Midtown in Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
The Overton Park Shell/The Levitt Shell At Overton Park
Photographed by Steve Masler, October 26, 2016
1. The Overton Park Shell/The Levitt Shell At Overton Park Marker
The Overton Park Shell
The Works Progress Administration and City of Memphis built the Overton park Shell in 1936 for $11,935. Of 27 WPA Shells built nationwide, this is one of the few remaining. However, several time city officials slated it for demolition. The Shell has hosted performers from across Memphis neighborhoods, musicians from all of our major recording studios, and stars from around the world. On July 30, 1954, Elvis Presley launched his performing career from this stage. During the civil rights era, blues artists and fans ignored a culture of segregation together for the Memphis Country Blues Festivals (1966-1969), demonstrating music's unifying power. Most concerts at this civic facility have been free and the programming has been as diverse as the city's residents.
The Levitt Shell at Overton Park
At its dedication, the Overton Park Shell pledged itself "to the future of music in Memphis." Musical styles have ranged from blues to opera, symphonies to Chickasaw chants, religious services, theater, and dance. First, the Memphis Open Air Theatre programmed light opera and musicals with orchestra (1938-1951). Then the local musicians union stage "Music Under the Stars" (1947-1977). Yet in 1985 civic budgetary restraints left the shell to deteriorate, and it was scheduled to be razed
this page online
Erected 2016 by Friends of the Levitt Shell and the Shelby County Historical Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1936.
Location. 35° 8.709′ N, 89° 59.695′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Midtown. It is on Museum Drive 0 miles east of Morrie Moss, on the right when traveling west. Located in Overton Park, north of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1924 Poplar Avenue, Memphis TN 38112, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Upper South, in the Mississippi Delta, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Blues at the Overton Park Shell (within shouting distance of this marker); The Overton Park Shell (within shouting distance of this marker); The Levitt Era (within shouting distance of this marker); Memphis Belle (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rhodes College (approx. half a mile away); The 1969 Miss Memphis Review
Photographed by Steve Masler, October 26, 2016
2. The Overton Park Shell/The Levitt Shell At Overton Park Marker
Also see . . .
1. The Levitt Shell. (Submitted on October 27, 2016, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
2. Musicians at Levitt Shell. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository (Submitted on October 27, 2016, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
3. Dedication of The Orchestra Shell--Program. (Submitted on October 29, 2016, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
Additional keywords. WPA
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2016, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,068 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 27, 2016, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
