The City Has to Pass Montford's Historic Review Too, Starting With a Park Wall

George Willis Pack deeded Montford Park to the City of Asheville in 1894. The stone retaining wall that Tropical Storm Helene broke there is much younger. City officials believe it went up in the 1970s, so it is younger than many of the houses on the surrounding streets.

Its age has not changed how it must be rebuilt. The wall stands in the Montford Historic District, so the City's repair has to meet the district's design review standards and received a certificate of appropriateness in April 2026. Those requirements shape how the wall will be faced, how contractors were chosen and why the repairs at Montford Park and Riverside Cemetery are being handled as one job.

What the Storm Left at Both Sites

At Montford Park, Helene caused a slope failure and damaged the stone retaining walls. 828 News NOW reported that inspections by FEMA and engineers, along with an analysis of the ground beneath the wall, found that the section closest to the tennis courts could not be saved. The rest of the wall was compromised as well. The same report puts construction at about $312,000, not counting design and related costs, and says the City expects FEMA to cover 90 percent of eligible costs.

Riverside Cemetery took more damage. According to the City's Historic Parks Recovery project page, 53 trees had to be removed and 132 headstones were damaged by falling trees. The cemetery reopened by appointment only on October 14, 2024. Removing root balls and filling the voids they left exposed further damage, which the City lists as:

• the historic entry gate and its column
• sinkholes that led to failures in the asphalt roadway
• broken stormwater pipes
• perimeter fencing
• granite retaining walls

The City says it combined the road, stormwater, fencing, gate and wall repairs at the two locations because both sit under the same historic district requirements. Asheville Parks & Recreation hired RVE, Inc., a local engineering firm, to assess the damage, estimate costs, design the repairs and oversee construction at both sites.

A 1970s Wall, Reviewed Like a Historic One

The repairs received a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Resources Commission and the Planning & Urban Design Department in April 2026. The work also has to meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.

In practice, the Montford guidelines require a damaged wall that cannot be repaired to be replaced with materials that match the original's design, texture, color and appearance as closely as possible. The City turned that rule into bid conditions. Contractors had to submit examples of their stonework with their bids. Before construction begins, a 3-foot-square sample wall has to be approved by the project's engineer and the City's project manager. Any new stone has to mix sizes, shapes, textures and colors to match the existing wall.

The plan is to build a new, stronger wall and face it with stone salvaged from the old one. Contractors and stonemasons told the City that the original stones vary in thickness and will have to be cut. If too much stone is lost in cutting, the City may need a different material. City communications specialist Kim Miller described the priority order in an emailed response to 828 News NOW:

"It is certainly our preference and first choice to honor the history of the area by reusing the original stone. First and foremost, however, is the safety, stability and integrity of the replacement wall."

So that the project isn't delayed if the salvage falls short, the City is already considering an alternative stone facing. City project manager Tracy Wyman told the outlet it is too early to know how much original stone can be reused. Either way, the finished wall will look like a 1970s stone wall that matches its surroundings. Behind the stone, it will have more structural capacity. FEMA approved the walls, gate, roadway, stormwater and fencing work as mitigation, which means the repairs are designed to hold up better in future storms.

The Cemetery Adds Archaeology

Riverside's half of the job carries a requirement the park doesn't have. Work at the cemetery requires archaeological monitoring to protect gravesites and other cultural resources. During the earlier assessment, the City worked with Western Carolina University, FEMA and the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office to evaluate the historical and cultural impacts at Riverside.

The trees growing on top of the cemetery's retaining wall were removed in March 2026. The City plans to replant suitable species in suitable locations after the project is complete, so the bare section of wall will stay bare until then.

The Order of Events From Here

The City first advertised the work for bids in September 2026. It then had to rebid because it received fewer than the three bids North Carolina law requires. The scope did not change in the rebid. The remaining steps run in this order:

1. City Council considers the construction contract. It was scheduled for the November 10 meeting, and work cannot begin until Council approves a contract.
2. The sample wall is built and approved before any construction on the real wall.
3. Once a schedule is set, the City notifies nearby residents, the Montford Historic District and local tennis and pickleball associations about expected closures.
4. Construction begins. The City's project page currently plans for early 2027.
5. The work lasts about six months, although weather and the complexity of the repairs could change that.

The City says closures will be minimal. The cemetery and the sports courts are expected to stay open, with possible temporary changes to routes or access. Fencing, signs and barriers will keep visitors out of work areas. Anyone who wants the closure notices directly can sign up for updates on the project page.

Using Both Places This Winter

Until the fencing goes up, both sites run on their regular winter schedules. A few details have changed since many residents last checked.

At the courts. The Asheville Tennis Association passed along the City's July 2026 update that standardized Montford court hours at 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the light timers shutting off at 9. The City's shared-use schedule gives pickleball priority from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from 2 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Tennis has priority in the other blocks. Courts are first-come, first-served. Play limits are one hour for singles, 1.5 hours for doubles and two hours for groups of six to 12. Pickleball players at Montford need to bring a portable net. The damaged wall section sits closest to these courts, so expect the first barriers here.

At Riverside. The cemetery covers more than 87 acres of landscaped grounds with paved walking paths. The City's interactive walking tour lays out numbered stops that include Thomas Wolfe and O. Henry. Tour information is also available at the cemetery office. The City's Park Views article on Riverside adds Governors Zebulon Vance and Locke Craig, Lillian Exum Clement Stafford and Tempie Avery to the list of notable graves. The 6 p.m. closing makes winter visits an early-afternoon walk.

On the neighborhood calendar. The Montford Neighborhood Association's July meeting agenda lists Montford Lights on November 28 and the Montford Tour of Homes on December 5. Both fall before the City's planned construction start, so the park's walls will still look as Helene left them.

The park has been reworked before. A tennis court was added in 1924, the Montford Park Players gave their first performances there in 1973, and the park's small stage was built over a former wading pool. The park entered the City's Local Historic District in 1981, so the wall rebuild carries a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Resources Commission, issued in April 2026.

The team at Mills + Coin follows how Montford's historic design rules play out on the ground, from a City park wall to a private stone retaining wall. If you own in Montford and are thinking about masonry, porch or exterior work, schedule a private consultation and showroom visit at 40 Biltmore Avenue, and we can walk through what the review process has meant for recent projects nearby.