The Chattanooga History Center is on Market Street near the Tennessee Aquarium Plaza.Chattanooga is known for its gigabit Internet and its environmental vibe, and it is now nationally recognized as a city that approaches history with innovation.
The Chattanooga History Center has been awarded a $400,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It’s the largest of three NEH grants given in Tennessee and the fifth-largest awarded by NEH in the nation this year.
“In all of the public humanities projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities’ division of public programs, we look for an effective balance between scholarly ideas and broad public appeal,” said Karen Mittelman, director of the NEH’s division of public programs.
Dr. Daryl Black, executive director of the center, said the grant is “the most competitive award in the country for institutions seeking funding for projects in the humanities. It communicates to the community that this is a serious project and national in its scope and quality.”
The history center will use the grant money to help complete its capital campaign and build a 19,500-square-foot social history museum at the Tennessee Aquarium Plaza in downtown Chattanooga.