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Memphis Court Square |
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Court Square provides the perfect place to sit in peace amid the
hustle of Downtown Memphis. The quiet oasis is surrounded by
office buildings and busy streets and offers a shady area with
fountains, statues, and a gazebo, and places to relax and enjoy the restored antique trolleys going by on Main
Street. The square is located between Main and Second Streets
at Court Avenue. Of all the 4 original
municipal parks laid out by the city planners in 1819, Court Square
is the only one left in its original form. Ironically the land
was set aside to build a court house, but no
courthouse was ever built on Court Square. It was however, the
site of Memphis' first schoolhouse.
The land
for Court Square was donated by John McLemore, one of the founders
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In 1876 the Hebe
Fountain, donated to the City by some prominent city leaders, was
erected in the center of the park. In Greek mythology Hebe was
the Cupbearer to the Gods. Memphians have enjoyed the
fountain, practically non-stop since it was dedicated. The
light display at night is especially beautiful. Hard to image
but there's one drowning associated with the fountain.
Originally the basin of the fountain was 6 1/2 feet deep, stocked
with cat fish and turtles, and no fence. In 1884, 10 year
old Claude Pugh, sitting on the edge, leaned too far and tumbled in.
The sloped edges were slippery from algae and he couldn't regain his
footing. Incredibly, the park was filled with visitors and no
one made an effort to save him. After struggling for several
minutes, he slipped beneath the surface. The Memphis Daily
Appeal reported
"Stalwart men stood silently by with staring eyes and gaping
mouths. Their hearts must have been made of stone, and
the milk of human kindness in their beasts sour whey.
More consideration would have been given a dumb beast"
The fountain is made of cast iron and is 20 feet high, with
a diameter of 35 feet and weighs 7000 pounds. It is a copy
after the great Italian sculptor Antonio Canova. In 1932
a movement was started to remove the fountain from Court Square (Hebe
is nude from the waist up), but their efforts didn't succeed.
In 1942, the statue was toppled in a wind storm and in 1949
re-erected after restoration. In 1957, the fish were changed
back from goldfish to catfish but so many were stolen that the fish
were taken out altogether. In 1980, the fountain was
completely renovated. |
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Fountain |
Fountain |
Fountain |
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Fountain |
Fountain |
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Fountain
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Court
Square appeared in the movie "The Firm" as the backdrop for a
meeting between Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman. Santa
Claus used to make annual appearances in the Gazebo during the
Christmas season. A temporary, prototype fallout shelter
was erected in 1960 to show Memphians the type of shelter they
can build at home to provide protection from a nuclear blast.
Today, Court Square remains one of the symbols of Memphis, and
is still surrounded by an intact grouping of architecturally
significant buildings.
In 1982 Court Square was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places. |
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Pavilion |
Malone Monument |
Plaque |
Plaque |
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<> Court
Square in Vintage Postcards over the years <> |
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1915 |
1906 |
Winter |
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1940s |
1912 |
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1941 |
1918 |
c. 1950s |
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Feeding Pigeons 1917
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1940s
1904 |
1906 |
1908 |
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1909... Canon |
1909 ... Canon |
1907 |
1909 |
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1905 "Squirrel Pasture" |
1907 "Squirrel Pasture" |
1907 |
1905 |
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c. 1909
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1905 |
1910 |
1905 |
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1909 |
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1910
- Pavilion |
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| 1942 ..Opposite Gerbers |
1905 |
1918 |
Court Sq Skyscrapers
1908 |
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<>
Court
Square Vintage Photos and Memorabilia <> |
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Thanks to the Memphis Public Library and the University
of Memphis Library for many of the photos on this page |
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| Don't feed the
squirrels 1918-20 |
Wm McKinley-1901 |
Mckinley-1901 |
Dish-Ashtray - 1930s |
Photo 1900 |
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| Silver Spoon - 1900-20 |
Winter -
1950s |
1900 |
Photo 1900 |
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Santa's House 1940 |
Santa's House - Rain
- Moon |
Santa and
Regina |
1906 |
Early 1900s |
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1932 |
1940s |
1940s |
Confederate Parade
1901 |
Confederate
Reunion 1924 |
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Souvenir
Spoons
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CleanUp-PaintUp-FixUp |
Jeff Davis
House |
Watercolor |
1908 |
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1912 |
Spoon 1910 |
Advertising |
Malone Monument
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Vintage
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Court Square -
Winter |
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1906 |
Spoons |
1887 Drawing |
Pigeons |
1891 Benjamin
Harrison |
Drawing 1862 |
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| Court-2nd |
Pigeons |
1909 UCV Reunion |
1909 UCV Reunion |
Record Snow
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1967 |
Vintage Drawing |
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Souvenir Creamer |
Vintage 1900s |
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Email |
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<>"I
lived in the downtown area when I was in high school, and I remember
Court Square very well. My mother worked at Gerber's for several
years. and many times I would meet her there when her work-day was
done. We would walk through Court Square, over to the Sterick
Building, and a block or two to our apartment on Madison. I have
spent many hours in that park, admiring the fountain, feeding the
pigeons and watching people". - Bob Mann |
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<>"...lots of
Memories". - Rex King |
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<>"...sure brings back
some good memories. The pictures are great". - Ruth Hage
St. Peter |
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<>"It's a unique place. I don't
get downtown very often now, but it is always a pleasure to walk
through Court Square when I do. Great photos". - Glenn
Raby |
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<>"Many memories there. I worked within
50 yards of it for several years. I had a few sack lunches there as
well". - Ed Bell. |
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<>"Court
Square was a place where all the kids would gather in long lines,
waiting for their chance to talk to Santa Claus. Court Square was
turned into the North Pole with Santa's house in the middle. People
were so happy at that time of year, and Elvis gave money to a
organization called The Goodfellows. They had kids come there every
year at Christmas time and we saw Santa, and got a toy or two, along
with some memories". - Vernon Cullum |
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<>"When
I was a child there was only one Santa Claus and he was always in
his little house in Court Square during the Christmas season". -
Regina Lee Page |
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<>"I
also remember feeding the pigeons and squirrels in the summer. You
could buy peanuts and popcorn at the little concession stand there".
-Joe Gordon |
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<>"These photos
really brought back memories. I especially perked up at the
one that showed Gerber's Department Store across the street from the
park. That was my favorite store. My sister Aileen,
worked in their photography department as a colorist before colored
film. I put an outfit on lay-a-way there one year and paid it
off a couple of dollars a week! They were very nice there.
Deep in my heart, Memphis will always be "home". - Joan Smith Ludwig |
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Credits |
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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. |
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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). |
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Memphis Court Square
Google Satellite Map |
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