Nina Simone’s 650 sq ft childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina, has been restored after sitting vacant and severely decayed for more than two decades.
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home → restore → decades
The three-room house, where the legendary musician and civil rights activist lived with her family from 1933, was bought for $95,000 in 2017 by four Black artists.
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musician → live → artists
Its rehabilitation was completed last year, after nearly $850,000 was spent on materials, construction and engineering.
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850,000 → complete → materials
According to The Guardian, the restored home is now painted white, while parts of its original structure have been retained.
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parts → accord → structure
A piece of the home’s original rust-brown varnish has been placed in a shadow box on a mint-blue wall.
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piece → place → wall
A small section of the original Great Depression-era linoleum has also been preserved on the restored wooden floor.
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section → preserve → floor
For Simone’s younger brother, Samuel Waymon, returning to the house after its restoration brought back memories of his childhood.
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returning → return → childhood
The 81-year-old composer remembered playing organ inside the home and cooking with his mother on the potbelly stove.
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composer → remember → stove
He was also happy to see a large tree from his childhood still standing in the yard.
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tree → see → yard
“It does conjure up wonderful tears of joy in my heart and in my eyes when I stand in that house, on the porch, going into the rooms where the stove is, and I’m saying, ‘Wow, this is actually real.
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this → conjure → rooms
The house is restored.'
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house → restore → ?
It’s like time travel,” Waymon said.
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Waymon → ’ → travel
Artists come together to protect Simone’s home
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Artists → come → home
The house came to the attention of contemporary artist Adam Pendleton in 2016 after a museum curator told him that it was for sale.
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it → come → sale
Pendleton initially thought about finding someone else who could protect the property, but later decided to take action himself.
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who → think → action
He then approached fellow artists Rashid Johnson, Julie Mehretu and Ellen Gallagher.
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He → approach → artists
The four formed the collective Daydream Therapy LLC and bought the house in 2017.
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four → form → 2017
Pendleton said the group wanted to protect a place connected to Simone’s life and contribution to American culture.
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group → say → culture
He recalled thinking when he first walked through the property after buying it- “This is where it all started for Nina, in this humble home.”
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it → recall → home
The group later worked with the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (AACHAF), which developed a preservation strategy for the property.
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which → work → property
The work included repairing the entryways and walls, evening out the floors and adding an accessible ramp (National Trust for Historic Preservation photo)
Restoring the 650 sq ft house
The restoration team used an old family photograph and research into early 20th-century African American homes in North Carolina to understand how the house originally looked.
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house → include → Carolina
They also examined materials from the foundation and roof for clues while developing the restoration plan.
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They → examine → plan
The work included repairing the entryways and walls, evening out the floors and adding an accessible ramp.
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work → include → ramp
The aim was to improve the house while retaining its basic structure and connection to its past.
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aim → improve → past
In 2020, the AACHAF created a preservation easement for the property.
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AACHAF → create → property
The legal agreement restricts future changes to the site and prevents its demolition.
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agreement → restrict → demolition
Preservation North Carolina will oversee the historic protection of the home.
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Carolina → oversee → home
The complete rehabilitation, which began in June 2024, was finished last year with the project involing nearly $850,000 in materials, construction and engineering costs.
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project → begin → costs
Home expected to open to public soon
The AACHAF is now working with a consulting team and the Tryon community on a long-term management and programming plan for the property.
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AACHAF → expect → property
The home is projected to open to the public for tourism in 2027.
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home → project → 2027
The group also hopes to develop a cultural district around the house.
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group → hop → house
Future plans include working with St Luke’s CME Church, where Simone’s mother, Kate Waymon, preached, to involve the surrounding East Side neighbourhood in programming.
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mother → include → programming
Pendleton has said he wants the house to become a place where artists can work with intention, including writing music or performing in the town.
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artists → say → town
The project also received support from the Mellon and Tejemos foundations.
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project → receive → foundations
For Waymon, however, the significance of the restoration remains deeply personal.
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significance → remain → restoration
He said the decision to preserve the house allowed visitors to experience the place where his sister spent part of her childhood.
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sister → say → childhood
The restored home will also remain connected to Simone’s music.
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home → restore → music
Waymon is releasing a new duet with his sister in January 2026 for the song “Love Me or Leave Me”.
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Waymon → release → Me
Simone’s voice was recorded in 1957, while Waymon added his part decades later.
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Waymon → record → part
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