In partnership with The Housing Fund, architecture and design firm Moody Nolan, and other organizations, Nashville custom home builder RK Junior LLC contributed to the construction of 97 Maury St., a brand-new home for Capri Bishop and her daughter Larrika.

The family is being provided with a fully furnished home called ‘Legacy House Nashville,’ through a program called the Legacy Project. In this project, the land is leased through a Community Land Trust run by a local nonprofit called The Housing Fund. In the Legacy Project, a homeownership program is made available to individuals or families earning below 80% of Nashville’s median income.

African American-Owned Businesses Come Together to Connect Families to Homes

Architecture and design firm Moody Nolan was integral in making this charitable project come to fruition. Moody Nolan managing partner Brian Tibbs said in an interview with News Channel 5 that this home is the second house they’re gifting to 12 families at 12 sites across the United States. Because this home was designed for a local Nashville neighborhood, RK Junior LLC heard about the plan and immediately stepped up. RK Junior’s contributions in building the home made Moody Nolan’s incredible architectural drawings and design work a reality.

“Moody Nolan is the largest African American-owned architectural firm in the country,” said Brian Tibbs. “Architects can make a real impact for the affordable housing process by creating a house that we designed and gifted to The Housing Fund. We’re seeing something that will impact a family and hopefully change generations and generations to come. I hope this is a catalyst for builders and designers all over Nashville to do things like this.”

Ron Kelley Jr., owner and founder of RK Junior LLC also provided a comment about the project. “This is the second charitable home RK Junior LLC has worked on so far,” said Ron. “After we completed and gifted 1545 Ridgemont Dr. to a family in need last year in partnership with the Four Horsemen Foundation, we knew helping families get into homes was something we wanted to keep doing. Our goal is to build one charitable home per year with the help of our partners at the Four Horsemen and other organizations like Moody Nolan and The Housing Fund.”

Nashville’s Housing Fund Created a Community Land Trust, Making Homeownership a Reality for Local Families

Moody Nolan provided the architectural design, RK Junior LLC built the home, and The Housing Project made the venture possible through its Community Land Trust program. Through the Community Land Trust, The Housing Fund keeps the title to the land a home is built on, leasing the land to the homeowner. That allows the nonprofit to sell the home to the homeowner at a much more affordable price. The Housing Fund’s model helps people who have historically faced housing discrimination take their first step toward building generational wealth.

“We’re excited to bring this opportunity for homeownership to the Napier neighborhood by partnering with Moody Nolan, the largest African-American owned architecture firm in the country,” said Marshall Crawford, President and CEO of The Housing Fund. “As part of the Community Land Trust, the Legacy House will always be an affordable housing unit for a first-time homebuyer. Our objective is to ensure intergenerational wealth-building through homeownership. We appreciate Metro-Nashville Government and Pinnacle Financial Partners for their unwavering commitment to our communities.”

Multiple Organizations are Coming Together to Make Legacy Homes a Reality Throughout Nashville

Moody Nolan, Rk Junior LLC, and The Housing Fund were integral partners in making the new home a reality for the Bishops, but they weren’t the only organizations that chipped in. A full list of the many, many organizations who generously donated their time and resources to make this project happen include:

• Moody Nolan
• The Housing Fund
• RK Junior LLC
• Dynamix Engineering
• EMC Structural Engineers
• EDGE Landscape Architecture
• Daltile
• Catalyst Design Group
• Rackley Roofing
• Graham’s Living
• Nashville Tree Conservation Corps
• Gotcha Covered
• Shaw Contract
• Lighting Systems of Columbus
• Miller Knoll

Multiple organizations on the above list, including RK Junior LLC, have expressed interest in working on more Legacy Homes in the future.

RK Junior LLC Already has More Charitable Home-Building Projects in the Works

Ron, his staff at RK Junior, and the other members of the Four Horsemen Foundation are already planning another charity home-build to be organized, funded, and built by the Four Horsemen Foundation (this is in addition to the future charitable work RK Junior plans to do with The Housing Fund and Moody Nolan).

The Four Horsemen Foundation plans to locate a vacant parcel, purchase it, build a home, and then donate it to a needy family. The Four Horsemen will announce the parcel’s location and home plans at a later date in 2024. Ron has already networked with several Middle Tennessee realtors and opinion leaders to find the perfect parcel for a new home and locate a family in need who would be an ideal candidate for the home.

“I wanted RK Junior Development Group to be service-oriented,” said Ron, laying out why projects like the Ridgemont home and the Maury St home and others are so important to him. “I’m passionate about helping others, and I love my community. Growing up in this city was crucial to shaping my compassion for my fellows Nashvillians. I went to school here, got my first job here, and went into business here. Now I want to uplift and support my community. I love my city, and I know I can improve it through RK Junior’s advocacy, mentorship, volunteering, and financial support.”

To contact the Four Horsemen Foundation about supporting them or to request support for a community organization or nonprofit, fill out our convenient online contact form.

To take the first step in creating your perfect custom home in Middle Tennessee or your luxury custom home in Nashville, click the “Book a Discovery Session” button below. To learn more about our current offerings of unique luxury homes that are completed or nearing completion in Nashville, click the “View Available Homes” button below. If you have any questions, please call our office at (615) 377-0759 or fill out our online contact form.

Here’s to dedicating our business activities to giving back to the communities that have always supported us.

-Ren Brabenec
RK Junior Staff Writer