Nina Simone’s contribution to gospel and blues as a singer, songwriter and pianist is undeniably iconic. Her role as a civil rights activist has also become a part of history. The preservation of her past home seemed a given, yet no one had cared for it until a handful of people decided to change its fate.

A few months ago, the house in which Simone was born and raised, in Tryon, North Carolina, nearly disappeared forever, along with the remnants of her past. The building had been set to be demolished since no one took care of it and it had ended up in a derelict state: the roof was caving in and the walls slowly but surely crumbling away.

Image credits: Nancy Pierce

So far, no one had stood up to protect it, until four African American artists stepped up: Adam Pendleton, Rashid Johnson, Julie Mehretu and Ellen Gallagher bought the house for 95.000$ and made it their goal to take good care of it.

Their project sparked off some support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation who designated the building as a ‘national treasure’, a very rare title, since it has only been attributed less than a hundred times.

So far, the new owners do not intend to transform the house into a museum but would rather for it to remain as intact and humble as it once was when Simone - born Eunice Wavmon - was growing up to become a musical genius.