Overton Park Historic District
Posted by: 
cgeek
N 35° 08.815 W 089° 58.966
16S E 228263 N 3893409
Quick Description: Overton Park, Memphis, TN
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 4/13/2008 12:52:02 PM
Waymark Code: WM3JXG
Views: 20
Long Description:Overton Park Historic District *** (added 1979 - District -
#79002475)
Roughly bounded by Poplar Ave., E. Parkway N., N. Parkway E., and
Kenilworth St., Memphis. Architect, builder, or engineer:
Kessler,George E.
Overton Park was designed by landscape architect George Kessler
as part of a comprehensive plan that also included M.L. King
Riverside Park and the Memphis Parkway system. The planning began
in 1901, and Overton Park was established in 1906.
In the 1960s and 1970s Overton Park was the subject of
controversy when 26 of its 342 acres were slated by highway
planners to be demolished to build Interstate Highway 40 through
the park to make it easier for suburban commuters to get to
downtown. However, many residents of midtown formed a group known
as "Citizens to Preserve Overton Park" and challenged the plan in
court. Ultimately, the United States Supreme Court ruled in their
favor in the landmark case Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v.
Volpe.
Overton Park also includes the famous Shell Theatre, where Elvis
Presley gave his first paid concert. Other bands that have played
at the Shell include The Allman Brothers Band, The Grateful Dead,
and Neil Diamond.
Overton Park's zoo (now named the Memphis Zoo) began in 1906,
when a resident of Memphis couldn't keep his pet black bear in his
backyard. He had it put in a pen in the park, which attracted many
people, inspiring the idea to place more animals on display. The
Memphis Zoo is now one of the largest in the United States,
attracting 1 million visitors per year. The zoo houses two pandas,
who are local celebrities, as well as three polar bears, brought in
to the Northwest Passage exhibition which opened in March 2006.
The Overton Park Shell has been the subject of a large-scale
renovation funded by the Levitt Foundation. An active location for
local performance art built in the 1930's, the Shell hosted many
famed musicians. Despite its central location within Overton Park,
the Shell fell into disrepair in the 1980's and 1990's after the
site was largely abandoned. Now called the Levitt Shell, this
musical venue is being renovated by Memphis firm Askew Nixon
Ferguson Architects with state-of-the-art audio and visual design.
The project is due to be completed in the fall of 2008, when free
concerts will once again be held in the space.