservation and adaptive reuse of the historic Park Place School by providing a structural assessment Realizing that vacant, abandoned older properties can be intimidating for potential buyers, the report verified the stability of the structure and helped convince a new owner to invest in the renovation of the property.

  • Passenger Freight Building Saved

    The Passenger Freight Depot on 13th Street was a gift from the City of Chattanooga. Preserve Chattanooga found a new owner and today it is home the popular Urban Stack restaurant.

  • Engel Stadium Stabilized

    In 2005, Preserve Chattanooga (then Cornerstones) facilitated an agreement with the then property owners (Hamilton County and City of Chattanooga) to save the roof of the historic stadium. Preserve Chattanooga invested $40,000 and each government entity invested $5,000. This action saved the abandoned structured from becoming unstable and bought time for the Engel Foundation to organize. In 2012 the venue was used for filming a movie. The stadium is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now owned by UTC. Preserve Chattanooga gave an additional $20,000 in 2013 to the Engel Foundation.

  • First Congregational Church Saved

    Preserve Chattanooga worked closely with Fisk University in selling The First Congregational Church Building. Founded in 1867, our organization nominated the building to the National Register of Historic Places and completed Part I for historic tax credit eligibility. Preserve Chattanooga, in conjunction with the Lyndhurst Foundation, invested $80,000 in its preservation.

  • Stong Building Saved

    In 2006, Preserve Chattanooga hired Artech Design Group to provide a structural analysis of the building’s existing conditions. By this time, both the second and third floors had caved in under the weight of the roof.

    The building was condemned, but Preserve Chattanooga entered into a community partnership with the Lyndhurst Foundation and RiverCity Co. that allowed the building to be saved and extensively renovated.

  • Brown's Tavern Saved

    In 2014, Cornerstones became aware that the historic tavern, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the oldest standing structure in Chattanooga, was being sold. There was a serious development threat to the two-story log structure built in 1803. Preserve Chattanooga purchased the structure for $70,000. The Tavern was then purchased by the American Battlefield Trust. Federal and state matching grants were assembled to make this acquisition and about nine acres of surrounding land along Brown’s Ferry Road. The site is included in the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

  • Tomorrow Building Saved

    Built in 1888, the structure opened as the Delmonico Hotel before reopening as the Ross Hotel in 1925. It became famous as the place where William Jennings Bryan, a U.S. Secretary of State and the anti-evolution attorney in the Scopes Trial, died taking a nap. Our organization encouraged the use of federal tax credits and commissioned an engineering study of the derelict building to illuminate what a rehabilitation would require for prospective buyers.

Get in touch.

If you have any questions about Preserve Chattanooga and our work in the community, please contact us.