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About the Northside Neighborhood
In 2021 and 2022, the City of Paducah studied the history of the Northside neighborhood and its architecture. The project resulted in the listing of the neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places in October 2022. Achieving this listing benefits property owners since they can seek state or federal tax credits for building rehabilitations. Several neighborhoods in Paducah are listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the Downtown Commercial District, the Lower Town Neighborhood District, and the Jefferson Street-Fountain Avenue District.
The Northside Residential District consists of more than 450 buildings within an area generally between Park Avenue, North 10th Street, Palm Street, and North 14th Street. The building stock ranges from Bungalows from the 1920s and earlier to Minimal Traditional, Mid-Century Modern, and Ranch-style homes.
Josh Sommer with the Paducah Planning Department said, “Paducah has a rich architectural heritage which has resulted in several neighborhoods being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Northside neighborhood is largely a structurally intact neighborhood. It’s a neighborhood where residents choose to live their entire lives. Generations of Paducahans have seen the historical value of this neighborhood added to the City as a whole.”
Nomination Process
- Kickoff, January 19, 2021 - This study kicked off with a virtual public meeting for those interested in the study along with Planning Department staff, historic preservation consultant David Taylor, and Kentucky Heritage Council representatives.
- Neighborhood Visits, March 2021 - Historic preservation consultant, David Taylor, visited the Neighborhood during the week of March 15 to collect neighborhood survey data and property images and confirm the project boundaries. A total of 479 digital images were taken, and more than 200 draft survey forms were completed.
- Data Due, May 2021 - All of the neighborhood survey data forms were submitted to the Kentucky Heritage Council.
- Nomination Application - Work to prepare the nomination continued during 2021 and early 2022. View the Northside Neighborhood Nomination Application
- Neighborhood Meeting, March 15, 2022 - The Kentucky Heritage Council hosted a public meeting in the Northside Neighborhood at House of Hope Ministries (1731 North 11th Street). KHC explained terminology including the difference between contributing versus non-contributing structures and provided an overview of state and federal tax credit programs. View the Slide Presentation from March 15, 2022, Meeting
- HARC Public Hearing, March 21, 2022 - The City of Paducah's Historic Architecture Review Commission (HARC) held a public hearing and voted to determine the eligibility of the district to the National Register. The results of the vote were sent to the Kentucky Heritage Council.
- State Review Board, April 12, 2022 - At the Kentucky Heritage Preservation Review Board meeting, the Board determined the Northside District is eligible.
- Final Step - The Kentucky Heritage Council submitted the nomination to the National Park Service in September 2022 with 45 days to make a final determination.
- OFFICIAL LISTING! - On November 3, 2022, the National Park Service listed the Northside District on its Weekly National Park Service Listing with an official listing date of October 28, 2022.
Preservation Partners
David Taylor, a historic preservation consultant with more than forty years of experience, assisted the Planning Department in the nomination of the Northside neighborhood. Taylor received his master’s degree from Western Kentucky University and has undertaken an array of historic preservation projects. In Kentucky alone, he has prepared more than twenty nominations to the National Register for historic districts and individual buildings and has conducted a variety of historic architectural studies in both rural and urban settings.
After reviewing the Northside neighborhood, Taylor said, “This is a remarkably intact neighborhood. It is a well-cared-for neighborhood that certainly reflects the care that its residents take to preserve its character.”
This initiative is funded in part by a grant to the City from the Kentucky Heritage Council (KHC). The KHC oversees and advocates for the documentation and preservation of Kentucky’s breadth of historic architectural and archaeological resources across the state’s 120 counties.
