City of Asheville, N.C.,
Historic Resources Commission Records

M2010.16.01-02 ; OS2010.16.01

Administrative documents such as correspondence, contracts, reports, news clippings, and summary documents are found in binders or associated with specific material in the collection. Some general administration files and planning documents are included.

The collection is currently being processed and a complete finding aid will be created for the material within the following 4-5 months.  Consequently information about the collection and the activities it documents are not fully known and described at this time. It is not expected that any of the material contained in the collection is sensitive and the collection is currently open to use.

The large map and plat collection will not be available online until scanning equipment is available to process the oversized material in the collection.

OS
(In Work Room)

In large folios - many plats dating from the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Loose - small collection of plats generally from the mid 1950's to mid 1960's

OS
(In Work Room and map case)

All maps provide (to varying levels of detail) layouts and names of streets within Asheville and it's environs. Many are in the canisters in which they were received and allocations to a specific canister have been maintained.

The maps fall into three broad classifications:

Asheville Model Cities Program - dating from the late 1960's, showing redevelopment areas within the city of Asheville

Neighborhood Analysis Study of November 1965 - covering all of the Asheville metropolitan area and detailing the use of individual buildings

Planning and Property Maps - covering:

Twenty-two thoroughfare plans for Asheville and Buncombe County from the 1970's to the 1990's [22 plans]

Two undated maps detailing modifications to Broadway Avenue in Asheville [2 maps]

Nineteen maps, sketches and photographs associated with proposals for I-26 and I-240 in Asheville. One of is dated July 2000 and although there is no indication that the others originate from this date, it seems possible. Some of the photographs detail highway dimensions and are generic, rather than project specific [19 maps]

Six undated property maps covering north and west of downtown Asheville - possibly part of a larger review covering all of Buncombe County [6 maps]

Two copies of a map showing the extent of the downtown Asheville historic district in 1978 [2 maps]

These photographs appear to be part of two surveys: one of highways in Asheville undertaken in 1977 by the Department of Transport and one, covering a significant area of Buncombe County, undertaken in 1963 by the USDA Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service.

The 1977 images are from low level and have good clarity, while the 1963 images are from a higher altitude and have less detail, although individual roads and structures can still be seen.

Completed agreement with the City of Asheville, NC providing for the use of certain space on the highway bridge over the French Broad River at West Haywood Street, known as Smith's Bridge for construction of a vertical river gage [gauge] by the Weather Bureau, said agreement to cover the 10 year period beginning January 15, 1934, and ending January 15, 1944.

[Document]: United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey. Index of River Measurement Stations as of September 30, 1937, Part 3. Ohio River Basin.

Gage [gauge] Height and Discharge Records for the year ending Sept. 30, 1938.  Covering the following gaging [gaguing] stations:

S. Fork of Mills River at the Pink Beds (2 copies)
N. Fork of Swannanoa River near Black Mountain
Bee Tree Creek near Swannanoa
Swannanoa River at Biltmore
French Broad River at Asheville (2 copies)

Correspondence

Maps (4) prepared by the TVA for use in the Upper French Broad water resources study.  Includes Haywood, Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe, and Madison Counties. 1962

Transportation Advisory Committee Minutes   1974-1980  (Joint TCC/TAC)

[NOTE:  Slides were given to Michael Moule, the first Traffic Engineer hired by Asheville who had expertise in multi-modal transportation. According to Meg McCloud, Michael Moule was hired through the efforts of  Bette Jackson and Meg who were inspired by the "Walkable Communities Conference" which Mark Combs, Public Works director and Cathy Ball, City engineer had reported on in 19 (??). A year later the city of Asheville was ready for a new Traffic Engineer and Meg and Bette Jackson met with Cathy Ball, Mark Combs and the human resources director, Jeff Richardson (?) to "help them consider hiring a multi-modal engineer instead of the ones like they 'd hired in the past who were only about moving cars."  Meg contacted Dan to ask for his recommendation on people who might be good for the position and he supplied "a few names, and an RFP was prepared.  Eventually Michael Moule who was working in Portland, Oregon was then hired.  [From: correspondence with Meg McCloud, 12/02/2010]