Our Building

In 1992, when Los Angeles erupted in violence and riots because of racial tension following the Rodney King verdict, the delegates to the General Conference of The United Methodist Church were meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.  In an unprecedented step, they stopped their legislative proceedings to discuss cities in turmoil. These discussions resulted in the creation of Shalom Zones and the Shalom Initiative. “Shalom”, meaning peace, harmony, and wholeness, was an initiative designed to transform communities that were mired in despair & poverty, and to address the root causes of the anger and destruction triggered by the King verdict.

In 1996, local Methodist pastors fully embraced the Shalom Initiative as a way to bring hope and healing specifically to the struggling community of Clearview Heights in Gallatin. Those early efforts were focused on physical cleanup of the area and working to ensure the safety of Clearview residents, in turn benefitting all Gallatin residents. What began as a single denomination initiative was soon embraced by community leaders and citizens of the entire city of Gallatin. The Gallatin community came together to coordinate resources and ideas to further the mission of the Shalom Initiative, and on November 5, 1999, through the committed efforts of these individuals, Gallatin Shalom Zone was officially incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)3.

The search began for a brick-and-mortar building that could serve the community as a resource center and community hub. Having sat vacant for years, the former Union High School building in the heart of the Clearview Heights community was deeded to Gallatin Shalom Zone in 2004. Steeped in history, and with deep-rooted ties to the community, Union High was the logical choice to house GSZ. Built in 1950 during the time of segregation in the country, Union High served as the African American high school in Gallatin for the next 20 years.

In 1970, after Union High’s integration into the county school system, the school became Union Seventh. A few years later, the sixth grade was moved from Guild School and the name of the school was changed to Union Sixth. The school operated as Union Sixth until 1978, when the school was renamed Rucker-Stewart Middle School, in honor of two distinguished African-American educators, Dr. J. N. Rucker and Reverend R. A. Stewart.

The new Rucker-Stewart Middle School was built in 1995 for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students, and the building’s operations ceased for over a decade. The building and the gym were both condemned and in 2004 the county deeded the entire property to Gallatin Shalom Zone, symbolizing a bridge between the past and the present.

While no longer strictly a Methodist initiative, “Shalom” remains at the heart of the Shalom Zone mission by offering programs and events that promote wholeness, prosperity, harmony, and peace. Shalom Zone values these initial ideologies and welcomes the opportunity to serve the community in a way that honors the monumental vision and legacy of Union High School and its students and faculty, while expanding and growing to meet current needs.