Tag Archives: Architecture

Clayborn Temple

Clayborn Temple, Memphis, TN

Inactive and boarded for years, the Historic Clayborn Temple  (originally Second Presbyterian Church) is still magnificent at  48o Hernando, at Linden.  It was here that Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have Been the the Mountaintop” sermon.

The building seems to be threatened by development to the south; FedEx Forum is just across Linden to the north;  the Beale Street Entertainment district is only a block away.

Current Owner:

African Methodist Episcopal Church Inc
500 8th Ave S, Nashville Tn 37203

Buildings worth saving? (part 6 – the final installment)

Goyer-Lee House 690 Adams, Memphis

First a point some points of clarification:  This blog was spawned as a photo blog, and, henceforth, will be, with a minimum of commentary.  My verbiage in this series was based on a report on Channel 3 whose source, The Center City Commission, describes the buildings as “the Center City Commission’s list of ten downtown redevelopment sites that are important to the health and vitality of our city.”  However, the CCC did name it’s file top102.pdf.  My goal here is to post photos of Memphis from my personal perspective.  If you are interested in preservation, you will not find any better insight than the Gates of Memphis Blog. I posed the title as a question as a challenge to those who have the resources to do something with these buildings.  Do you think they are worth it?

Left is the Goyer-Lee House in Victorian Village (c. 1871), another from the list.  It’s a beauty, but has suffered from years of neglect.  It’s under the control of the Memphis Housing Authority. Would they sell it?  Can it be zoned for residential use again, or would a commercial use be more appropriate?

At one time Vance Ave., East of Danny Thomas was lined with similar mansions.  To my knowledge only one stands, partially restored.  The others were razed, burned, or left as piles of rubble.

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