Status: Preserved; renovation in progress
Address: 1397 Central Avenue, Memphis
Built: 1896
Architectural Style: Victorian
Original Function/Purpose: Residential
History:
Robert Brinkley Snowden, a prominent Memphis real estate developer, designed this midtown mansion in 1896. Snowden lived in the home until his death in 1942; the property was sold after the death of his wife in 1957. The mansion’s name derives from the term ashlar used to describe a squared, hewn stone. The house passed through the hands of a series of owners including perennial Memphis mayoral candidate Prince Mongo of Zambodia (Robert Hodges), accumulating blight along the way. There has been and still is an active case in Environmental Court, but in November 2018 the press reported the new owner, Juan Montoya, had made progress in repairing the building. He believed the entire renovation might require as much as $400,000, after which the building could serve as an event or office space. In April 2019, progress was such that the building served as the venue for the production “Rites of Spring” by Memphis theatrical group Lost In Found.
City Council District: 6
Super District: 8
County Commission District: 8