Casual passers-by in Overton Park may have noted a recent change in its fabled band shell, first built in 1936 at the behest of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Since 2005, when the Levitt Foundation stepped in to renovate and sponsor the iconic Memphis landmark, it’s been known as the Levitt Shell.
But the lettering over the stage has changed this past week, in preparation for a major overhaul in the Shell’s administration that officially begins today. Once again, it will be known as the Overton Park Shell.
This decision was made by the Levitt Shell’s board of directors after months of discussion. With the name change, control of the Shell also passes to a new local nonprofit to be known as The Overton Park Shell. The restructuring will allow the organization more freedom to launch a new outreach strategy into underserved neighborhoods and ZIP codes of Memphis and Shelby County, making the Shell more accessible for all of Memphis.
Overton Park Shell executive director Natalie Wilson says, “We’re grateful for 17 years of partnership with the Levitt Foundation, who helped us save it. Now we can take the stage back to its historic roots and live our mission even more. We as the board made the decision that we could truly lend more sustainability to the community by bringing in more local investment. With local partners supporting us. Families. Foundations. Individuals. Businesses that believe in the work we do. We wanted to build our sustainability locally. Since I came in in 2019, we’ve been working to find local sustainability, and we have now. We’re grateful for it.”
As Wilson notes, while the Levitt Foundation works with several open-air stages across the country, the band shell in Memphis has special needs. “The other venues are all new venues,” she says. “We’re the only historic venue. The other ones were all built in the past 16 years, but we have major deferred maintenance that I have to continue to focus on, on behalf of the citizens of Memphis. There are so few of us that were built by the WPA. The round band shells, there are very few of us.
“We’re owned by the city, by the citizens, so we have a responsibility for the continued preservation of the Shell. So on top of managing it and the mission, I’ve got to renovate it. I’ve got to preserve it. So, that’s how different we were from the others. When you have an old girl like the Shell, sometimes the largest things you can do, you can’t see, like renovation. Also, the city depends on us as a nonprofit for the money to renovate it. We don’t get that support from the city. It’s up to us to make sure it can stand, that it’s safe, and that it will be treasured another 85 years.
“I told Liz Levitt Hirsch, ‘You helped save the Shell. You will always have that legacy. And we’ll always have a special marker on the lawn that speaks to the Levitt era.’ They started with two years of renovation money — a million dollars. And then 15 years of programming support. And that’s why I say they saved the Shell. Because if it wasn’t for their initial support, we wouldn’t be able to create what we do today. It would not be here.”
For her part, Hirsch celebrates the change. “Coming to the Shell for the first time to meet with local community leaders nearly two
decades ago, we knew the magic could, and would, return. Music is a universal language that we all speak and delight in, especially in public spaces where we can celebrate our shared humanity. The Levitt Foundation is incredibly proud to be part of the Shell’s legacy — supporting its rebirth as a cherished gathering place for the entire
community,” said Hirsch, board president of the Levitt Foundation, in a press release. “Levitt Shell Memphis has been a beautiful reflection of the Levitt mission, bringing people together from all walks of life to experience acclaimed artists in a free, open lawn setting. The Shell team has built a strong foundation to continue creating a warm and inclusive environment with accessible arts experiences at its core. We’re excited to watch them soar to new heights.”
Wilson also notes that the local support that started in the Levitt era will continue. “We’re grateful for NexAir, who’s been an integral partner for many years, and will continue to be our venue presenting sponsor. And we’re grateful for others, like the Orion Federal Credit Union, who’s the official music partner of the Shell. They’ve rallied behind our nonprofit from the beginning.”
Ultimately, she says, this is a way of bringing it all back home. “It’s not like it’s a name that people are not familiar with,” she says. “The Overton Park Shell has a history, and that history is amazing. The new Overton Park Shell will be just as incredible.”
Right out of the gate, a schedule of live music at the venue is already taking shape. “Starting this summer, at the end of May, we’ll kick off the season with our Sunset Symphony, which we’re thrilled about bringing back, in partnership with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. And that will be the last Sunday of May. Then through the summer we’ll have Thursday through Saturday night concerts that will be free, and then fall concerts on Friday and Saturday nights. And in between, we’ll have our Shell Yeah! concert series, our ticketed shows.
“We’ll also have other partnership events. The Shell is a home for lots of events in the city, and we want more people to think of the Shell as their home for great community events. Dreamfest will be in May this year. There will be the Tri-State Black Pride event and the Tambourine Bash and nonprofit fundraising events. There’ll be all types of events through the year.”
Overall, Wilson reflects, it’s about balancing such activities with historical preservation. “We believe going back to the Overton Park Shell speaks to a name that’s been treasured for many many years here,” she says. “More than ever, the Shell’s name speaks to being rooted in community. And we want to make sure that with this name change, our mission isn’t going to change. It’s even going to grow even more.”
