Tag: Victorian Village

New Subdivision Planned for Victorian Village

Post author By Alexandra Pusateri
Post date August 7, 2014

When the grand mansions in Victorian Village were built, it’s likely that little thought went into accessibility for people with disabilities.

But after a unanimous vote by the Memphis and Shelby County Landmarks Commission, the first new house to be built in Victorian Village’s Planter’s Row II will be built according to “universal design” standards, meaning it will be accessible to people with disabilities and seniors. Features of universal design can include wider doorways and hallways and lower countertops and cabinets.

The first home, located at 651 Jefferson, will be built in a Greek Revival architectural style to match the historic quality of the neighborhood. It will include an indoor pool and elevator within the two-bedroom, two-bathroom property.

Eventually, seven homes will make up the Planters Row II subdivision, all featuring a design that promotes accessibility. Prices will range from $290,000 to $400,000.

Artist rendering for the first Planter’s Row II house

Currently, there aren’t many residential homes in the Village, which is characterized by historic museum homes, such as the Woodruff Fontaine House, the Mallory Neely House, and a newly opened bed-and-breakfast in the James Lee House.

Scott Blake, the master planner on the $2.8 million project, lives in one of the few existing homes in the neighborhood. One of Blake’s neighbors bought the property that once housed the now-demolished ICB Grocery, where the first house will be constructed. He asked Blake for help in development, and the project grew from there with the help of Blake’s company, Design 500.

“We jumped in, and we’re having a really good time of it,” Blake said. “We’re on the verge of filing the final plans and starting to sell the property.”

The style was chosen from Blake’s love of Greek Revival architecture, but the design also borrows historical references from the neighborhood — a deliberate move by Blake.

“Anyone can live in that house and be happy,” he said.

Blake, who has lived in the neighborhood for 18 years, calls the design “multi-generational housing.” It caters to an over-40 demographic with accessibility and mobility in mind, while also appealing to younger families that may want a yard or garden without being too far away from the action of downtown.

The homes will be designed in a way where they can be turned into apartments, which will help attract college students from the nearby medical and law schools.

“We already know what a great neighborhood it is,” Blake said. “We already know it’s a great place to be. It’s easy to get to everything downtown, easy to deal with everything in the Medical Center. You’re not dealing with parking issues and high land costs in the heart of downtown.”

J.W. Gibson, CEO of Gibson Companies, led the remodel of the historic James Lee House. Gibson came on as a partner in the Planters Row II project — coming in at the perfect moment, according to Blake.

“As we progressed with those relationships, we became excited about what was being proposed,” Gibson said. “We saw some opportunities to do more than what was immediately on the table. We started to build those relationships and tried to make some things happen in that neighborhood, like turning Morris Park into a green space for public use. It makes sense to support those efforts with housing.”

Gibson also founded the Southeast Regional Development Corporation, which is now involved with the project as well.

“The architectural structures [and] the history of the community really captured my attention,” Gibson said. “Being able to renovate that and expand that is something we really need to do.”

Tags Design 500, Planter's Row II, Scott Blake, Victorian Village

News The Fly-By

Juvie Movie

Post author By Bianca Phillips
Post date September 23, 2010

On a recent day at Shelby County Juvenile Court, 60 kids were
detained for charges ranging from aggravated robbery to second degree murder. When the court was founded a century ago, kids
were taken in for very different reasons.

“In the early 1900s, they’d pick up kids for smoking cigarettes on the street or catcalling and harassing people. Crime is a lot different now because kids use guns,” said filmmaker Willie Bearden, who created a documentary on the history of Shelby County Juvenile Court to mark the court’s centennial.

Bearden’s film will premiere at the court’s invitation-only
centennial ceremony on Thursday, September 30th. But people
can watch 100 Years of Juvenile Court at home on WKNO
when it screens on the same night at 7:30 p.m. Other public
events include the “Right Road Run” 5K and a Victorian Village
homecoming picnic on October 2nd. Memphis Juvenile Court
(as it was called before its consolidation in 1968) was founded in 1910 and is believed to be the third juvenile court established in the country after Chicago (1899) and Denver (1905).

In the court’s early days, it operated with one judge and five
probation officers. Today, the court still has only one judge but
includes 10 magistrates who hear cases and about 50 probation
officers. Only four judges have presided over the court since
its founding — Camille Kelly, Elizabeth McCain, Kenneth
Turner, and present-day judge Curtis Person.

“Judge Turner really revolutionized the court,” Bearden said. “He desegregated the court in 1964, several years before that was common in the South. He felt like justice was colorblind.”
Turner, who served from 1964 to 2006, ordered some offenders to be spanked, a practice that’s no longer in place today. But spanking is mild compared to how children were treated before the establishment of the juvenile court system.

“At the turn of the [last] century, kids as young as 7 and 8
years old were being put into jail with adults. They weren’t treated specially,” Bearden said. “Women’s groups, like the Nineteenth Century Club, started lobbying government to do something about delinquent, neglected, and abused children.”

Today, the court still handles both delinquent and neglected
or abused kids. According to Larry Scroggs, chief administrative
officer and chief counsel of Shelby County Juvenile Court,
neglected kids in the early 1900s relied on non-governmental
social support groups, but such organizations could be inconsistent in their ability to help.

“We do about 4,000 of the dependency and neglect cases per
year where kids are taken from a home because of something like
domestic violence or sheer neglect. We’ve had quite a few kids
caught up in meth lab situations,” Scroggs said.

As far as delinquency cases go, Scroggs said the court’s numbers have actually declined in recent years. The court saw almost 18,000 cases in 2009, down from a peak of 25,000 cases five years ago.

Scroggs said the court has begun making an effort not to
detain kids for minor offenses. “Ten years ago, there weren’t as many violent offenses, but there were kids housed here for lesser charges,” Scroggs said. “Our processes are changing so that we can keep kids from getting deeper into the system, which is better for them and everybody.”

Tags Victorian Village