Memphis Heritage: October 2009

10/24/09

Memphis Farmers Market Harvest Celebration Nov. 7

2009 Harvest Celebration

Sunday November 8th, 4-7pm

Central Station Hudson Hall 545 S Main St

Check out the info and get your tickets here!

10/20/09

You voice is needed October 20th!

Dear Memphis Heritage Supporter,

(sorry for the short notice. I was at the National Trust for Historic Preservation Annual Conference last week and just got the news on this important issue.)

Please come to the Tuesday Oct 20th City Council meeting at 3:30 pm at City Hall. Subject:1258 Harbert Triplex Public Hearing Before City Council

Please see the email below from our friends in the Annesdale Park Historic District.

As you will read, a developer from Collierville, TN is trying to take a property in this historic district and turn it into a triplex. It was built originally as a single family home.
Annesdale Park has covenants that if a property is not rented for a year that it is to revert back to a single family residence. Please support them on this issue in whatever way you can and voice your concerns to the City Council. The good health of Annesdale Park is important to all Historic Neighborhood Districts. At stake here is that it sets a precedent. Once a precedent is set to overturn the decisions of the Land Use Control Board regarding this issue all historic neighborhoods become at risk. When decisions by the Land Use Control Board are overturned in this manner we begin to lose the relevance of this important component for good planning and development in our City and weaken its power.

"Please write to all of the city council members via email and voice your concerns."

Some points to mention regarding this case:
Annesdale Park is an old Historic Memphis Neighborhood whose residents
pay city and county taxes. Mr. Loper is a resident of Collierville and is an absentee landlord. They were the first district on the National Register of Historic Places in
Memphis. The AP neighborhood was designated as a Historic Preservation District in 1989 and permanently downzoned to single family. They have worked hard to maintain the integrity of the historic district as well as being a sustainable, livable neighborhood. They have a strong neighborhood association with a 40% increase in membership during this past year.

All historic districts should insist that the ruling from the Landmarks Commission and the Land Use Commission be upheld and that this house not be converted to a triplex.

Here are the email addresses of the council members.
swearenger.ware@memphistn.gov
bill.morrison@memphistn.gov
bill.boyd@memphistn.gov
harold.collins@memphistn.gov
wanda.halbert@memphistn.gov
jim.strickland@memphistn.gov
edmundfordjr@memphistn.gov
joe.brown@memphistn.gov
mayor@memphistn.gov
janis.fullilove@memphistn.gov
kemp.conrad@memphistn.gov
shea.flinn@memhistn.gov
reid.hedgepeth@memphistn.gov
janis.fullilove@memphistn.gov

Members of Planning and Zoning: Morrison, Collins, Fullilove, Hedgepeth, Swearengen-Ware

Members on the Public Service Neighborhoods Committee :
Brown, Ware, Boyd, Conrad, Fullilove and Morrison

Members of Housing and Community Development Committee: Brown,
Strickland, Halbert, Swearengen-Ware

THE OVERVIEW From: "Cathy Winterburn" <cathywinter@yahoo.com>

Once again we need to rally for Annesdale Park and oppose Mr. Brett Loper who is appealing the decision of the Land Use Control Board before the City Council on Tuesday, October 20 to use the house at 1258 Harbert as a Triplex.

As you may recall, we won our presentation before the Land Use Control Board back in August. However, one is allowed to appeal via a public hearing before the City
Council. Mr. Loper has chosen this route.

To recap:

Back in February 09, Andrew McGill and I informed Mr. Loper that the property had sat empty for a year. Even though it was remodeled as a duplex after being a child care center, this was against zoning, and once it sat empty for a year, it had to revert to our current zoning which is single family (unless something is grandfathered in and maintains its use).
When Mr. Loper started work on the house, we reported it to the Landmarks Commission who issued a stop work order. Even though this order was issued, he continued to work, especially on the weekends, and added an addition to the
second story. He misled Landmarks about what he was doing.

10/12/09

Shelby County Courthouse Centennial Celebration, October 13th, 2009

Celebrating 100 Years!

1909 - 2009

On Tuesday, October 13, 2009, the Memphis Bar Association (MBA), the Shelby County Government, Memphis Heritage and AIA Memphis, with support from many generous sponsors in the legal community, will host the Shelby County Courthouse Centennial Celebration from 4:30-7 pm. The event will be held on the south lawn of the Courthouse, along Adams Avenue. There will be live music by the historic Christian Brothers High School Band. Both Adams and Washington between Second and Third Streets will be closed for the event. Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton, Memphis Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery and Tennessee State Historian Walter Durham will be honored guests at the event.

Tours will be given inside the building, led by Historian Jimmy Ogle and other docents. Guests will learn everything from the fascinating architecture and construction of the building to the notable trials that have taken place within its walls and the grand figures who have walked its halls. As part of the educational aspect of the event, the organizers have contracted with Icon Archive Company to install displays in the Courthouse's south corridor, as a lasting contribution to the facility. Case highlights will be an exhibit about the movies filmed at the Courthouse, including Great Balls of Fire, The Rainmaker, The Client, A Family Thing and The People vs. Larry Flynt. The Memphis & Shelby County Television and Film Commission has loaned several items from these films.

The Court House an Historic Landmark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"One hundred years ago, in the Fall of 1909, the Shelby County Courthouse opened its doors to its first occupants-a diverse group of judicial and non-judicial City and County offices, in addition to Shelby County's civil, criminal, and juvenile courts. By the day of its official dedication ceremony, January 1, 1910, the new Courthouse was also home to the Mayor of Memphis, E.H. Crump having been sworn in for his first term on the same day. That the same Courthouse is still in use one hundred years later is a fitting tribute to the Courthouse's planners, architects, and artisans who crafted the neo-classical structure which encompasses an entire city block."

For more information contact:

Dottie McCallen at dmccallen@memphisbar.org or 901.527.3573.

10/10/09

Tonight is the night! The MH Auction is here!

Memphis Heritage

Architectural Auction Fundraiser

When: October 10 | 6:30pm

Where: Memphis Heritage's Howard Hall

2282 Madison Avenue @ Edgewood

Hundreds of items from Memphis' past. Delights, Drama, Bargains and Bravado. Something for everyone including architectural artifacts, historic antiques, items from two movie sets, and a lot more.

Architectural elements from across the city will be auctioned during the event which is the non-profit's largest fundraiser whose mission is to protect properties that are vital to Memphis' history. The cost is $55 per person/non-members, $45 per person for MHI members. Tickets will be limited to the first 300 people.

To purchase tickets visit our web site atww w.memphisheritage.or g.

Note: all tickets purchased online are $55 each due to online fees.

A few tickets will be available at the door.