Names like The Carolina, The Gilmore, The Biltmore, The Royal Arms, The Knickerbocker and The Manor suggest arrival: a place of distinction. Likewise, names such as St. Regis, Park Lane, and Stratford Place have a certain savoir faire. These are all names of historic apartment communities in Midtown. There are hundreds of units of housing in these older apartment buildings which stand in stark contrast to more recent apartment complexes built downtown or out on the periphery of the city where cows once grazed. There is a difference in scale, a difference in siting relative to the street, and most noticeably, a radical difference in how the newer complexes relate to their surroundings. Newer apartment complexes are often cut off from their neighborhoods by design, becoming isolated car-dependent enclaves.Historic apartment complexes in Midtown are so interwoven with their neighborhoods that not only do they look like they belong, they actually enhance the sense of place and expand the character of Midtown.

These wonderful architectural jewels get very little attention from their neighborhood associations or from city government and are often ignored by prospective renters. Until recently, little official recognition was given to these apartment buildings by preservationists either. The latter is changing, for the Memphis Landmarks Commission (MLC) is preparing a "multiple properties" nomination to the National Register for Midtown's historic apartment complexes. Jennifer Tucker, preservation planner with the MLC, has taken on the task of researching and listing as many eligible Midtown apartments properties on the Register as possible. The MLC's 1997 Preservation Plan listed at least 60 eligible apartment properties in Midtown.  Through Tucker's work, more have been added to this list. She is motivated by the thought that these rental complexes have not been viewed as valued community assets, yet they are a vital part of the  residential history of Memphis. Large cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago have long recognized the historic importance of multi-family properties in nominations to the Register.

Perhaps part of the local "lack of respect" for apartment properties has to do with a social stigma attached to rental housing. Certainly over the last decade, homeownership has been a national public policy mantra--suggesting that it may not be American to rent. Yet for several thousand Midtowners, these buildings are home, as they have been to thousands of others during the last 75 years. Most of these apartments were built between 1915 and 1929 during the urban housing boom of this period. In fact, without these apartments, Memphis could not have accommodated the population growth experienced between 1920 and 1930--during this era the city's population grew from 162,352 to 253,140-- a growth rate of 56 percent! Because so many apartments were built in this period and because the majority remain standing, we have today a remarkable collection of historic apartment structures of diverse  styles and sizes.

In the multiple properties nomination being prepared by Tucker, she will list and describe the complexes which still retain their historic architecture and develop a taxonomy of apartment building types. So far, the classification system lists eight distinct apartment types with several sub-categories. Building types include duplexes in several different configurations,  fourplexes, tenements, and complexes built in the courtyard form in both a small configuration of 12 to 16 units and "grand courtyard" complexes which have 40 or more units. There are also examples of tower apartment buildings constructed with elevators such as the Art Deco-ish Gilmore at McLean and Madison built in 1929, or the much later true Deco Kimbrough Towers, built in 1939.  But for the most part, Midtown is not a "towerish" place (which might explain the uproar over the Parkview "Hotel,"which included units for extended stays, was first proposed).

The only apartment building that is now individually listed on the National Register is The Greenstone Apartments on the north side of Poplar at North Waldran, and oh-so-delicately balanced on the precipice of the I-240 gulch!You know this 1927 building because of the naturally moss-green stone recycled by architect Hubert T. McGee from the large single-family house that was on the site since 1890.

Many Midtown apartments are listed as "contributing" structures in  designated National Register Historic Districts such as Central Gardens, Evergreen, Annesdale Park and Vollintine-Evergreen.  Others,however, lay outside such districts, including a number on the south side of Poplar across from Overton Park, along East Parkway and a scattering interspersed among commercial buildings along Madison Avenue.Tucker will prepare nominations for apartments representative of a particular architectural style. The Knickerbocker Apartments on the south side of Madison, a block west of McLean, are a perfect example of the "standard courtyard style" with a U-shaped building footprint around an open courtyard. The low-income tenement apartments located next to the award-winning Memphis Heritage Delmar-Lema project (just around the corner from the posh Greenstone Apartments) are considered one of the best local examples of a tenement apartment, with porches running around the second story and entry doors opening directly on the interior courtyard.  Fortunately this very distressed tenement property is now undergoing extensive renovation, in part because of the incentive provided by the 20 percent historic tax credit for substantial rehabilitation. While being listed as a contributing structure to a National Register-designated historic district qualifies an apartment building for historic tax credits,securing a multiple-properties listing for all of the eligible apartments in Midtown will bring these properties an extra measure of recognition. Apartment complexes located in designated Landmarks districts, including Central Gardens, Evergreen and Annesdale Park, have the greatest level of protection: these are subject to design review and approval by the Landmarks Commission for demolition and major additions.

Living in History Midtown's apartment buildings were built at a time when home ownership was not an option for the vast majority of Memphians.  In the early 1920s less than 30 percent of households owned a single-family house. For working people, an apartment was home, a long-term commitment, a place to raise a family. Home buying did not become commonplace until after World War II,when with the help of the GI Bill and new government-insured mortgages more middle-class households were able to achieve "the American dream" of home ownership.Because they were permanent abodes, the best of these apartment buildings were crafted with fine materials and great attention to detail. While the great homes of the period commanded trophy architects (and thus have been frequently espoused as the true stuff of preservation), these apartment buildings were designed by yeomen architects and artisan draftsmen and builders. Even so, they boast brick exteriors with tile roofs, grand entrances and stepped-back bays and balconies to afford light, air and views of expansive greens. One example is a wonderful courtyard apartment building at the southeast corner of Poplar and Rembert, now hidden from view by an overabundance of shrubs, constructed in the Spanish Revival style with a tile portico and twisting columns. Others have Colonial Revival, Tudor or Mediterranean architectural influences, blending in effortlessly with the surrounding single-family residential neighborhoods both in materials and style.These Midtown apartments line the street with grace and dignity. Drive past the Park Terrace Apartments on the south side of Poplar a half block east of McLean. It is situated atop a little knoll with sweeping spiral stone staircases winding down to an ample and well-proportioned lawn. One can imagine white-garmented croquet players from the '20s smacking opponents 'balls across the wide expanse of lawn. These were places to walk to from the street and at the same time were a necessary part of Memphis' streetcar suburbs. Clusters of apartments along Madison, Poplar, Central, McLean, Jackson and Auburndale demonstrate the importance of the accessibility afforded by the streetcar lines carrying working people downtown.

Ownership of these properties is held by individual owners, estates, trust accounts, and by a few landlords who hold and manage several properties.Mid-Town Properties is a common ownership and management umbrella formed by Makowsky Ringel Greenburg Company for five Midtown apartment complexes-- St.Regis (46 units), Park Lane (50 units), Park Terrace (35 units), Stratford Place (36 units) as well as a group of non-historic townhouses. This spreads management, maintenance and marketing costs among all the properties.If you are looking for the latest in health club equipment or the biggest clubroom, these historic complexes are probably not for you. The apartments within come in all sizes, with unique floor plans, ten-foot ceilings, nooks and crannies, some with stained glass windows, many with hardwood floors,and often bathrooms covered with small white hexagonal tiles containing original clawfoot tubs and sinks.  Melissa Weatherly, assistant property manager for Mid-Town Properties, describes some of the unique interior details of these apartments-- built-in phone nooks, craftsman desks and bookcases, and detailed millwork. These are generally big apartments and relatively inexpensive--you can get a three-bedroom, 1,100 square foot unit for less than $800 per month (there are many one- and two-bedroom units available in the $500 to $600 range). Weatherly tells of one tenant who left The Park Lane because the original red tile roof was replaced with a standard composition roof.  She adds, "Tenants are very attached to the quality and character offered by these properties-- they rent themselves!" And tenants tend to be a mixture of all sorts of people, ages 18 to 90, who relish living in a diverse community. 

These apartment complexes have stood the test of time and in many ways symbolize a past time which will never be replicated. It is difficult to know how these properties will fare in the future. Some are becoming shabby and in desperate need of tender loving care. To preserve these older complexes there is a need to begin creating some special incentives for owners, such as low-interest loan funds and property tax abatements to encourage renovation. Such measures will help preserve this high quality housing stock for the next generations of Midtowners.On your next stroll around your Midtown neighborhood, stop and take a look or a walk through one of these historic apartment complexes and celebrate their contribution to the distinctive character of Midtown!