Overton Park has been in the news a lot lately, due to the long-brewing battle over use of the Greensward, the grassy meadow in the middle of the park used by the Memphis Zoo as overflow parking. We toured Overton Park a few years ago, but this post will look at the controversy that put this century-old green space in the national news: the expressway that was never built. 

This closeup of Overton Park is from a 1973 Exxon map by General Drafting Co., Inc. The dashed lines with an interstate shield says it all.


Plans to build an expressway through Overton Park date to the 1950s when the interstate highway routes were first announced through Memphis. The most obvious alignment for these byways was for the circumferential highway, I-240, which would essentially follow the paths of the Wolf River and Nonconnah Creek on the north and south sides of the city. This would require the least amount of condemnation and construction through existing neighborhoods as possible. While what is now known as "Midtown 240," the main north-south route through the developed part of the city, proved somewhat difficult for planners and engineers to design since it was to be built through urban areas, it was the east-west route for I-40 that proved the most challenging. 

This aerial photograph looking south shows the Greensward on the left, the zoo parking lot in the foreground, Memphis College of Art in the center and Brooks Museum of Art on the right.

Some of the first detailed drawings of the interstate system through Memphis that were made public were found in a document entitled "Plan and Profile: Memphis-Shelby County Interstate Highways." This scan is from a copy found in the Memphis and Shelby County Planning Commission archives.

The original proposal for Interstate 40 through Overton Park called for a full cloverleaf interchange at East Parkway, on the east side of the park, with a somewhat incomplete interchange on the west side at McLean. Note the proximity of I-40 to Rainbow Lake.



THE GALLOWAY ALIGNMENT

I call the final route chosen by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), the one pictured above, the "Galloway Alignment" to differentiate it from a few alternative routes that would avoid Overton Park. Galloway Avenue was never built through the park, but the Memphis Street Railway ran streetcars along what would have been an eastward extension of the roadway, connecting Galloway on the west side of the park to Broad Ave. on the east side of the park. This would later become a bus route, first run by the Memphis Street Railway and then run by its publicly owned successor, the Memphis Area Transit Authority.

This aerial of the zoo shows the old bus route on the right hand side. Today, this is known as Prentiss Place in honor of Jim and Carol Prentiss, longtime benefactors of the zoo.
The main entrance to the zoo has long been along the Galloway bus route. Before the current entrance was built, the zoo entrance along Galloway featured two lions guarding the entrance from large concrete markers. 
Here is the old entrance today, which has been relocated to the food court area of the zoo.
This map shows the bus route along Galloway. The bus route, as shown on this 1954 Memphis Street Railway map drawn by Ashburn Maps, was Route Number 3. When she was a young girl, my grandmother lived on Broad Avenue along the Number 3 when it was a streetcar (see more at the very end of this post).

This map is from the front cover of the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park Collection at the Memphis and Shelby County Room at the Memphis Public Library (collection processed by Bette B. Tilly). The map is courtesy of the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. and describes the negative aspects of an interstate highway being located in the park.


This map shows the final approved route through Overton Park. Note the cloverleaf was changed at East Parkway, as compared to the yellow map above, so that fewer trees in the park would be felled. The incomplete interchange at McLean was removed altogether so that a cloverleaf could be introduced at Avalon. 

Here's the view looking west past East Parkway of the interchange between the expressway and that roadway.



To fight the alignment of I-40 through Overton Park, several Memphians organized Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. Parks were viewed by the federal and state highway agencies as ideal locations for interstate highways through urban areas in the 1950s and 60s because no condemnation was required. This changed when Congress passed the Department of Transportation Act of 1966, which contained Section 4(f) requiring a finding by the highway agencies that there was no feasible and prudent alignment outside of the public park or land. In Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v Volpe (401 US 402, 1971), the United States Supreme Court found that the highway officials failed to make such a finding in its decision to route I-40 through Overton Park. This Supreme Court decision is not only significant for its impact on Overton Park and other urban parks throughout the country, but for its setting a standard of review of the federal courts over administrative law and government agencies.



THE NORTH PARKWAY ALIGNMENT

In a vain effort to show there were other alternatives, but none that were feasible or prudent, the TDOT looked at a few alternative routes for I-40 through Midtown. As you can imagine, many of these alternatives met the same resistance that faced the Galloway alignment.

The first alternative route would have taken I-40 just a block to the north. Instead of going through Overton Park, it would trim its northern edge.

This perspective view shows the plan for the North Parkway alignment: I-40 would be stacked on top of North Parkway, whose wide right-of-way could accommodate an interstate highway without taking abutting properties. This view shows the Parkway House on the left; McLean is about where I-40 splits away from North Parkway.
Of course, stacking an interstate on top of North Parkway would have drastically changed the parkway.
The trees in the median and along both sides of the parkway would need to go. Imagine this view if a highway hovered atop the parkway...
One institution that would likely be adversely affected by the North Parkway route: Rhodes College, which was known as Southwestern at the time. One of the major attributes of its campus, in addition to its architecture, is its tree cover.
There are also several homes that face this stretch of North Parkway, like the William A Hein House at 2250 North Parkway. The view from this 1926 home, designed by the Memphis architecture firm of Jones and Furbrigner and built for the developer of the Hein subdivision (in which it sits), would certainly change if a highway that runs from Barstow, CA to the Atlantic Ocean ran a few feet from its front facade.



THE L&N ALIGNMENT

OK, people didn't like the North Parkway alignment. But what if the highway was shifted further to the north?

This alternative swung I-40 north to railroad right-of-way owned at the time by Louisville & Nashville. Problem was, this route would take I-40 in such close proximity to I-240 to the north that the cost proved excessive. This map is courtesy of the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park Collection, Memphis Public Library.
This view shows how I-40 would interact with the railroad. Good thing the railroad was fronted on both sides with nothing more than what looks like fields...This rendering is courtesy of the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park Collection, Memphis Public Library.


In reality, the L&N railroad was lined with fine homes in the Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood. When CSX determined there was no need to hold onto both the old L&N and NC&StL lines through Memphis (it was a successor railroad to both old companies), it deeded the L&N line to the Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood association, which converted the RR right-of-way into one of the nation's first rails-to-trails projects.

View of the V&E Greenline from Stonewall Street.

Here is the intersection of Watkins and North Parkway, nears Sears Crosstown. As if it wasn't convoluted enough, the L&N alignment of I-40 would have added additional confusion. 

Complete map of the L&N alignment.



THE SUBMERGED ALIGNMENT

Yet another idea floated was to keep the interstate running along the Galloway bus line, but submerge it. Remember, the right-of-way for I-40 to the west and east of Overton Park had already been taken and the homes razed so the Overton Park Expressway would be a fait accompli, so these alternatives were provided in the belief that one would actually be chosen.

Business leaders and downtown boosters were largely in favor of the Overton Park Expressway; they thought that without it, suburbanites would not make the otherwise circuitous route downtown. This view is no doubt reflected in this rendering of a submerged highway with a very robust downtown Memphis and many new buildings in the background.  I am sure that fountain would eventually leak into the highway culvert. Alas, this submerged alignment would not satisfy anyone; opponents pointed out that the negative impacts of carbon monoxide would still affect patrons of the part and residents of the zoo.
View towards Overton Park of the entrance into the tunnel.




OTHER ALIGNMENTS
This map shows yet another alignment ("No. 6"), which would parallel Poplar and involve the purchase and razing of presumably hundreds of additional homes, apartment houses and businesses.



WEST OF THE PARK: EVERGREEN


Yes, it was indeed tragic that so many historic homes were destroyed and neighborhoods divided with the planning of I-40 through Midtown. I remember driving through the area when I was in high school and being struck by whole blocks of empty lots with mature trees and driveways that went nowhere. But the streets in the Evergreen neighborhood would be reborn. After the State finally gave up on the Overton Park Expressway, it deeded the land to the City and the City, in turn, starting selling the lots back to homebuilders and residents. And to ensure the architectural compatibility of the new homes with their older next door neighbors, the City created and adopted the Evergreen Historic Conservation District and Design Guidelines, which require that all new structures be designed in a historically appropriate manner.

The only structure spared in the path of the expressway was the Galloway Mansion on the north side of Overton Park Ave. between Hawthorne and McLean. Since all of the other homes on its block were taken and torn down, it was likely only saved whilst the I-40 lawsuit was pending due to its historical import and demolition cost. 
The Galloway mansion was built by Robert Galloway, longtime chair of the Memphis Parks Commission when the parkways were laid out, as well as Overton and Riverside Parks. His home at 1822 Overton Park Ave. is also known as Paisley Hall and was built in 1908-1910.
New home next door to the Galloway Mansion built in a style that was prominent in the Evergreen neighborhood from 1900-1920.
More new homes along Overton Park Ave.
Of all streets in Evergreen, Overton Park Ave. saw the most destruction since the expressway would have run parallel to it.

Here is a view of the neighborhood during the many years the expressway lawsuit ensued. Note the trees and sidewalks remained, creating a parklike but very lonely streetscape.
Another view of the pre-development corridor.

Older home on Overton Park Ave.
Another historic home that survived the wrecking ball on Overton Park Ave.
Aerial view: Galloway Ave. on on the left and Autumn Ave. is on the right. This entire block is filled with new homes, as the highway was to curve diagonally through it.


Avalon between Poplar and Overton Park Ave. is a quiet residential street. But had I-40 been built through this area, this street would have been very different. In fact, Avalon was one of the few streets in the Evergreen neighborhood that would have an interchange. Yes--this street, in fact, the exact spot pictured above, would have been the location of an interstate interchange(!). Therefore, a very wide swath of homes were taken on Avalon, as compared to other surrounding streets. The result: Avalon now has the greatest number of infill homes.


EVEN FURTHER WEST: "THE MOUND"

Evergreen's western boundary is Cleveland. Past Cleveland, there has been very little infill. What makes infill impracticable here is a large mound built to accommodate the elevated nature of I-40 as it crossed over I-240 (as demonstrated in this 1963 Esso/Humble Oil map by General Drafting Co., Inc.). For many decades, the ramps both here at Midtown 240 and 40 and their sister ramps at 240, 40 and Sam Cooper in East Memphis were woefully inadequate to carry I-40 traffic onto the "north loop."

This view from the top of the mound, looking west towards I-40, reveals some of the infrastructure that still exists on this section of never-built interstate.
The sheer height of the mound is shown from this view from the top of it looking down on Bellevue Blvd. 
The eastern end of the mound is no less dramatic: this view shows its relationship with the homes and apartment buildings that still exist on the north side of Overton Park Ave.



EAST OF THE PARK: SAM COOPER BLVD.

Although Interstate 40 was never built through Overton Park and Midtown, a substantial portion of it was built from I-240 west to Holmes Street. For decades, this expressway abruptly ended and became a city street (Broad Avenue). In 1968, it was named after longtime Humko president Sam Cooper. Unlike the other named expressways in Memphis, such as Avron B. Fogelman Expressway and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Expressway, Sam Cooper Blvd. never achieved interstate status - and a number - due to its truncated alignment. Therefore, it was the only expressway in Memphis to be known for its name and not its number. This changed for a short time after Nonconnah Parkway was opened in 1993, but it has since been renamed Bill Morris Parkway and later numbered as TN 385. In 2003, the City of Memphis competed the extension of Sam Cooper from its terminus at Broad to East Parkway, but not as an expressway. So today, Sam Cooper Blvd. is essentially two roads: a standard, six-lane city street with curbs, gutters and sidewalks from East Parkway to Holmes and an expressway from Holmes to I-240, where it terminates to become I-40.

This view shows the older portion of Sam Cooper Blvd., an expressway complete with interstate highway-grade shoulders and overhead signs. Note the blank area between "EAST" and "Nashville" on the left sign. This sign was clearly designed to fit a "40" shield in the middle. Alas, the shield would never be added.

Here's the beginning (or end?) of Sam Cooper Blvd. That's East Parkway in the background with Overton Park beyond it. Compare this intersection with the cloverleaf design above that was originally contemplated for this area.

This view shows Sam Cooper's proximity to Broad Avenue, the heart of Binghampton. Binghampton was once its own city and Broad its main street. This view shows what was undoubtedly the most expensive part of the construction of the Sam Cooper extension: the bridge over the three railroad tracks owned by Canadian National, Union Pacific and CSX. These tracks were long the bane of commuters before the Sam Cooper extension was built, as Broad Avenue meets these railroads at grade.
This 1963 by HM Gousha for Shell Oil shows that the planned route for I-40/Sam Cooper would largely follow Autumn Ave.

In reality, the Sam Cooper extension was built in part where Autumn had been, which is why for a couple blocks just east of Hollywood there are home and businesses directly fronting Sam Cooper. Note the double sidewalk: the one closest to the structures was the original Autumn sidewalk, which reflects the location of that roadway. So, Sam Cooper at its northernmost alignment was still just to the south of where Autumn once ran.

Going east to the older section of Sam Cooper, we find ourselves on a fairly standard expressway.
As mentioned earlier, many of the signs along the older section of Sam Cooper still reflect that the route was meant to be part of I-40. Here, we find a sign that was clearly designed for an interstate route. In addition to the blank area of the sign in its upper left, the sign leads the driver to believe that a left at this location will provide him or her a fairly direct route to Little Rock. Nothing could be further from the truth; in fact, there are no additional signs to the west of this location that assist the driver on getting onto I-40, much less any other road to Little Rock.
This sign appears to be newer since it does not have a blank area for an interstate shield; it nevertheless directs people to Little Rock instead of "Midtown" or "Downtown."
And it's not just the westward signs that contain interstate-like signage. Of course, since the east end of Sam Cooper is indeed connected to I-40, which does provide a direct connection to Nashville, this old sign designed to carry the I-40 moniker is not as misleading.
Here, the "WEST Little Rock" sign has been blanked out. 

For many years, the section of I-40/Sam Cooper that was blocked through Evergreen left a landscape of driveway aprons that went nowhere. The same is true for the section of the roadway that was actually constructed. Shown here is Meade Ave. and its driveways to nowhere.

This map of the Highpoint Terrace neighborhood shows the proposed routing of Sam Cooper and how close it would come to Meade Ave.
Sam Cooper cut off Highpoint Terrace from a parochial school: Saint Michael's. This view shows the northern terminus of Grahamwood Street at Meade Ave. with St. Michael's behind the expressway.
To ameliorate cutting off a school with its potential student body, the State built this pedestrian overpass along Meade Ave. It was once joined by another overpass to its west, but that once has since been demolished after having been struck by a wayward vehicle on the Sam Cooper.
This sidewalk that runs parallel to Sam Cooper was built to join the Meade Ave. pedestrian overpass to North Swan Ridge Circle.
View of Sam Cooper Blvd. from the pedestrian overpass.
Unlike in Los Angeles and other cities, expressways are not commonly referred to by Memphis as "freeways" (after all, we don't have tollways). Yet the end of the older/eastern section of Sam Cooper is marked by this yellow sign that reads "FREEWAY ENDS."

The end of the freeway is also marked by an overabundance of reflectors. This method of alerting drivers to the end of the higher-speed section of Sam Cooper replaces thin strips of asphalt, the remnants can be seen to the right of the reflectors.

This view looking down the last block of Broad shows Sam Cooper at its closest proximity to the older street. It was along this block, on the right hand side, that my grandmother lived when she was young. One of her earliest memories is, at age six, helping a young caddy of about the same age limping home from nearby Chickasaw Country Club due to stepping on a tee.

Before we part ways, I would be remiss if I did not include this image from the 1958 book of Memphis' planned interstate highways. It shows Midtown 240 from Lamar to Poplar with way too many interchanges: there were to be complete interchanges with Lamar, Union and Poplar with partial ramps at Peabody, Linden, Madison and Jefferson. Thankfully, it was decided this would create too much confusion and conflicting acceleration and deceleration movements. In a future post, we will look at Memphis' other famous never-built-highway, Riverside Expressway.