James “Mickey” Gwyn, director of the Black History Museum, spoke before a special session of the Board of Mayor and Alderman previously and also presented Monday, July 17 to the Warren County Commission. Gwyn shared preliminary plans for an expansion and revitalization project to take place on the east side of McMinnville. The program would be overseen by the Black History Museum. The group is looking for private donations to assist but wanted to share the plans with the city.

The Black History Museum hopes to aid in the construction of a cultural center near the area where Bernard Gym and Ramsey Park are located. The plan is to honor and share cultural and historical information related to the many ethnicities and nationalities that make up our population.

“As you know, the demographics of McMinnville and Warren County have changed since I was a teenager here. As a local venue for various cultural events, the center would be a melting pot for the very diverse population that is now McMinnville, Tennessee,” Gwyn shared. 

Gwyn’s proposal also requested city administration to work with private investors to help address the issue of affordable housing, especially in the area bordered by Beersheba Street and E. Main Street which was heavily impacted by the 1969 Urban Renewal project. 

“I think all of us would attest, a true urban renewal never happened,” Gwyn “Just look at the area between Beersheba Street and Main Street on the east end of town.” 

Gwyn pointed out at the meeting that a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis from McMinnville’s 2021-2022 Strategic Goals listed the high cost of housing and low ownership as a “Weakness," defined creative home ownership as an “Opportunity” and noted that parts of the city were being underserved, and this was a “Threat.”  

Gwyn proposed the cultural center could serve as the hub of a neighborhood development project that could include the construction of new homes, remodeling those in need of renovation and extension of the Barren Fork Greenway. “As plans move forward, the museum’s Board of Directors will seek all avenues of funding to make this dream, a reality,” Gwyn explained.