KEYSTONE November - December 2014 | Vol
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Non-Profit Memphis Heritage, Inc. Organization 2282 Madison Avenue at U.S. Postage Paid Edgewood Memphis, TN Memphis, TN 38104 Permit No. 965 MEMPHIS HERITAGE KEYSTONE November - December 2014 | Vol. 17. Issue 5 Support Memphis Heritage this 2014 Holiday Season and get your shopping done in one place! Memphis Heritage reminds ev- loves to get one of the mag- eryone that we have many ways nificent Newman photographs to give a great gift and support to hang in their home or office, Historic Preservation in our com- available in 8 x 10 to mural size. munity. Memberships to Mem- phis Heritage make terrific gifts MHI will once again be selling a and show your family and friends special gift item this holiday sea- that you care about making your son, The Memphis City Dining ADAPT-A-DOOR “6” NOV 8th Issue: 5 Vol.17. 2014 | - December | November Memphis Heritage Keystone community a place to be proud Cards. This offering gives folks of. discounts at favorite restaurants As we go to press we are excited and supports Memphis Heritage about our upcoming Adapt-a- MHI Memberships start at $35.00. at the same time. To get more de- Door 6. We are so thankful for Or for a donation of $15 per name tails and how you can purchase a our generous presenting spon- MHI will send out a gift card let- set of The Memphis Dining Cards sor, Delta Door and Hardware. ting your friends know that you go to our website www.mem- made a donation in their name phisheritage.org. This cleverly as a Holiday gift and we’ll even designed deck of discount cards include one of our 2015 MHI Cal- make great stocking stuffers. endars. Just send us your list and we will do the rest! Don’t miss out on these great holiday gifts for that preserva- We also have our Howard Hall or- tionist or history buff! Give us a nament that is in limited quanti- call at (901)2727.2727 or email ties. This three dimensional brass us at info@memphisheritage. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: ornament looks great hanging org or go to our website www. alone or on your tree. Our heavy memphisheritage.org and see Once again our great food will The Zoo We knew cotton T-shirts, short and long how easy it is for you to do all of be provided by Bardog Tavern, The Richards House sleeves and cool baseball caps your shopping in one place. And The Slider Inn and Tart. We are Handwerker Gingerbread are seasonal favorites. the best part is that all proceeds so grateful that Aldo and Clif Playhouse Historic Properties Trading Block We have a few of the Evergreen from the sale of these great gift and their team have been with Updates on Memphis Landmarks Neighborhood Histories avail- items support the mission of us since the first Adapt-a-Door Read more at: able. And of course everyone Memphis Heritage. back in 2008. www.memphisheritage.org 2 Other major sponsors include Dillard Door and Entrance Con- trol, The Memphis Flyer, Kathy Manning Loeb, Yuletide Office Solutions, and The Commercial MEMPHIS HERITAGE KEYSTONE Appeal. And thanyou to all of our creative “door” Artists who without these amazing works there would be no fundraiser and to our host com- The Keystone is a publication of mittee and of course to our MHI volunteers that make it all happen! Memphis Heritage, Inc. Memphis Heritage’s mission is to Along with the following: Marty stimulate an appreciation for our Gorman, Cato Fashion, Chris Sul- heritage and preserve historic livan, Laurence & Susan Chan, places. Our offices are at 2282 John Griffin, Joey Hagan, Old Madison Avenue. You can write City Millworks/Posey Hedges, to us or call us at 901-272-2727. Or visit our website at Leigh Gilliland, Jeff Wamble, and www.memphisheritage.org. Memphis Heritage Keystone | July - August 2014 | Vol.17. Issue: 3 Vol.17. 2014 | | July - August Memphis Heritage Keystone Carl Raff. Executive Committee Joey Hagan – President, AIA Carl Raff - Past President Will McGown's "Poker Table" Robert Paulus, Associate AIA – Vice President Aaron Chestnut – Treasurer John Griffin – Secretary The Handwerker Gingerbread Playhouse Hal B. Howard, Jr. – Ex-Officio The Handwerker Gingerbread Playhouse is an important historical When he died in 1928, he was Member building located behind the Woodruff-Fontaine house in Victorian June Waddell West – Executive the oldest practicing doctor in Director Village at 680 Adams. The actual James Lee Memorial property was Memphis. Dr. John V. Handwerk- dissolved when the James Lee House was purchased from the city. er built the Playhouse for his Directors The presence of the daughters on Jackson Avenue playhouse in Victorian in 1890. The inspiration for the Carol DeForest Marty Gorman, AIA Dan Johnson Antonio Raciti Village provides an ex- design was taken from a nearby Chris Sullivan Robert Tom cellent example of suc- stable and at the time only in- Chris Bird Katharine Manning Loeb cessful historical con- cluded the front 100 square foot Brian Swope Suzanne Henley servation when public portion of the current structure. Larry Chan Jeff Wamble minded citizens, busi- The original structure included MHI Staff ness leaders and elected Queen Anne style trim, the tur- officials work together. ret with stained glass and a red June West - Executive Director The Queen Anne ‘ginger- tin roof. The Playhouse was later Carrie Stetler - Admin Asst. bread’ style playhouse moved to North Thomas Street Publications/Website was originally built by and was expanded in 1907, and Committee a descendant of Boniface Handwerker, John Valentine Handwerker. again in 1927, to include space The family’s patriarch and family arrived in Memphis in 1849 and he for an office for Dr. Handwerker Robert Tom was the first organist at St. Peter’s Catholic Church and taught mu- after he retired and closed his Dan Johnson Mark Parrish pharmacy on Main Street. Charlie Lambert Robert Lanier sic at St. Agnes Academy. Boniface Nigel Price Handwerker died with many other Memphians when the steamboat The Playhouse was donated to Ad Sales: Mark Parrish Bulletin II exploded on the Mis- the Association for the Preserva- For advertising information con- tion of Tennessee Antiquities by tact: Mark Parrish, (901) 857-2353 sissippi River in 1855. The family [email protected] stayed in Memphis and over the the Handwerker family in 1972 years made contributions to the and relocated to Victorian Vil- Copyright © 2014 Memphis Heri- community in medicine, religion, lage by the Memphis Board of tage, Inc. All rights reserved. music and science. Professor John Realtors the same year. Before recently been restored to its orig- George Handwerker, Boniface’s it was moved to the James Lee inal white and red color scheme. eldest son, survived the Bulletin II property, the building was se- The Playhouse hosts weddings, tragedy and became the first con- lected by the Historic American birthdays and numerous other ductor of the Memphis Sympho- Building Survey in West Tennes- events. The Woodruff-Fontaine netta. John Valentine Handwerker see to have architectural draw- House Museum including car- became a pharmacist and main- ings of it made and placed in the riage houses, Helen Pigeon tained his practice and pharmacy National Architectural Archive in playhouse and the Handwerker without interruption during both the Library of Congress. This rec- cottage is maintained by the yellow fever epidemics. He later ognition places the Playhouse Memphis Chapter of the Asso- became a doctor which wascom- on the National Register of His- ciation for the Preservation of www.grahamslighting.com mon for pharmacists at that time. toric Places. The playhouse has Tennessee. Antiquities. 3 ADVERTISE WITH US MEMPHIS HERITAGE Rates as low as $25 • Your target audience KEYSTONE Contact Mark Parrish ~ [email protected] or 901-857-2353 The Zoo We knew I recently had occasion to look for some Memphis Zoo history to verify data I needed to write an article about it. To my surprise any history of the Zoo in Overton Park Thank you is almost nonexistent. It opened between 1904 and 1906 with 23 cages of animals. Other than that there is little illuminating information for public consumption. for remembering I worked at the Zoo over 60 years ago and have lots of Issue: 5 Vol.17. 2014 | - December | November Memphis Heritage Keystone memories. To reinforce my own recollections I called on an old friend, Donne Walden, to help me construct Memphis Heritage some concept of the 1950’s-60’s Zoo. He had worked with me and began his tenure there even longer ago in your will! than I did – March 1, 1950. The Zoo was at that time known as the largest FREE ZOO in the United States. Memphian Abe Plough of Plough Incorporated, made a large donation each year to make improvements and to keep the zoo free. Your legacy will Between the two of us we came up with some inter- esting stories about people, animals, and others hap- penings during our decade of working at the Zoo. I help us continue began working there shortly before my tenth birth- day in the spring of 1953. My job, on weekends only, Artie Shaw’s song “Frenesi” that I don’t think of the was to rent baby strollers to the public (I was the first good old days watching that circus. The record our mission of person to be hired for that duty). They rented for fif- was played as part of the show each day and the ty cents per day. The customer had only to sign a log melody could be heard all over the park.