John Gaston's ... Restaurant, Hotel, Park and Hospital

John Gaston's

... Restaurant, Hotel, Park, and Hospital




Ever hear of Gaston's Restaurant or Hotel? Most Memphians remember the John Gaston Hospital, but Gaston's Restaurant? John Gaston opened his restaurant in 1871 and it closed about 1916. It was a highly rated and popular restaurant-hotel and by 1883 had such amenities as a bar, barber shop and billiard parlor, in addition to 100 rooms for guests. Gaston's establishment became the place to be for movers and shakers who often met at the hotel to discuss business arrangements. And then there were the celebrities, such as Oscar Wilde, who were a common sight here. The hotel actually grew out of the more famous Restaurant which originally opened at 31 Court Avenue .

Click on small photos to see an enlargement

Jean Gaston . June 4, 1828 - March 1, 1912

		Jean Gaston was born near Bordeaux, France in 1828. By the age of 6 he had already begun working in his uncle's (or grandfather's) small cafe in Paris. while in his teens Gaston found employment as a steward on a steamer going between Le Havre and New York city. He made this voyage many times. Between the restaurant and steamer work he completely absorbed the "food and hospitality business".
Bordeaux France	Bordeaux Harbor

In the late 1850s he decided to stay in New York City and found work as a waiter at the world famous restaurant Delconico's and worked his way up from waiter to chef. Delmonico's was not just "a restaurant". It was THE restaurant that introduced fine dining to America along with the "perfect steak", Eggs Benedict, Baked Alaska, Lobster Newburg, and Chicken A la Keene. It was here that young Jean Gaston perfected his culinary skills.


Le Havre port 1850s	Le Havre Steamer	Delconico's NYC	Delmonico's NYC	1914 menu

Commercial Restaurant . Gaston's first restaurant at Adams and Main


Shortly before the Civil War, Gaston had traveled to California as a steward and then to Georgia with the same occupation. When the war began he accepted employment with the Confederacy as a steward, landing in Memphis, almost penniless, after the war. But Jean Gaston had a penchant for making money. Once again he quickly found employment at a waiter and saved his money until in 1866, he opened the "Commercial Restaurant" in downtown Memphis at Adams and Main. Within weeks, because of his keen knowledge of the business, he had begun amassing a small fortune. The newspapers of the day call him "that prince of caterers."
	Adams & Main


1877 "Commercial"	1868 Directory	JEAN Gaston	"Commercial"	1867"Commercial"...	"Prince of Caterers"

Gaston's Restaurant and Hotel . 31-33 Court Street at Main

By 1871 his growing reputation allowed him to open a much larger restaurant called Gaston's — complete with a first-class hotel — overlooking Court Square. His hotel grew to 100 rooms and his restaurant was termed by connoisseur's as "Delmonico's of the South". And Jean Gaston quietly became one of the wealthiest citizens of Memphis. He also dropped his French name of "Jean" and became "John".. The only Memphis establishment on a par with Gaston's was Luehrmann's Hotel-Restaurant, nearby on Main Street. (The Gaston address changed to 107-111 Court Avenue during renumbering in 1905)

Gaston's Restaurant - Hotel


Overlooking Court Square	Rare photo of Gaston's	Taxi's waiting...	1877 Review	1878 Ad

John Gaston became very, very rich. Prominent Memphis and famous celebrities who visited Memphis, all dined at his restaurant, and many stayed at his hotel. During his first tour to the U.S. in 1882, Oscar Wilde chose Memphis as one of his stops, and Gaston's as his hotel. Wilde presented a lecture on "Decorative Art" at Leubrie's Theatre. The US press and the local press were not too kind to Mr. Wilde. For many months before and after his visit, there were almost daily articles about him. Most of the attention seemed to focus on his dress - wearing knickers and silk stockings. The articles below are only a few of the hundreds we came across in our research.

Oscar Wilde


Wilde Ad -1882	1882 Review	Leubries Theatre	Article 1882	Article 1882	Article 1882

Gaston's Restaurant - Hotel . Articles and Memorabilia

The 1883 "Commercial and Statistical Review of Memphis" describes Gaston's:

"This is one of the leading hotels in Tennessee in all that pertains to a first-class house. Founded in 1877 by its present proprietor, and twice enlarged since that time, it has attained a position in the estimation of the public that ranks it equal to any similar establishment in the United States, reflecting credit upon the enterprise that designed it and the ability with which it is conducted".


1895 Envelope	1902 Envelope	1902 Letter	1908 Envelope

"Ever since its opening it has been universally regarded, not only as the most pleasant and convenient resort of the traveling public, but as one of the most home-like and comfortable hotels in the South. In every thing that pertains to the comfort and well-being of its guests it stands unrivaled. In the matter of elegant and sumptuous furniture, heating and ventilating apparatuses, airy hallways, prompt and polite attention, and a menu unsurpassed in this section, the reputation and popularity of Gaston's Hotel, in the light of these advantages, is not surprising".


1876	1877	1879	1880 Ad	Gaston's

"The building is one of the most elegant structures in the city, four stories high and 185 x 100 feet in size, and contains 100 sleeping rooms, with two spacious and elegant parlors, a large dining-room with a capacity for seating 100 guests, all furnished in the most tasteful and appropriate manner. Each floor is supplied with gas, water-closets, bath-rooms and other conveniences, while ample precautions are taken against fire. Hydraulic passenger and baggage elevators are in use, as well as an improved system of electric bells. The front of the building is lighted by electric lights. An elegant billiard parlor and a first-class bar are connected with the house, along with a barber shop". (The address changed to 107-111 Court Avenue during renumbering in 1905)


1871 Directory	1891 Scimitar	1900 Directory	1885 Ad	1900 Ad

The 1897 photo on the right is very rare. It shows the Gaston Restaurant AND it also shows the building on the corner where we generally expect to find the Porter Building. This may be the only photo that shows the building at that location BEFORE the Porter Building was built. We don't know where this photo came from.
	Gaston Restaurant

John Gaston's first wife was Julia T. Meier who had 3 children by a previous husband. Julia died young and after her death John married her daughter Theresa. Gaston built a large and beautiful mansion on Third Street (Sadly no photos have surfaced). By 1900, John Gaston had partially retired to his beautiful home. He died in 1912 at the age of 84 and is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery. His restaurant and hotel closed, but the buildings have (amazingly) survived.

John Gaston


Julia T. Meier	Theresa Gaston	Gaston Mausoleum	Gaston Buildings today...	Gaston Marker

Theresa was the benefactor of Gaston's wealth. After John's death, she remarried becoming Teresa Gaston Mann. When she died in 1929, she honored John's request that their home become a hospital. The land and the mansion were bequeathed to the city along with $150,000 to build a community center. The bulk of the rest of his fortune was left to the city for construction of a new city hospital on Madison.
	1905 Article	Gaston's

Update 8-2017: This previously unknown photo of the Gaston mansion, appeared in the 1929 Evening Appeal after the death of Mrs. Gaston-Mann, along with her photo. It is the only known photo of the mansion and of Mrs. Gaston-Mann. At her death, she was considered the richest woman in Memphis.
	Gaston Mansion 1929

Gaston Park . S. Third Street

The original Park was designed by master designer George Kessler in 1902. John Gaston donated the land for the park in 1912 but it was not built until after his wife's death. When she died in 1929, she left the Gaston Mansion and the land to the city, who demolished the Gaston mansion and converted the land to Gaston Park, complete with a great community center. In 1978, the center was refurbished and a library was added. Today, the facilities include the Gaston Community Center, a pavilion, play equipment, ball field, basketball court, and fitness trail. The Community Center is the oldest active center in Memphis.


Gaston Park location	Gaston Park today...	Gaston Park postcard	Community Center

John Gaston Hospital . Madison Avenue

Before he died in 1912, John Gaston had always told his friends that he wanted his mansion converted into a public hospital. That didn't happen until the death of his wife in 1929. Then the mansion was deemed too small for a decent hospital and it was demolished and the property was converted into Gaston Park. Then the bulk of Gaston's fortune, supplemented by funds from the Public Works Administration, was used to build a brand new city hospital in the Madison Avenue Medical District. The John Gaston Hospital opened in 1936 and remained one of the city's busiest hospitals until it was demolished in 1990 to make way for the growth of "The Med".

Theresa's bequest supported charity care but a crucial stipulation was that the hospital would be open to Memphians, as well as citizens of Arkansas and Mississippi. City officials felt this would be an open invitation to the area's poor and vagrants, so they let the bequest "cool off". The decaying Memphis General Hospital was so "over-burdened" that the Gaston bequest soon became big news again. The city fought the will's stipulation of allowing citizens of Arkansas and Mississippi in court, and won, so the building of the John Gaston Hospital began that year - opening in 1936.



1937 Flood Refugees	1948 Residentsf	1936 New Hospital	1947 Postcard	1990 Demo

When Theresa Gaston-Mann died in 1929, the two items on the right appeared in the Evening Appeal. >

Billie Nicole Lovett writes . 6-21-2013:

	My grandparents, William and Mary Webb, were caretakers of the Gaston Mansion after Theresa Gaston Mann died. ... My Uncle was actually born there. I have a desk-wash basin from the mansion that actually was used in the hotel. I have a print "Widgeons and Partridges" that hung in the dining room ... and a piano stool. We recently found an 1867 check from the German National Bank of Memphis made out to John Gaston and endorsed by him on the back. My Mother told me that Mr. Mann (Theresa Gaston Mann's 2nd husband) gave them several items from the mansion . They were later sold because they were just too large to fit into their small home.

I know that local neighborhood dances were held in the mansion ballroom on a routine basis on weekends. Gaston Park had many activities for the neighborhood children. They even held contests with other parks. My parents actually met each other at one of these contests when they were children . My uncle Billy (whom I was named after) was born in the mansion in 1932. The picture, below, is the family before he was born. It was taken about the time they moved into the mansion. The picture with the two girls, below, is my Aunt Lillian and my Mother. It may have been taken at Gaston Park during a parade or one of the contests.


*This desk-wash basin from the Gaston Mansion was originally from the Gaston Hotel*


*Piano Stool*	*Dining Rm Print*	*1867 Check to John Gaston and endorsed by him.*


*Webb Family*	*Aunt - Mother*	Very Rare 1888 Mardi Gras invitation to John Gaston

Thank you Billie Nicole Lovett, for allowing us to publish your collection on the Historic-Memphis.com website

Credits

The Historic-Memphis website does not intentionally post copyrighted photos and material without permission or credit. On occasion a "non-credited" photo might possibly be posted because we were unable to find a name to give credit. Because of the nature of our non-commercial, non-profit, educational website, we strongly believe that these photos would be considered "Fair Use. We have certainly made no monetary gain, although those using this website for historic or Genealogy research have certainly profited. If by chance, we have posted your copyrighted photo, please contact us, and we'll remove it immediately, or we'll add your credit if that's your choice. In the past, we have found that many photographers volunteer to have their works included on these pages and we'll also do that if you contact us with a photo that fits a particular page.

The "Historic-Memphis" website would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their contributions which helped make this website possible: Memphis Public Library, Memphis University Library, Memphis Law Library, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis Press Scimitar, Shelby County Register of Deeds, Memphis City Schools, Memphis Business Men's Club, Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Memphis City Park Commission, Memphis Film Commision, Carnival Memphis, Memphis Historical Railroad Page, Memphis Heritage Inc, Beale Street Historic District, Cobblestone Historic District, Memphis Historic Districts, Vance Lauderdale Family Archives, Tennessee State Archives, Library of Congress, Kemmons Wilson Family, Richard S. Brashier, Lee Askew, George Whitworth, Woody Savage and many individuals whose assistance is acknowledged on the pages of their contributions. Special thanks to Memphis Realtor, Joe Spake, for giving us carte blanche access to his outstanding collection of contemporary Memphis photos.

We do not have high definition copies of the photos on these pages. If anyone wishes to secure high definition photos, you'll have to contact the photographer or the collector. (To avoid any possibility of contributing to SPAM, we do not maintain a file of email addresses for anyone who contacts us).

Please visit the website that sponsors this page

Historic Memphis Website