Making Memphis Realty
The predictable growth of Memphis, central hub for Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee was hampered in the 1870s by a series of epidemics that cut the population almost in half, reducing it to 32,000. The city slowed down and boasts few buildings from that period. Homes prior to the epidemics can still be viewed, especially in the midtown area. Clano Hall (1853), the Hunt-Phalen House (1830), and Annesdale (1855) are a few examples of everything from antebellum Federal brick architecture to Italian Villa style. Victorian, Italian, and French designs can be appreciated in Central Gardens, the Evergreen Historic District, and Annesdale Park.
By the 1890s, functionality had become more important in architectural design. Unnecessary applied decorations were eliminated, buildings were to be “regular” looking rather than symmetrical, and volume was more important than mass. The influence of modernism spread from residential to commercial and even industrial properties. Many of the older buildings on Union Ave., Main St., Second St., and Madison were torn down, replaced by more modern steel frame buildings designed by Chicago architects. Other older buildings were resurfaced to appear modern. Memphis counted it’s first skyscraper by 1914. The emergence of the streetcar also allowed the first development of Memphis’s future historic home in subdivisions such as Central Gardens and Annesdale Park.
Blue collar communities established themselves in that area. Higher end properties can also been seen with expensive materials and spacious yards. Crafts man style and Greek Revival designs were prevalent in the lower level dwellings. Wood casement windows of the Prairie school can even be occassionally seen.Very utilitarian housing projects were also included, but it wasn’t until 1924 that the city started designating certain areas to be residential, commercial, or industrial.
Atypically for Memphis, Memphis led the nation in focusing on the design of smaller affordable homes. The Memphis small builder’s association published a catalogue with more than a hundred design plans costing less than six grand. Local architects offered low rates to aid in the rebuilding. Memphis’s special interest in home ownership dates from the Great Depression.
In some ways, WW II dampened enthusiasm for modern European architectural styles. International styles lost popularity with the association with the feuding Europeans. A small historical oddity was the late 1950 attempt by Mies van der Rohe to restablish modern design with steel framed houses and glass curtains. Remanants can be seen in Memphis even today.
Memphis currently benefits from a slow and steady appreciation in the housing market. The city is slowly revitalizing itself, growing from the west. Older buildings are being saved with Midtown especially retaining an antebellum grace. The further east, one finds a more suburban feel with lovely country homes and acreage. While there are homes for sale in every price range, values are appreciating, and the higher the price the more the competition. If you’ve got a family to wean Memphis offers professional basketball, museums galore, a packed annual festival calender, a variety of cultured activities, and a laid back southern drawl.
There’s the history of Memphis architecture for you.
For more information on Memphis Real Estate and to learn about Memphis Downtown Condominiums please visit.
