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Free Press Editorial: Let citizens sort out sites to be tabbed historic landmarks

Staff File Photo / Second Presbyterian Church, at left, is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of several designations that can be considered for Chattanooga's historic buildings.
Staff File Photo / Second Presbyterian Church, at left, is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of several designations that can be considered for Chattanooga's historic buildings. Staff File Photo / Second Presbyterian Church, at left, is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of several designations that can be considered for Chattanooga's historic buildings.

By Clint Cooper 4 min read

The Chattanooga City Council appeared to be in over its head Tuesday when it began discussing the possibility of designating a number of sites as Local Historic Landmarks.

We would suggest it form a citizens committee to look into the process, include on the committee people steeped in Chattanooga history and let the committee bring back to the council sites the panel believes are worthy of the designation.

Currently, only the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house on Missionary Ridge is a Local Historic Landmark. But in a city with a history as rich as Chattanooga, a number of places might fittingly be called such landmarks.

But the city, and/or the committee it should form, should be clear on terms and under which banner the site should be listed.

We say that because a local historic landmark is different from a National Historic Landmark, a database that is kept by the National Park Service. According to the park service, the only two National Historic Landmarks in Chattanooga are the Moccasin Bend national archaeological district — which is also a National Park Service facility — and the Delta Queen steamboat.