Guest Author: Jim Rungee

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Quietly sitting on the north side of the far west end of Central Avenue in midtown Memphis is a small unassuming 4-foot-high stone wall, less frequently noticed than acknowledged.  It spans approximately 400 feet, and fronts the 5 homes from 1476 to 1510 Central Avenue.  Two pillars in its middle frame the entrance onto Rosemary Lane and the Central Gardens neighborhood.  Pillars at each end mark what formerly were the east and west front-yard corners of a long forgotten but once grand home at 1484 Central Avenue, and for which Rosemary Lane served as its driveway.

John "Johnny" Wade, the father of Joseph, had come to Memphis with his wife and 6 children from Madison, Indiana sometime between 1886 and 1890.  In 1892, he established John Wade & Sons, which, over 30 years, would become one of the south's largest feed, grain and flour business.  One of Johnny's 5 sons (George Edward) passes away in 1912, leaving a young wife and 3 small children, who Johnny supported with an allowance, and a trust for the children.  Johnny Wade himself died suddenly in April 13, 1919, leaving the grain business to his 4 surviving sons.  When James Goodbar died in 1920 (a year after Johnny's death), John Joseph "Joe" Wade, Johnny's 2nd son, purchased his home for $50,000.00.  Joe, his wife and their 6 children moved into the home in February 1921. 

At that point, the original lot had been reduced to about 5 acres, mostly by the development of Goodbar Avenue.  Besides the home, on the grounds were a servant's house, a garage/stable, and a barn in which livestock was kept.

The home as it appeared when the Wade family lived in it.  Note that the front driveway was what is currently Park Avenue.

I would estimate the floor space as between 6500 and 8000 square feet.  From its entry through the stone gate on Central, the driveway rose to a circle at the front entrance.  Across the south side was a wide porch and the front entry.  On the east side there was a screen porch and side entry with a porte-cochere through which the driveway passed to the rear of the house.  Built entirely of stone, it had a full basement in which there was a wine cellar, a laundry, and a coal fired furnace that heated water for the central heating system.  The entry hall was floored in marble and contained a grand staircase that squarely faced the front door.  The stairs rose straight up and then split left and right to a balcony that ran around both sides of the entry hall back to just above the front door.  From there the stairs rose to the third floor, thus making the ceiling of the entry all three stories above the floor.  On the front side of the house were a parlor, living room, and a dining room.  There was a bedroom with an attached bath that was used as a guest room rather than a master bedroom.  In the rear was the kitchen with both a gas and wood stove, as well as a combination scullery and butler's pantry situated between the kitchen and dining room.

The second floor had four bedrooms, each with its own dressing room.  There were only two bathrooms.  The girls shared a bath with the twins while Joe and Clark shared with their parents.

On the third floor there was another bedroom but no bath.  Also on the third floor was a billiard room which was the unofficial headquarters for the boys of the B2OP [NB - a social fraternity].  The attic was entirely floored and furnished.  *

* Harvesting Memories  Grant Wade .  Memphis, Tennessee

Despite central heat and a fireplace in every room, the house was always cold and damp in the winter, a condition which must have been aggravated by 13 foot ceilings.  Mimi recalled her parents remarking on the high cost of coal to fire the furnace; perhaps the coldness was more a matter of financial problems than physical design.  For whatever reason, Mimi remembers everyone wearing sweater and woolens in the winter.  The house was comfortable (before air-conditioning) during the long hot summers.

It is thought that Wade and Sons as a business was beginning to falter as early as 1917*.  But over the ensuing 10 years things accelerated.  Why that was happening is unclear - it could have been the loss of the patriarch's business acumen at his passing - within a year of Johnny's 1919 death, the company announced that it was expanding into the wholesale grocery business, which looks to have been abandoned after a year.

* Harvesting Memories  Grant Wade . Memphis, Tennessee

In February 1919, 2 months before Johnny Wade's death, Wade and Sons was charged in federal court with violations of the Food and Drugs Act, which they would settle and pay a $25.00 fine for 2 months later, and 10 days before Johnny's death.  It could have been a consequence of a transitioning economy from animal to fossil fuel power, and a less reliance on grain.  It could have been non-business distractions - in December, 1920, one son (Thomas) would begin what would become a multi-year highly publicized and costly divorce process; another son (Mark) was chronically ill, succumbing to his poor health in 1925; in 1926, George's surviving spouse sued John Wade & Sons for $30,000.00 which she says was owed for her children's trust that had been squandered by the 3 surviving brothers.  Thomas died in 1927, leaving only Joseph and brother Eugene Michael to run the company

So, in August, 1929, 2 months before the stock market crash and official start of the Great Depression, John Wade & Sons abruptly announced it was closing its doors and liquidating its assets.

The Great Depression

The Joseph Wade family continued to live in the house until mid-1935.  Joe opened an insurance company, "Joseph Wade & Son" in 1933.  He declined to become the Tennessee State Feed, Grain and Fertilizer Inspector when the state refused to provide him a chauffeur, as he did not drive.

After the Wades left the home in 1935, it was advertised as an apartment building in the classified section of the Commercial Appeal as "The Chateau".  This continued from 1935 -1939, until a final classified article in December 1939 notes that the home is being demolished, and that the salvaged stone, lumber and stained glass are for sale.

The four Memphis directories below verify the Wade's Business listings and addresses.