Author: John Griffin

Hein Park was laid out in 1925 adjacent to the 100 acres purchased by Southwest Presbyterian University, which was relocating from Clarksville, Tennessee. The new school, now Rhodes College, was designed in the Gothic Revival style to resemble Oxford (and that’s not Mississippi).

The residential subdivision was cast in the supporting role of rural English village. Streets did not follow the urban grid but wandered over hill and dale.

Houses were scaled from small to large to attract an economic cross-section, but not to be too egalitarian, homes were grouped with the largest fronting North Parkway and adjacent to the campus.

Of course, the houses, like the campus, needed a touch of Olde England and, thus, the popularity of the Tudor Revival in the neighborhood. There’s practically a textbook here on the picturesque use of masonry. Mixing stucco, stone, and brick suggested age and even the possibility of repairs made by subsequent generations using varying materials.

This house on the eastern edge of Hein Park was built in 1926. Though not of manorial scale, it doesn’t omit any of the popular decorative touches of the style. Limestone sheaths the ground floor with stucco and half-timbering above. There’s even a little irregular castellated stonework above the arches of the entry porch and the porte cochere. A cast-stone plaque on the chimney sports a bas-relief of deer, the street address, and the name “Deer Lodge.” All that’s wanting is a small gatehouse and a long, winding drive.

The current owner, in residence since 1996, has been busy. The wall between kitchen and dining was removed. The original Geneva cabinets are plentiful and in perfect shape with all their custom features, like cutting board, cup hooks, and bread box. The sink and immediate surround are stainless steel with an integral drainboard on both sides. The other original cabinets have stylish, black, ceramic-tile tops and splash. Two new sections of cabinets have charcoal soapstone salvaged from U.T. lab tables.

The centerpiece of this spacious kitchen is a vintage O’Keefe and Merritt stove from 1957, with six burners, a griddle, and a warming shelf. (Viking, eat your heart out.) A soffit over one new counter holds recessed work lights. Two high-style 1920s ceiling fixtures finish off the retro look.

The living room, with its two arched inset cabinets and cozy library feel, seems the more logical place for a big dining room. There’s even a fireplace with its original surround of Tennessee marble. The mantel’s a tad Colonial and something with more heft would be more appropriate. Certainly the original dining area, open to the kitchen, is now the preferred gathering spot.

Two bedrooms and a full bath complete the ground floor. A large basement has ample work and laundry areas. Upstairs is the master suite. The master bath has been recently expanded. The new room was tiled and a tall vanity and spa tub were added, as well as ample linen storage. A rear dormer adds headroom and allows big windows to look out over the large backyard. But smartly placed, high windows on the front and the side permit cross-ventilation and natural light that any Anglophile would cherish.

575 Trezevant

1,660 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths; $168,000

Realtor: Sowell & Co., 278-4380, Agents: Donna Giluly, 246-8951

Judy Childress, 277-3321

This home, with its elegant Indiana limestone exterior, sits
sedately on the corner of Carr Avenue and Cleveland Street. The thin, paired
columns that support the porch dance enticingly across the front and around
the side. It’s the playful juxtaposition of those Queen Anne columns with the
massive four-square exterior that sets the tone here.

The exterior, though massive, does not prepare you sufficiently
for the generously proportioned rooms and the lavish use of quarter-sawn
oak. This fancy style of cutting up logs creates a rippled grain that’s
quite eye-catching and here is shown off in floors, door and window trim,
stair rails, and mantels. All of which have obviously been refinished — the
oak gleams like a newly minted penny.

The story’s made only more interesting when you find out this
wonderful house was, for years, subdivided into six apartments. The previous
owners tackled the behemoth task of reversing all that. They not only
reestablished the original layout but did it so seamlessly that today there’s
not even a clue to suggest the prior indignities. Now that’s not just laudable
but rather remarkable!

Thirteen-foot ceilings on the ground floor immediately grab your
attention. Proportionally tall pocket doors open from the entry to two rooms
(one back and one to the side), offering options in how the public rooms are
to be used. The massive stair with its incised newel post and turned
spindles, all oak, animates the entry.

The front parlor is stately and is now used as the living room.
In lieu of a focal fireplace, a built-in petticoat mirror gleams from one
corner. The other sitting room (the gentlemen’s parlor?) has a fireplace and
functions perfectly today as a family gathering spot. There’s even a side door
to the porch set in a bay window for easy outdoor access.

The dining is adequately sized for a small banquet. Across the
back is a single bedroom perfect for visitors, which could, natch, be a study
as well. Then there’s a full bath featuring its original footed tub. The
kitchen, like the rest of the house, is large, with plenty of room for food-
prep and a big family table. Tall windows fill this and all the other
rooms with light.

Upstairs are another four bedrooms. The master, with its own
sitting bay, has a fireplace and a redone private bath. What was probably an
original sleeping porch has been enclosed to create a generous upstair laundry
just where it’s needed most. A two-car garage and recently renovated two-story
workshop out back could even become a guest cottage without too much effort.
You need not feel cramped here. You need not concern yourself with more
renovations, ’cause this stately Central Gardens home needs nothin!

1353 Carr Avenue

4,000 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths; $374,000

Realtor: The Garland Co., 527-7770, Agent: Chris Garland, 230-
3226

High Point Terrace was made up of small farms until the father-and-son
developers Chandler and Chandler bought the Koch family dairy farm around
1940. They were instrumental in introducing the new suburban style of housing
to Memphis. They laid out an extension of the grid pattern of the city’s
streets, creating large lots and deep setbacks. The houses, begun in 1941,
were one-story with garages built in the rear yard. Front doors and porches
were not emphasized. This was an early car suburb; there were no sidewalks.
The neighborhood streets were unpaved dirt roads until the early 1950s. When
you moved out beyond Highland you were escaping from the city to a place in
the country.

In 1945, after the end of World War II, building increased. Houses filled
quickly — as far as Eastland Street and down to Walnut Grove by 1957. This
house was built in 1950 at the far eastern edge of the subdivision and backs
up to what is now the St. Andrews Fairway area.

Typical of the neighborhood, the house is a one-story structure clad
largely in brick, with siding above. Although some large trees original to the
area were preserved, it’s now mostly the early plantings, now mature, that add
an elegantly aged canopy to the area’s streets. This house has one grand oak
in its front yard, now joined by a second, younger one wisely planted by the
current owners.

This lot is not as deep as most. The garage was built beside the house
rather than behind it. When time came, it was easy to attach it to the house
with a spacious mud entry and laundry room.

The current owners were fortunate to benefit from a complete kitchen
renovation just before they moved in. This may have even been the time the
laundry was moved out of the kitchen and the garage attachment built. The
kitchen is spacious with lots of pickled wood cabinets. A breakfast bar
set at a rakish angle keeps guests close at hand without invading food-prep
areas.

The current owners have continued improvements at regular intervals.
Basic elements such as the roof were replaced, and the whole interior has
benefited from subtle paint finishes. Upgrades include an enlarged electrical
service, central heat and air, new appliances, and top-quality, insulated-
glass windows throughout, including a greenhouse window over the kitchen
sink.

Every room (except the family room, which was added) has its original oak
floors in immaculate condition thanks to a protective layer of carpet and
padding. The living and family rooms in the center of the house open to each
other to accommodate entertaining. The bedrooms are tucked to one side.
Closets have been outfitted with shelves and rods for maximum storage.
Original ceramic floors and high, tiled wainscots add an elegant touch
in these economically built houses.

The yard has received plenty of sweat and equity by the current owners.
Sun-loving perennials ornament the fenced rear property line. The pair of oaks
out front shade the house from midday and afternoon sun. They also offer a
friendly environment for the azaleas that flourish across the front of the
house. In fact, the whole neighborhood offers a friendly environment where
third generations now flourish in this early Memphis ‘burb.

3863 Minden Road

Approximately 1,800 square feet

3 bedrooms, 1 3/4 baths; $198,500

FSBO 458-5481; will co-op

Open house Sunday, Sept. 23rd, 2-4 p.m.

This block
has just about one of everything. There are certainly some over-the-top
renovations by committed homeowners. Then there are a couple homes that look
like the best that could happen would be a meeting with a bulldozer. And
there’s even a recent construction that has made the most of a lot vacanted by
a fire. It’s a classic Midtown block if ever there was one.

This Queen Anne cottage has also gone through quite a few changes
in the past 90 years. At some stage the wrap-around front porch had its side
enclosed to enlarge the entry. An Arkansas fieldstone fireplace was added at
the same time, as was the big picture window facing the street. The front
porch doesn’t seem to have suffered from this change, and the increased room
inside and the fireplace are quite nice.

The picture window, however, would look much better on the curb.
A pair of double-hung windows (like the single on the left) would be an
inexpensive improvement. Inside, the entry and living room are combined. It’s
a nice space but furniture would arrange easier with the addition of two round
columns (to match those on the front porch) to slightly separate these two
rooms. The oak floors throughout have been nicely refinished.

The rooms in this house are bigger than the ouside could possibly
suggest. There’s a large front bedroom that’s sheltered from the sun and the
street by a venerable old sycamore. The middle bedroom opens off the living
room through a pair of French doors. As a guest room, it could also double as
a home office or TV room.

The rear bedroom is yet another space that’s been added to this
house over the years. It’s well-scaled and, with two pairs of windows, has
plenty of light. It also has a full wall of closets (obviously not original)
and pretty handy by any standard.

The bath and kitchen have both been recently redone. The bath has
a new pedestal sink. Both it and the overscale cast-iron tub are set off by a
new ceramic-tile floor. A white bead-board wainscot finishes off the bath. The
kitchen was a much harder redo. The refrigerator was recessed in a niche just
around the corner in the adjoining utility room. This bit of planning allowed
a nice galley layout to be achieved. New halogen track lights, a terra-cotta
floor, and all new appliances (including a washer and dryer) add sparkle.

There’s a full basement (yes, full), but it was built either just
for the kids or a rather short family. Even so, it provides fabulous storage.
Out back there’s a single-car garage and privacy fencing with lots of sun for
a garden or pool or just lawn. Like the rest of the block there’s a wonderful
mix of materials and modern additions that make this cottage classic Midtown.

2054 Linden Avenue

3 bedrooms, 1 bath; $127,900

1,300 square feet

Realtor: Crye-Leike, 218-3961

Agent: Rick Travers, 725-5309

The front door’s just where it always was, so are the living room, dining room, and kitchen. But after that, this house and all its finishes, in and out, have just experienced a major blowout. Built in the mid-1950s, this was an undistinguished rancher. “Safe” doesn’t begin to suggest how bland it was. Try “built” like a brick outhouse! Steel I-beams run underneath to ensure floors never sag. One-and-a-half-inch oak was used for subflooring.

Since it’s in Chickasaw Gardens you would think the original builders would have given “looks” a little more attention. But the ’50s were obviously not the high building boom that the Gardens have enjoyed at least twice, once following the subdivision’s founding in the late 1920s and now once again. Today, the large, rolling lots and the central location make even the most unassuming house hot.

The Gardens began as Clarence Saunders’ backyard. He started construction on his “Pink Palace” way out on Central in 1922. Sited to overlook the links of the Memphis Country Club out front, he planned a second golf course out back — his own. A little readjustment on Wall Street turned his home into a museum and the never-built private course into the Chickasaw Gardens subdivision.

The much-publicized restoration of Colonial Williamsburg began about the same time and probably only fueled Memphis’ love of Colonial Revival. But a few European styles, like the Tudor Revival, crept in too. Today Memphis still loves Colonial Revival, but this house was recast in a rambling French country style.

The main, two-story block features hand-mold brick. A central one-story wing is clad in rough-sawn board and batten. The antique pine entry door is under a long, copper-roofed front porch with hefty cedar posts and a Tennessee Crab Orchard stone floor. Cedar lintels over window openings add to the rustic character. The house has the feel of an old estate that has been refined over the years by a series of loving inhabitants.

The entry hall has a limestone floor and is ingeniously skylighted by one of the shed dormers. The living and dining rooms run across the front as they always have, but their ceilings have been vaulted to 12 feet and beamed. A custom limestone mantel holds pride of place in the living room.

The newly enlarged kitchen is now a suite of rooms. The butler’s pantry adjacent to dining has its own sink and dishwasher, and a walk-in pantry is close at hand. The main room has an island with the cooktop set in granite. Oiled, maple butcher block is featured on work surfaces around the walls. Both kitchen and adjoining family room have reclaimed heart-pine floors, and the hewn cedar beams are repeated here as is the family-room mantel supported by antique marble columns.

The house wraps around a rear courtyard that is best viewed from a long, screened porch across the back. Old pine French doors from New Orleans open to this porch from the family room, hall, and master bedroom. A guest wing over the three-car garage and a wine cellar are reached from the family room. Upstairs in the main house are another three bedrooms and two baths.

The master suite occupies the other side of the ground floor. It has a rear sleeping chamber with a seating alcove overlooking the shady yard. Separate dressing rooms share a spacious bath with marble floors and vanities. An attached library/home office has pocket doors which reconnect to the entry, adding the final grace note and bringing this house, just as has happened with Chickasaw Gardens, full circle.

88 Lombardy Road

5,500 square feet

5 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half baths; $1,195,000

Realtor: Coleman, Etter, Fontaine,

767-4100

Agent: Jeanne Arthur

William and Oliver Greenlaw arrived in Memphis in the early days of the city’s growth. They built open-air markets, one on Beale at Fourth, the other at the north end of town on Poplar. By 1849 they were assembling land north of the Bayou Gayoso and by 1856 had laid out a 30-block subdivision with cobbled streets, granite curbs, and sycamore trees.

The area prospered. Sawmills, brickyards, and breweries were built along the banks of the Wolf River and close to barge traffic into town. To the east, larger homes sat on prominent corner locations. Smaller duplexes filled in the blocks, and shotguns sat close together on the alleyways. The largest homes were clustered along Seventh Street, which still follows the line of an original Indian trail running north. Seventh Street (originally called High Street) had the only bridge across the bayou connecting Greenlaw to Memphis until the Front Street bridge was built in 1867.

During the Yellow Fever years Greenlaw and the more northern suburb of Chelsea considered seceding and forming their own city. In 1887 the first wells tapped into the artesian water supply below the city and made mosquito-rich cisterns unnecessary. With the advent of a modern water system, population grew. The last two decades of the 19th century were the big building years for Greenlaw.

George Love built a grand home at 619 North Seventh Street in 1888. It stands today and is now home to the city’s Center for Neighborhoods. Love built and bought a lot of property in Greenlaw over the years. Four of the houses he once owned facing North Sixth Street, circa 1890, have recently been renovated by Memphis Heritage, the city’s only preservation nonprofit. Two have been sold and two are still available.

Federal and city funds contributing to their renovation require that these homes go to first-time homebuyers who make less than 80 percent of the city’s median income. That means a single person can make no more than $31,550, whereas a family of three can make as much as $40,550.

These homes still evoke the gracious 19th-century style of Memphis’ early subdivisions. Twelve-foot ceilings and eight-foot doors with transoms above were retained. The houses were gutted, rewired, repiped, and fully insulated. Central heat and air, telephone cables, and security were installed. The grand front parlors are intact, although the original fireplaces were regretfully lost. Just restoring a mantel to its original location would add a lot to these rooms. New baths and kitchens were installed, with the kitchens open to a back gathering room for easy living. Bedrooms have generous walk-in closets.

These houses sit close together, showing how Greenlaw’s density resembled that of New Orleans and resembles neotraditional plans like Harbor Town located just across the Wolf River Basin. The “Uptown” initiative will bring new homes to Greenlaw and lead to even more renovation of original buildings. As downtown fills with lofts for living and entertainment, Greenlaw seems once again poised to be the “renewed” subdivision just north of downtown.

612 and 622 North Sixth Street

1,320 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath; $55,900

Realtor: Sowell & Company, 278-4380

Agent: Steve Solomon

The Greeks thought there was only one sin, and they called it hubris. It translates loosely as excess. The current trend to build mega-houses is very hubristic. Learning to edit one’s life is an art long overdue a revival. It’s never too late to cut the crap and choose quality over quantity.

This house on Walnut Grove was built in 1950 as a retirement home. The intent was not just to downsize but have fewer, bigger rooms and build those very well. The second owner has lived here 15 years and updated all the systems in the house. Obviously appreciating that initial intent, the owner has made a concerted effort to keep the interior light and open. In the yard, a garden has been lovingly installed, showcasing native plants.

Restraint is evident both in and out. True to the mid-century, deep overhanging eaves protect the windows from the summer sun but admit lower winter light. A low-pitched roof and long, narrow brick emphasize the horizontal, tying the house to the land. This line is continued by planters flanking the walk and simply filled with evergreen ground-cover and a well-placed Japanese maple to announce the entry.

The spacious entry has a wall of closets and a floor of marble. The rest of the house has pale white oak. The front dining room overlooks a deep perimeter planting that buffers the views to Walnut Grove. The living room runs across the back, opening to a patio shaded by an elegant, old ironwood tree.

The renovated kitchen deserves special mention. Most of the upper cabinets were eliminated to make room for the art on the walls. At the same time, recessed can-lights were added throughout the house. Ample counters provide both work area and breakfast bar. In addition to the roll-out wire-shelved cabinets, there is exposed wire shelving for pots and pans beneath the cooktop. Glassware and dishes are stored in a glass-doored, floor-to-ceiling cabinet. The adjoining breakfast area could accommodate a cozy seating area just as well as it could a breakfast table.

Both bedrooms are generously scaled, each with two closets with built-ins. The owner has plushed them up with wool carpeting over the oak. The front bedroom has windows on two sides, while the back has windows on three. Every window frames a garden view. There’s one public bath and one in the master. Neither is stinted in size or details. Richly colored tiles are used at floor and wainscot. A narrow, inlaid wave pattern adds ornament. The vanities have rakishly retro slanted fronts that include ample storage drawers. Like the rest of the house, all of the windowsills are granite.

The rear patio is reached easily from the master bedroom, living room, and kitchen. It’s practically another room in good weather. A two-car porte cochere is angled off the rear, so as not to block views. The circular rear drive pivots around a berm planted with sun-loving sumac. The emphasis on native plants coupled with the informal, naturalistic installation makes this garden as easy-care as the house. As a showcase for a well-edited collection of furniture and art, this house is almost sinfully perfect. And that’s no bull!

It was the late 1940s. An all-consuming war had just ended. Domestic industries, including the housing market, were resurging. Traditional American forms like this Colonial Revival Cape Cod were the rage. (English Tudor and Mediterranean Revivals were out.) The G.I. Bill was fueling new construction, but most of it was smaller, one-story homes with only vaguely Colonial styling.

This home was obviously custom-designed by an architect. Great care was given to correct massing and details. The high-pitched roof and three dormers centered over the symmetrically placed front door and windows below are taken from early New England antecedents. The Georgian door surround, with its broken pediment and dents, is a touch of Colonial high style. If the shutters were hinged and operable, it would be too perfect.

An entry hall welcomes you. The generous living room runs front to back on the east side, getting natural light from three sides. A wood-burning fireplace is centered on the inside west wall. Even with its gracious scale, this is an efficiently laid out home. No space is wasted. Rather than carve out a full center hall from front to back and locate the staircase there, the stairs are placed at the back of the living room. It hurts neither furniture arrangement nor circulation.

On the opposite side of the foyer is the dining room with kitchen behind. Originally a screened porch ran along the west side, connecting to both these rooms. In the 1960s, the current owners enclosed the porch, creating a family room and enlarging the kitchen. The dining room still proudly displays two corner cabinets with carved-shell tops — another elegant touch like the front-door surround.

There are more custom built-ins throughout the house. In addition to ample work space and a home-office area, the kitchen has separate broom and pantry closets. The two original upstairs bedrooms share a bath with a fold-down ironing board. The upstairs hall has spare closets and walls of built-in drawers. Downstairs, an added master suite has a sitting bay flanked by bookcases. The master dressing and vanity both have fold-out mirrors over polished, white-marble tops and walls of storage.

The sitting bay in the master overlooks a brick patio in the backyard. A screen of evergreens, including some magnificent magnolias, terminate the view. This house isn’t one that’s lacked for maintenance. The installation of some lighting for art, maybe new counters and splashes in the kitchen, and a paint job, and it’s good for the next half-century.

2229 Jefferson Ave.

2,800 square feet, 3 bedrms, 2 1/2 baths; $335,000

Realtor: Sowell & Co., 278-4340, Agent: Ed Beasley