Hendersonville board approves signage and partnership to preserve Bradford Berry House

The Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen on June 23 unanimously approved two resolutions to mark and protect the Bradford Berry House and to establish a partnership with a local preservation group.

The board first passed Resolution 2026‑17, authorizing historic and informational signage at the property to help educate the public about the site's significance. Alderman Mark Burgdorf, the resolution's sponsor, said signs will be placed at multiple corners of the property "so that we capture both sides of the property, and people understand what this property is and what it means to the city of Hendersonville." The resolution passed without objection.

Minutes show the council then approved Resolution 2026‑18 to establish a formal partnership between the city and the Bradford Berry Preservation Society to preserve, restore and maintain the house. Council amended the draft to replace a reference to "city administrator" with "chief of operations" for consistency with current city code and to specify that the partnership covers the Bradford Berry House and about 3.8 acres surrounding it, including the historic cemetery. The amended resolution passed unanimously.

Public comment preceding the votes included multiple speakers urging swift action. "If somebody wants to take care of something for you, you let them," said Thomas Killian, a long‑time resident, urging the city to accept outside help. Former Alderman Lee Peterson, who said he helped form a preservation society and a 501(c)(3), told the board the group is prepared to hire an architect and to fundraise. "We are ready to start on phase 1, which is hiring an architect to make sure that the house is sound and stable and safe," Peterson said.

Renee Shepherd, chair of the Hendersonville Arts Council, said the council's work aligns with arts and culture objectives and warned that delays will increase restoration costs.

Mayor Jamie Clary and multiple aldermen described a long history of local preservation efforts and noted the house's overlay historic zoning protections. Council members emphasized the partnership is intended to leverage private fundraising and stewardship; council statements stressed that the preservation society is a separate nonprofit and that the city's adoption of the partnership does not direct tax dollars to the society.

Next steps recorded in the meeting minutes include finalizing the partnership language with the chief of operations assigned for implementation and taking any property‑level plans to the historic zoning commission for review. The minutes show the council intends to work with interested nonprofits and prospective developers to ensure restoration and ongoing maintenance responsibilities are clear.

The board did not include a dollar appropriation tied to the partnership in the resolutions. The minutes note the city previously paid for insurance and some maintenance and that the council has discussed a prior assessment of restoration needs, but the meeting record does not specify a current cost estimate for full restoration.

The resolutions carry no sunset date in the minutes; implementation tasks such as sponsorship lists, insurance arrangements and the chief of operations' role were discussed for follow‑up at staff level.