Status: Preserved

Location: Bounded roughly by Central and Southern Avenues and Greer and Ellsworth Streets, in Memphis

Built: ca. 1925-1945

Architectural Style: Craftsman, Colonial and Tudor Revival, Minimal Traditional, and Ranch

Original Function/Purpose: Residential

The East Buntyn Historic District was placed on the National Register on Nov. 22, 1995.

History: The automobile encouraged the establishment of the Memphis Country Club at Goodwyn Street and Southern Avenue in 1905, leading to the development of substantial residences on estate-sized lots along Goodwyn Street itself as an enclave for the very wealthy before World War I. The development of the Memphis Country Club and Goodwyn Street also spurred the development of a significant line of estate-sized properties along Central Avenue between Buntyn and Lafayette Streets in the 1910s and 20s. Premier among these was the massive Clarence Saunders estate of Cla-Le-Clare (also known as the Pink Palace). The Model T and the Model A Ford automobiles allowed the middle class to follow the same trends, resulting in neighborhoods such as the East Buntyn Historic District, developed to the east of the Memphis Country Club in the 1920s and 30s. A similar area of middle class development occurred beginning in the late 1920s in the Buntyn-Messick area.

Map:

Outline of the East Buntyn Historic District.

ADDITONAL DOCUMENTATION (approved Feb. 7, 2023): This additional documentation corrects the original boundary map of the East Buntyn Historic District, which incorrectly mapped the district’s south boundary and mistakenly bisected a contributing building.

City Council District: 5

Super District: 9

County Commission District: 10