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Evergreen, Memphis

Coordinates: 35°08′52″N 90°00′26″W / 35.1479°N 90.0072°W / 35.1479; -90.0072
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Evergreen Historic District
Evergreen, Memphis is located in Tennessee
Evergreen, Memphis
Evergreen, Memphis is located in the United States
Evergreen, Memphis
LocationRoughly bounded by N. Parkway, Kenilworth St., Watkins St., and Court Ave
Memphis, Tennessee
Coordinates35°08′52″N 90°00′26″W / 35.1479°N 90.0072°W / 35.1479; -90.0072
Area100 acres (40 ha)
Architectural styleBungalow/Craftsman, Other, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.85000080[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 11, 1985[1]

Evergreen Historic District is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee.

Geography

The Evergreen Historic District is bounded on the South by Poplar Avenue from its intersection with East Parkway to Avalon Street. The district boundary then follows Avalon Street to Court Avenue. The district boundary then follows Court Avenue westward until its intersection with Stonewall Avenue. The district boundary then continues North on Stonewall until its intersection with Poplar, at which point in the west direction Poplar is again the Southern boundary until its intersection with Cleveland.[2]

The Evergreen Historic District is bounded on the East by East Parkway, from the West by Cleveland Avenue, and from the North by North Parkway.[2]

Properties on the North adjacent North Parkway, on the South adjacent Court Avenue between Avalon Street and McNeil Street, and properties on the South side of Poplar Avenue between Kenilworth Place and Cleveland are also included within the boundaries of Evergreen Historic District.[2]

Evergreen is located in the area of Memphis known as Midtown. This area of the city includes Overton Park, which is one of the largest urban parks in the nation; it also includes the Memphis Zoo.

Community

Evergreen is unique to Midtown because there is a mix of old and new homes. A large swath of homes was removed in the early 1970s to make way for an Interstate 40 extension planned through the heart of the neighborhood. However, civic activism forced a change in the route and in 1991 the vacant lots were sold for redevelopment. The earlier architecture has been preserved in the newer homes, and in many cases it is hard to distinguish the old homes built in the early 1900s from the new homes built only a decade or two ago. Evergreen Historic District is one of the National Register-listed districts recognized (and protected) by the City of Memphis as a local historic district or Historic Overlay due to the attempt to split the neighborhood, and Overton Park, in half to make way for Interstate 40 (see Sam Cooper Boulevard). The neighborhood was able to fight the interstate, and the case eventually went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the neighborhood. Many of the homes were demolished, but in the early 90s, bids started and builders repatched the holes in Evergreen.[3][4] Today, the neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places[1] and is probably the best value for the Midtown area. Evergreen is sometimes referred to as Stonewall, after the street which has some of the neighborhood's nicest homes.

Group Organization

In April 2020 Evergreen purchased a group organization called "VVG SQUAD". It represents as a gang community. The foundation of VVG SQUAD is located in Raleigh in Memphis, Tennessee The Evergreen community help the Raleigh community purchase their first group organization to serve their neighborhoods. The foundation is headquartered by Merchant Street Records.

References

  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Constitution & By-laws | Evergreen Historic District Association". evergreendistrict.org. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  3. ^ "Showdown in the Park". Time. March 15, 1971. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  4. ^ Wright, David J. (2001). It Takes a Neighborhood: Strategies to Prevent Urban Decline. Rockefeller Institute Press. p. 104. ISBN 0-914341-83-9.