Photo courtesy of Chase Humphrey at Historic Nashville, Inc.The yearly unveiling of The Nashville Nine — the nonprofit Historic Nashville's annual listing of the city's most endangered historic properties — amounts to either a clarion call to preservationists or a death watch. You couldn't ask for a more dramatic demonstration of the latter than the overnight demolition of the Trail West building late Sunday night on Lower Broad, which had passers-by and downtown workers posting Instagram pics and iPhone snaps of the falling 71-year-old building with alarm.

This morning at Marathon Village, joined by American Pickers star Mike Wolfe, Historic Nashville pulled back the curtain on this year's list of endangered properties. This year's list includes the former Madison home of Elvis Presley's legendary manager; the downtown campus of Lifeway Christian Resources; the Pagoda of Medicine where a pioneering African-American doctor housed his practice; and the entire Music Row and Chestnut Hill neighborhoods.

Since the list began in 2009, according to Historic Nashville, 11 featured properties have been damaged or lost. Below, the full release and photos.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Sept. 22, 2015 – Historic Nashville, Inc. (HNI) today announced its 2015 Nashville Nine at a press conference held at the historic Marathon Village near downtown. Mike Wolfe joined HNI representatives to reveal the Nashville Nine properties and to underscore how vital preservation is in maintaining Nashville’s unique character. Wolfe, who now calls the Nashville area home, is the star of the History Channel’s hit show American Pickers, a member of Historic Nashville and a passionate preservationist. Wolfe also owns the Antique Archaeology store in Marathon Village.

The 2015 Nashville Nine was nominated by members of the community and represents nine historic properties threatened by demolition, neglect, or development. These properties will be the focus of Historic Nashville’s advocacy and outreach throughout the year.

Historic Nashville works to promote and advocate for the recognition of historic places and the impact they have on the culture, commerce, and creativity of the city. Over the years, Historic Nashville has successfully assisted in the preservation of numerous landmarks such as the Ryman Auditorium, Union Station, and the Hermitage Hotel.

Several properties on the 2014 list have been, or in the process of, being saved. The city’s historic fabric, however, remains threatened. The day before the Nashville Nine was announced, the historic Trail West building on Lower Broadway which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was demolished overnight. Historic Nashville documented the former home of the Trail West clothing shop in the 1990s as part of its Downtown Historic Architecture Survey. The demolition of this historic building may have a negative impact on the National Register listing of the Broadway Historic District, and strengthens the need for a strong preservation advocacy voice in the city.

For buildings on this year’s list, Historic Nashville will work with the owners, government agencies, and the public to educate, evaluate, and create solutions for preserving these important elements of Nashville’s unique history and sense of place.

“Nashville is the latest ‘It’ city, and we love that,” said Brian Tibbs, president of Historic Nashville. “We firmly believe, however, that preservation and development should work together to promote the best interests of the city, and to preserve the irreplaceable historic places that make our city unique. Thank you to all within our community that raised your voices to be heard by nominating a historic property for this year’s list.”

Historic Nashville accepts nominations for the Nashville Nine year round at www.historicnashvilleinc.org.

The Historic Nashville 2015 Nashville Nine

Capers CME Memorial Church – 319 15th Avenue North, constructed in 1925

This historic African- American church was built in 1925 and designed by McKissack & McKissack, a noted African-American architectural firm based in Nashville. The church is significant for both its history and architecture. The church is currently threatened with deferred maintenance and water infiltration damage.

Chestnut Hill Neighborhood – Chestnut Hill Neighborhood – Southeast of the I-40/I-65 intersection, bordered by Trevecca-Nazarene University and Fort Negley Park near downtown, from late 19th century

Bordered by the thriving Wedgewood-Houston area of South Nashville, small but important Chestnut Hill is becoming one of the city’s most rapidly redeveloping neighborhoods. With stunning views of downtown, the neighborhood retains distinctive homes and buildings dating from the

nineteenth century as well as modest working-class homes from the early twentieth century. One of the neighborhood landmarks, the Layman Drug Store, pictured below, was sold to developers in March for over $1 million and will likely be demolished to make way for a mixed-use redevelopment. Members of the community are also worried about teardowns of original historic homes to be replaced with new luxury homes.

Photo: Stephanie Saujon

Colonel Tom Parker House – 1215 Gallatin Pike South – Madison, built c.1935

Located on Gallatin Road in Madison, this 80-year-old stone building is the former home and office of Colonel Tom Parker, legendary manager for music stars such as Elvis Presley, Hank Snow and Eddy Arnold. Thomas A. “Tom” Parker (1909-1997) was a Dutch-born, American

talent agent who lived in Florida before moving to Nashville in the early 1950s. Parker lived here with his wife Marie (1908-1986) and owned this property from 1953-1992. "I don't think I'd have ever been very big if it wasn't for him,” said Elvis. “He's a very smart man." The historic landmark is extremely important to Nashville’s music history and one of the few remaining buildings in Tennessee directly related to Elvis Presley, who often stayed here when he was in Nashville recording some 250 songs at RCA Victor Studio B on Music Row. The building also housed the Elvis Presley Fan Club and publicity department of the Elvis empire. Built around 1935, the two-story, three-bedroom house retains original features, including a concrete shingle roof, knotty pine walls, a basement entertainment bar, and bathrooms with pink, aqua, and black tiles. The property also features an original guest house where Elvis stayed and a patio with a stone fire pit.

Attorney Steve North and his wife Jo Ann North, a former Metro Councilwoman, purchased the building in 1996 and used it for the offices of his law firm. They are currently seeking a preservation-friendly buyer. The building is threatened by development pressure.

Historic Apartment Buildings along West End and Elliston Place – West End, Elliston Place, and Division Street, built from 1900-1925

During the early twentieth century, West End and Elliston Place evolved into a desirable neighborhood with many residents choosing to live in upscale apartment buildings such as The Westboro (pictured). In recent years, several of these historic apartment buildings have been demolished for high- rises and redevelopment projects. The remaining apartment buildings have unique architectural features such as original hardwood floors, fireplaces, moldings, tile work and other elements that give them character that cannot be found in new buildings.

Lifeway Christian Resources Campus – Broadway to Church Street from 9th Avenue North to the Gulch, buildings from 1913

Originally called the Baptist Sunday School Board, Lifeway Christian Resources is the publishing arm of the Nashville-based Southern Baptist Convention and has operated at this campus for 120 years. The 15-acre downtown campus is important for both its history and architecture as the home of an important religious publishing house based in Nashville. The nine-building campus includes the Frost Building, a five-story Neoclassical Revival-style building constructed in 1913 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Sullivan Tower, an 11-story Art Deco-style high-rise constructed in phases from 1941-1953. Both architecturally-distinctive buildings were designed by local architectural firm Hart Freeland Roberts. Lifeway is in the process of selling the campus to a consortium of local and national developers for a mixed-use redevelopment, including office, retail, residential, entertainment and a hotel. The developers have also acquired adjacent historic buildings along Church Street.

Photo: Stephanie Saujon

Music Row Neighborhood – Between 16th and 20th Avenues from Division and Demonbreun Streets to Belmont University, represents buildings from late 19th century to present

The Music Row neighborhood has been the heart of Nashville’s music industry since the 1950s, leading the city to its international identity as Music City and drawing tourists from around the world. While many American cities claim individual music landmarks, there is no other neighborhood in the country like Music Row, where songs are written and recorded, publishing deals are cut, royalties paid, guitars repaired, concert tours arranged, music broadcast, videos taped and stars made.

Over the past three years, Music Row has suffered from continuous demolitions of dozens of historic buildings for redevelopment. Others are slated to fall to the wrecking ball. Recording studios, record labels, publishing houses, supporting industries, private homes and other music-related businesses are being replaced with high-rise condos, apartments, luxury hotels and office buildings at a fast pace. Due to the ongoing demolitions, in 2015 Music Row was designated a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is currently undertaking comprehensive documentation of the neighborhood’s historic resources.

Pagoda of Medicine - 707 Youngs Lane, North Nashville

Constructed in 1963, the Pagoda of Medicine is a Mid-Century Modern building associated with Nashville’s African-American history. Located on the former Riverside Adventist Hospital campus, the building was originally owned by Dr. Carl Ashley Dent (1914-1995), an African-American physician and missionary for the African-American Seventh-Day Adventist Church, founded in Nashville in 1883. A native of Georgia, in 1938 Dr. Dent became the first African-American offered a medical internship at Los Angeles County General Hospital. In 1940, Dr. Dent was hired as medical director of Nashville’s Riverside Sanitarium, founded in 1927 as a segregated hospital for Nashville’s African-American residents. Riverside focused on alternative therapies and became a mecca for African-American physicians, nurses, and patients from around the country.

In 1963, Dr. Dent constructed the Pagoda of Medicine for his private medical practice. The building’s design is attributed to Leon Quincy Jackson (1926-1995), a notable African-American architect. A native of Wewoka, Oklahoma, Jackson studied earned an architecture degree from Kansas State University and a master’s in urban planning from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied under renowned architect Bruce Goff, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1950, Jackson became the first African-American architect to open an office in Oklahoma. Jackson moved to Nashville in 1954 to teach engineering at TSU where he established the architectural engineering program. He also operated a private architectural practice and designed private homes, health clinics, churches, civic buildings, educational facilities, and residential towers. Several of Jackson’s Mid-Century Modern landmarks in Nashville still stand.

In 1984, after the retirement of Dr. Dent the Pagoda of Medicine was rehabbed for use by Dr. G.B. Alford. The Riverside Adventist Hospital campus closed in 1999 was renovated in 2002 for use as an assisted living facility. Vacant since 2008, the Pagoda of Medicine retains its original architectural integrity, but has suffered from water damage and vandalism. The building is currently owned by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Photo: Garland Miller Gallaspy

Rural Cemeteries in Davidson County – throughout Davidson County, from the late 18th Century

Davidson County has many small rural cemeteries under threat from development, such as the circa 1791, Thompson- Collinsworth-Davis Cemetery, pictured here. These cemeteries and their gravestones may be the only vestige of the area's nineteenth century history. Too often unscrupulous developers remove the remnants of the cemetery without permits. The cemeteries are also threatened by vandalism and neglect.

Photo: Stephanie Saujon

White’s Creek Rural Historic District – Whites Creeks Pike from Old Hickory Boulevard to Buena Vista, constructed from the early 1800s

Located in the northwest section of Davidson County, Whites Creek is the location of Nashville’s only rural historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 157-acre district contains buildings constructed between the 1830s and early 1900s. Some of Nashville’s earliest settlers made their homes in Whites Creek, including Frederick Stump who signed the Cumberland Compact in 1779. The rural farming area contained several dairies such as Country Maid and was also home to Jesse James; a member of his gang was captured at the Earthman’s store. Whites Creek has been under pressure by developers who want to build suburban-style residential subdivisions here.