Annesdale Park Association

Soup Kitchen Volunteers

2011-09-28T19:56:00.001-06:00

This Saturday, October 1st is Annesdale Park’s annual day to volunteer at St. John’s Methodist Church’s soup kitchen. Saint John’s Soup Kitchen provides vital nutrition for people who are homeless, precariously housed, just passing through town, or part of the growing numbers of the working poor. Saint John’s Soup Kitchen food is served to whoever comes, without questions or prerequisites. Nearly one hundred people are served each week. Help serve your community with your neighbors! Volunteers should be at St. John’s (corner of Peabody and Bellevue) at 3:15 pm.

Annesdale Park's Annual Halloween Party

2011-09-28T19:42:00.002-06:00

Family Halloween Social
Saturday October 29, 2011
3pm-5pm
1328 Carr (Driveway)

This is an outdoor event, so please dress accordingly
Kids – Please come in costume!

Garage Haunted House
Kids holiday arts and crafts activities and games
Assorted kids beverages and snacks provided
Adults BYOB
Rain plan is TBD

Hosted by:
Annesdale Neighborhood Association
The Brewers • The Homayounis
The Donalds • The Malones
The Gholsons

Annual Meeting

2010-12-06T23:05:00.001-06:00

Annesdale Park's Annual neighborhood meeting is January 9th (Sunday) at 3:00 pm, at St. John's Methodist Church on the corner of Peabody and Bellevue. Board of director elections, neighborhood issues, and events will be discussed. All residents should plan to attend.

Memphis Green Up 2010

2010-11-22T22:21:00.001-06:00

Halloween Party

2010-09-09T19:15:00.005-06:00

Historic Annesdale Park Neighborhood

Family Halloween Social

Saturday October 30, 2010

3pm-5pm

1328 Carr (Driveway)

This is an outdoor event, so please dress accordingly

Kids – Please come in costume!

Garage Haunted House

Kids holiday arts and crafts activities and games

Assorted kids beverages and snacks provided

Adults BYOB

Rain plan is TBD

Hosted by: Annesdale Neighborhood Association Kevin & Cindy Brewer Family John & Jenny Gholson Ramin & Gwen Homayouni Family Brian Hughes & Katie Donald Family

Save Union Ave. Methodist Church

2010-05-17T22:06:00.002-06:00

Memphis Heritage will be hosting a community meeting about the future of the historic Union Ave. Methodist Church Thursday May 27th 6pm. CVS's developer has a contract on the property to demolish and put up a CVS and a large parking lot. Please come to hear the latest and how you can help! also look for and "like" the new Save Union Ave Methodist Church facebook group.

April 2010 Yard of the Month

2010-05-17T22:03:00.001-06:00

Congratulations Cathy!

Its a Boy

2010-05-14T17:12:00.004-06:00

APNA would like to welcome the youngest member of the neighborhood. Henry McGuire Christian. Congratulations to James and Gina!

Earth Day

2010-04-20T20:35:00.003-06:00

In honor of Earth Day, join us in our neighborhood beautification Saturday, May 8th at 8:30 am on the Cleveland Islands to rake leaves, plant flowers, and pick up trash... Hope to see you there.

New Yard of the Month!

2009-11-26T10:05:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to the new Yard of the Month on Carr Avenue, home of the English-Homayouni family!

In other neighborhood news - it's almost election time! Are you interested in serving as a board member or officer? Please contact Cathy Winterburn. A slate of officers will be presented in our December newsletter.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Yard of The Month

2009-10-07T21:19:00.003-06:00

Congratulations to Maria Robertson on Harbert for winning Yard of the Month!

Halloween Social

2009-10-05T21:24:00.002-06:00

Historic Annesdale Park Neighborhood
Family Halloween Social
Saturday October 24, 2009
3pm-5pm
1328 Carr (Driveway)

This is an outdoors event, so please dress accordingly
Kids – Please come in costume!

Garage Haunted House
Kids holiday arts and crafts activities and games
Assorted kids beverages and snacks provided
Adults BYOB
Rain plan is TBD

RSVP to Kevin Brewer at kfbrewer@gmail.com or (901) 726-0051 by Oct. 18 so we can have a “head” count

Hosted by:
Annesdale Park Neighborhood Association
Kevin & Cindy Brewer and Family
John & Jenny Gholson
Ramin & Gwen Homayouni and Family
Brian & Katie Hughes and Family

Midtown Security Community upcoming meeting

2009-10-05T21:20:00.004-06:00

On Thursday, November 5, Dr. Janikowski and Col. Billy Garrett will share another MPD program that addresses the homeless in Midtown. The meeting will be held at Memphis Heritage’s Howard Hall, 2282 Madison. Refreshments and networking start at 5:30. Business meeting is 6-7:00 pm (guaranteed only one hour meeting). Please go to the Midtown Security Community link (click the title of this post) for more information.

Spring Cleaning for Cleveland

2009-05-04T18:01:00.003-06:00

Cleveland Street is the boundary between Central Gardens and Annesdale Park. It is often the main focal point and introduction to the Annesdale Park neighborhood. In efforts to beautify the islands on the street, volunteers with the Annesdale Park Neighborhood Association raked and picked up leaves and debris then replaced them with colorful flowers and shrubs on April 5. The association used funds paid from membership dues to purchase the plantings.

There are several areas on the islands where collapsing bricks are a pedestrian hazard. The association repaired many of these or turned the patches with missing bricks into small flower gardens. Passersby stopped to express their appreciation for the improvements on the islands. The Dumas family, who live on the Central Gardens side of Cleveland, expressed their support by joining the Annesdale Park Neighborhood Association. A special thanks goes to cleanup volunteers, John and Jenny Gholson, Jeff Houts, Andrew McGill, Tom Wilemon and Cathy Winterburn for all of their hard work. The association would also like to thank everyone who paid membership dues. The money goes toward projects to improve and promote Annesdale Park.

Evelyn Elliott Sign Reappears

2009-05-04T17:52:00.003-06:00

The Evelyn Elliott Memorial Yard of the Month sign popped up along with more than 100 blooming tulips in the front lawn of John and Jenny Gholson on April 1. The Gholsons had eagerly awaited for the tulips to emerge, but did not expect to see the sign. The sign had been missing since autumn. Its reappearance is welcome news for the Elliott family. Lew Elliott had the sign painted in memory of his mother, who was passionate about beautification efforts in Annesdale Park and loved roses, after her death in 1989.
“I’ve been putting it in worthy yards,” he said. “If it’s reappeared, I’ll go pick it up and put it where it deserves to be.”

The Annesdale Park Neighborhood Association Board of Directors had voted to purchase a new yard of the month sign in memory of Mrs. Elliott before the old one reappeared. Lew and his brother, Ronnie Elliott, are longtime residents of Annesdale Park and are the owners of Super Cycle at the corner of Harbert Avenue and Bellevue Street. Elvis Presley shopped at their store. (Check out “Elvis Memories at Super Cycle” at www.youtube.com.)

Property Sales up in Annesdale

2009-03-01T09:29:00.004-06:00

Several properties in the Annesdale Park National Historic District have been purchased over the last couple of months, and construction projects are ongoing at four of them.

Some of the neighborhood's most handsome homes are also on the market, including outstanding examples of Victorian, craftsman and four-square styles. The Memphis Landmarks Commission on Feb. 26 approved plans to stabilize and restore a two-story, mission-style stucco and brick structure at 1320 Peabody Ave.

Annesdale Park is a city historic preservation district, so any renovation that would alter buildings along the streetscape must first receive approval from the Memphis Landmarks Commission.

Annesdale is one of Midtown's oldest and most historic neighborhoods. It is located immediately west of Central Gardens and within the boundaries of the Memphis Medical Center, where hundreds of millions of dollars of are being invested in new hospitals, laboratories and academic facilities.

Annesdale Park wins best booth at Neighborfest

2009-01-31T15:00:00.010-06:00

The Annesdale Park Neighborhood Association won best booth at Neighborfest 2008 in October.

Association President Cathy Winterburn accepted the award from Mayor Willie Herenton and slapped a sticker on his shirt to promote the neighborhood.

The association sold slices of watermelon at the festival with the Annesdale Park brand stickers.

Snow falls in Annesdale Park

2009-01-31T14:51:00.003-06:00

Snow blanketed the Annesdale Park National Historic District in January 2009, making homes look like photographs from holiday cards.

Annesdale Park, the "first subdivision of the South," was founded in 1903. Its developers celebrated the planned community with a huge watermelon party. Look closely at the neigbhoord logo in the sign and you will see the image of a watermelon.

Some of its early residents include a state governor, state supreme court justice and the city's first rabbi.

Today, Annesdale Park is a neighborhood of diverse people located within the Memphis Medical Center boundaries. One of the city's best kept secrets, the neighborhood offers grand homes at affordable prices and a wide array of homes for rent. It is immediately west of Central Gardens between Cleveland and Bellevue Avenues.

Annesdale in the news!

2008-05-16T06:38:00.003-06:00

Check out the Friday, May 16 "M" Section of the Commercial Appeal! Our "sister" neighborhood across Lamar, Annesdale-Snowden, is featured for their home tour this Sunday. Frederic Koeppel's piece gives a brief history of their neighborhood and ours.

There is a link to the article above - just click the title of this post.

Check out the article - and check out the homes on the Annesdale-Snowden tour this weekend. Only $10, Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Tour includes the gardens at Annesdale, the 1855 Italianate mansion that inspired our neighborhood.

What's up?!

2008-03-30T15:53:00.003-06:00

Howdy, neighbors!

It has been a while since our last post, but that doesn't mean nothing is happening. The new officers and board have met to discuss plans for the year and Madam President (Cathy Winterburn) has even been recruited by the city to go to a neighborhood conference in Virginia.

Upcoming items of note:

Tuesday, April 1, at 7 p.m. there is a meeting at 1338 Carr to discuss some recent issues with crime. Please join us.

Saturday, April 12 is the Spring Neighborhood clean-up. More details to come, so please plan to join. It is a very rewarding activity.

Here is a picture of some of the teamwork from a previous cleanup:

Annual Meeting

2008-01-21T11:28:00.000-06:00

We will hold our Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 27, at 5 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of St John's Church, corner of Peabody and Bellevue.

Topics for our meeting will include election of new officers, selection of board members, and our agenda for the coming year. Refreshments will be served.

Halloween Social

2007-10-16T19:10:00.000-06:00

Neighborhood Halloween Social
Saturday October 27
3pm-5pm
1328 Carr (Driveway)

This is an outdoors event, so please dress accordingly
Kids – Please come in costume!

Activities will include a Mini Pumpkin Decorating Contest
and Apple Bobbing Contest and more

Each family - please bring your kids and a bag of candy and a “trick or treat” bag – we’ll fill each bag.

Assorted kids beverages and snacks
Adults BYOB – Very Important!
Rain plan is TBD

RSVP to Kevin Brewer at kfbrewer@gmail.com or (901) 726-0051 by 10-22 so we can have a “head” count

Hosted by: Cindy & Kevin Brewer & Family
Dena Scearce & Amanda Walden
Gwen English and Family

Volunteer Opportunity

2007-10-02T20:46:00.000-06:00

This coming Saturday (10/6) Annesdale Park will be helping to provide meals at St. John's Methodist Church. Many of our fellow neighbors and nearby residents will be coming to share in our company. This is a great opportunity to help provide nutrition and fellowship to those in need. Please come to the purple awning entrance on the west side of the St. John's building off the parking lot by 3:15 p.m. We will be concluded by 5:15.

If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact John Barker at BarkerJohnR@mcsk12.net.

Historic Marker

2007-08-06T19:48:00.000-06:00

There once was an Historic Marker for Annesdale Park near the intersection of Bellevue and Vinton. The sign text was composed by our very own Dr. Terry Hill. It was broken off its post, possibly by a misdirected vehicle, and has been missing for several years. We did some research and found the wording:

Annesdale Park Subdivision

Developed as an exclusive neighborhood in 1903 by Brinkley Snowden and T.O. Vinton, Annesdale Park was the first subdivision in the South planned upon metropolitan lines. It was considered an important display of confidence in the city's future. Early residents included Tennessee Governor Malcolm R. Patterson and State Supreme Court Justice Arthur S. Buchanan.

Location: Bellevue Ave., between Vinton and Carr, Memphis. Shelby County Tennessee

Here's the link.

September 9 - Save The Date!

2007-08-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, September 9, we will have our Summer Social and general membership meeting, starting at 4 p.m. Please save the date. More details will follow soon.

Crime Mapper

2007-08-04T13:13:00.000-06:00

We have added a link to the "Memphis Crime Mapper" in the sidebar. This is a geographical database of crimes reported to the Memphis Police within the last 30 days. You can plug in an address and search for various categories of offenses. It will then display a map and list of the incidents.

Board Meeting Report

2007-08-04T13:09:00.000-06:00

The Annesdale Park Board met this past week. We heard from Henry Winter, president of Annesdale-Snowden, who encouraged us to write to District Attorney Bill Gibbons about the Lamplighter Motel. This motel is located at the corner of Lamar and Bellevue and appears to be the focal point of criminal activity in this area. We will follow up with letters to the D.A., as well as to our City and County representatives Names and contact info will be posted separately on this blog.

We also discussed crime issues in our neighborhood. The Board is dismayed at the lack of regular police patrols, and these concerns will be communicated to the West Precinct. In the meantime, we can help ourselves by keeping an eye out for, and reporting, suspicious activity. Outdoor motion-detecting lights and security systems can also be a deterrent to property crimes. Also, please keep you porch lights on at night.

On Sunday, September 9, we will have our Summer Social and general membership meeting, starting at 4 p.m. We are hoping to book St. John’s Church for this event. Please save the date. More details will follow soon.

New Neighbors

2007-06-25T09:24:00.000-06:00

Annesdale Park welcomes new neighbors Scott and Shannon Malone, who recently purchased 1302 Carr Avenue from Yeow and Lisa Chang.

If you know of new neighbors on your street, please send us an email so that we can officially welcome them.

Crime Prevention

2007-04-25T18:06:00.000-06:00

Here are a few Crime Prevention Tips developed by the Cooper Young Community Association. Remember that the majority of crimes committed in our city are crimes of opportunity – by taking a few precautions, we can help prevent opportunistic thieves from prospering in our neighborhood!

• ALWAYS park in well-lighted areas, and have your keys out of your pocket or purse when leaving the car and when entering the car. Having to fumble for your keys makes you an easy target. If you are outside your own home, notice if your area is well lighted. Leave your porch light ON to help you when returning home after dark and to help police locate street addresses! If streetlights are out on your block, report them to the power company.

• NEVER leave anything in your car. Take with you anything of value: cd’s, tapes, cell phones, laptop computers, briefcases, backpacks, purses, sample cases, luggage, coats, umbrellas; be sure that loose coins, sunglasses, and other small items are out of view. Anything that is visible may lead to a broken window.

• ALWAYS report suspicious activity. If you see someone suspicious looking in cars or windows of houses, get the best description you can and call the Memphis Police Department’s non-emergency number 545-COPS (2677). Dial “0” on the menu, and talk to an operator. Give them your information. This can (and does!) stop crimes from happening in our area.

• NEVER give cash to anyone soliciting money. If you choose to engage and want to help, offer him or her food instead, or direct them to local providers of services to the homeless. Do not give strangers or panhandlers a ride somewhere; most often requests for bus money or other transportation are pure fictions which can separate you from your cash or put you at risk.

• ALWAYS lock your car doors and doors, windows, gates, sheds etc. on your property. Easy access to any of these areas is an invitation for the opportunistic criminal. If you have alarms, set them. Alarms and locks slow down criminals. The longer they are in an area the more likely they are to be seen.

• NEVER hire unknown handymen going door to door. Many break-ins and thefts of lawn equipment happen after a homeowner has hired someone unknown to them to cut the grass or do odd jobs – most often for very little money. The cheapest solution is not always the best, and can have long-term consequences. Folks working in your yard have the greatest access to your home and the opportunity to check your windows, locks on your shed, even meet your pets.

• ALWAYS report crimes to the police, even thefts of small items. And let the Annesdale Park Association know about it! Send an email to savoryr@bellsouth.net with the details so we can share the info with the community. Communication is one of the best crime fighting tools we have!

Neighborhood Clean Up - Now With Prizes!

2007-04-12T20:49:00.000-06:00

We will be having a Neighborhood Clean Up on Saturday, April 21. Please come out and volunteer to make our neighborhood shine! We will be tackling the streets, alleys and any other areas in need.

We will have one house on each street as a meeting place at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, April 21. We will share coffee and doughnuts and then go to work.
The current meeting locations are:

1301 Harbert (including Goodbar neighbors)
1241 Vinton
1299 Carr (including Peabody neighbors)

We will have doughnuts and coffee at the meeting places.

Thanks to Cathy Winterburn, we also have gift certificates to Home Depot, Lowes and Stewart Brothers as prizes for those who participate in the clean-up. We also have a gift of a patio table from Big Lots.

Please bring gloves and any tools you care to use.
This is a great opportunity to meet and work with neighbors.

Properties on the Market

2007-04-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

From time to time we will feature Annesdale Park homes listed for sale. Here are a few that we've noticed. If you know of others that you would like to see featured on the blog, leave us a comment and we will follow up.

Here is 1317 Harbert. The asking price is $264,900.

1254 Carr is a very nice Foursquare priced at $274,900.

1254 Vinton can be purchased for $245,000.

Restoration and Renovation Showcase

2007-03-24T12:03:00.000-06:00

More good news from the corner of Vinton and Cleveland. The former Broens house continues to take shape as restoration proceeds. There is even a little "buried treasure!" But first, let's see a little before and after action.

The East side of the porch after removal of the roof and ceiling:

The same area after installation of roof, ceiling, fascia and soffit, not to mention a few replacement rafters:

And now for a little buried treasure. While the porch was open I noticed a small sign posted on the side of the house, hidden from view for 100 years:

As best I can tell it reads:

Heating
Pritchard Evans
167 & 171 Linden

Apparently it is an advertisement for the company that installed the heating system. By my estimation, the address on Linden is now occupied by the Gibson Guitar Factory.

Neighborhood Meeting on Sunday!

2007-03-22T20:47:00.000-06:00

Don't forget! General neighborhood meeting on Sunday, 5pm at St. John's Methodist Church.

We'll talk about landmarks, our upcoming neighborhood cleanup (April 14!!), possible yard sale and other events for this year.

See you Sunday!

Membership Drive

2007-02-25T13:11:00.000-06:00

It's a new year and time for our 2007 membership drive. Households will soon receive reminders on paper, but you could go ahead and send your dues to our Treasurer, Robert Packwood, at 1301 Harbert. Dues are $10 for individuals or $20 for a household.

Where does the money go, you ask? Well, it is used for neighborhood events. Some of the events in the past have been:

Neighborhood cleanup (trash bags, plants, food for the after-party)
Halloween Party (games, goodies, fliers)
Meetings (refreshments, photocopies and sometimes a babysitter)

Don't just send your dues, though, send your ideas! What events would you like to have this year? We look forward to hearing from you.

Properties on the Market

2007-02-17T12:56:00.000-06:00

There are some recent real estate listings of interest in our neighborhood.

1324 Vinton is for sale with an asking price of about 180K. It is listed as a duplex but looks like a good candidate for conversion to single family.

The apartment building at 1337 Vinton is listed at just under 300K. This is one of several ugly units that were built here in the early 70's. Is there someone willing to buy this as a tear-off and build a single home? Probably not yet. I won't post a picture of this . . . edifice, as it would probably crack your computer screen.

Here is 1330 Vinton. Not exactly a recent listing, but restoration of the Broens house will probably raise its stock quite a bit. It's an interesting house and one of the few in Annesdale Park with a true central hallway.

Board Meeting

2007-02-14T17:27:00.000-06:00

Last night's APA Board Meeting featured Nancy Jane Baker from the Landmarks Commission. Ms. Baker reviewed a number of issues of concern to us and made a proposal to assist in clarifying our Design Review Guidelines. We will have more details on this process, which will be a great opportunity to update our rather vague guidelines that we share with several other Landmarks districts. A tip of the hat to Robert Packwood for taking the lead in this effort.

We also discussed ways to "green up" our area. Keep a look-out for more info on this via Cathy Winterburn.

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is the Event Schedule (so far) for the Annesdale Park Association:

APA Board Meeting 3/13/07 at 6 p.m. Destiny Diner Grill (formerly Printers Alley Grill)

General Neighborhood Meeting 3/25/07 at 5 p.m. St. John 's UMC

Neighborhood Clean-Up 4/14/07 at 9 a.m. Location TBA

Know Your Real Estate!

2007-02-12T19:44:00.000-06:00

We are fortunate in Shelby County to have two very useful research tools to determine the current and past ownership of our homes. For current information and appraised value go to the Assessor. It also contains information on recent sales and building permits.

The Register of Deeds provides direct access to the recorded deeds showing transfers of ownership and mortgages. It also links to the GIS system, which is a map of every property in Shelby County with aerial views. You can click from one lot to the other down a street and find the current owners of the property. You can also search for historical information on births, deaths and marriages.

And best of all, these valuable resources are free and available 24/7, courtesy of Shelby County taxpayers.

Restoration and Renovation Showcase

2007-02-12T09:27:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of the John Broens House taken a couple years ago. It sits prominently on the corner of Vinton and Cleveland and has been steadily disintegrating for a number of years. The roof leaked like a sieve and caused major damage. The City had even gone so far as to condemn the property. Mr. Broens died last year and left his property to St. Jude, who sold the house to a professional renovator, John Blose. His crew began work in late January.

A more recent photo taken over the weekend shows that the old slate roof has been removed and new decking installed where needed:

The back of the house had caved in due to water damage. It is now being reconstructed:

From time to time we will post pictures showing the restoration. Talk about a Handy Man's Special!

Restoration and Renovation Showcase

2007-02-11T14:25:00.000-06:00

This former home of a past Governor of the state of Tennessee, known in the neighborhood as the "Governor's House" was converted to apartments many years ago. The owner, who lives nearby, undertook this dramatic transformation to remove the asbestos siding and upstairs porch enclosure. Well done!!

Welcome

2007-02-11T13:35:00.000-06:00

Hello!

This is a fresh attempt for Annesdale Park at a neighborhood information point on the web. Thanks for stopping by - we hope to add lots more information and updates soon.