Anderton’s was Memphis’ answer to the legacy seafood restaurants of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Anyone who has been around Memphis a few years, especially if you are a Boomer, has memories of the Midtown landmark, with its 50’s vintage nautical decor, and some great stuffed flounder. Anderton’s like some of the other Midtown icons of my younger years, Thornton’s Donuts, Pappy’s Lobster Shack, Melos Taverna, and Pat’s Pizza is gone. Many of the old places we remember are gone without a trace.
After Anderton’s closed its doors for the last time, the property was purchased last year by a high profile local company for future use as a Midtown office.  A storm took out the roof and other parts and the building was stripped to a facade held up by iron supports on empty floors. Weeds and  graffitti now decorate the property.  The terra cotta ornamentation is still there, as is the bed of cactus out front, but the building shell has been sitting in this condition for quite some time with no visible progress toward doing anything to restore the structure or integrate the facade into a new office building.

More photos at http://flickr.com/photos/joespake – Some Rights Reserved