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Country music star's home demolished
O'Neal, Lee Ann. The Tennessean [Nashville, Tenn] 24 Sep 2005: B.1.
Evergreen Place * One of the earliest homes built in Nashville. * Oldest portion built in the late 18th century by
a prominent Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Thomas B. Craighead. * Home was expanded in 1832. * Dog-trot
style home fashioned in an 'L' shape. * Site also home to two log cabins, which some historians say were once
slave quarters. * Recently known as the home of the Jim Reeves Museum. Jim Reeves was a country music
signer whose hits include Four Walls, Welcome to My World and Distant Drums. * Go to
www.tennesseepreservationtrust.org to see a Tennessee Preservation Trust list of the "state's most endangered
historic sites."
Owner's attorney, Metro dispute whether notice given properly [CORRECTION APPENDED]
By LEE ANN O'NEAL
Staff Writer
The historic Jim Reeves Museum site lies in heaps under the shade of maple trees.
An old RCA television, gutted, interrupts the mass of wood.
And preservationist Stephen Brown, in hiking boots and jeans, sighs.
Brown and others were shaken by the demolition of Evergreen Place, a more than 200-year-old dog-trot-style
house in Inglewood near Briley Parkway. The house at 5007 Gallatin Pike formerly housed the Jim Reeves
Museum. The site is slated to become a Home Depot.
"It's a corpse," said Brown, vice president of Tennessee Preservation Trust.
He touched a poplar beam jutting out of the rubble. He pointed out the saw marks and leaned up and down,
showing how the rafter was cut years ago.
To him, the Thursday demolition of the home was further proof that our culture has moved too far away from
appreciating our own legacy.
"It was telling a story from 208 years ago," he said. "Hydraulics and machinery were used as a weapon to
commit a crime. Due process has been violated."
But to some neighbors in the area, the home was an eyesore that attracted a criminal element and needed to
come down.
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Property owner Robert Moore said Brown and the others who gathered at the site yesterday morning were
trespassers on private property. Moore owns the 15 acres and has it under option to The Home Depot for
development.
Metro Codes issued a demolition permit Thursday. Hours later, at the behest of Metro preservation officials, they
took it back, posting a stop-work order at the site, city officials said.
Whether the demolition had proper notice, or any notice at all, remains at issue.
Moore's attorney, Tom White, said the demolition team arrived at 5:30 p.m. and did not see the order.
Fred Zahn, with the Metropolitan Historic Zoning Commission, said he was on site from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., when
he notified aperson he believed to be a subcontractor.
And Metro's law director produced as proof pictures he says show a stop-work order on the mansion structure by
4:30 p.m.
"There was absolutely no stop-work order on that property, period," said White, senior partner with Tune
Entrekin & White. "If it was up, it was not up there when we got there."
White said the building was taken down in less than an hour and a half.
Some neighbors said they're glad the house is gone. After all, when the house was tied up in bankruptcy, neither
the city nor the preservationists did anything to repair it, they said. Preservationists said there was nothing they
could legally do.
Resident Frances Adams watched the demolition.
"Some clapped to see it go down," she said.
Another neighbor, Laura Dennis, said the home in recent years had became a magnet for homeless people and
stray dogs. At least when Moore bought the property, he cut the grass, she said.
"There were homeless people living in there. There were sleeping bags, clothes, food containers. You could see
where fires had been set inside," she said.
Brad Willoughby, president of the Inglewood Neighborhood Association, said support for The Home Depot was
"overwhelming" at a recent neighborhood meeting, an affirmation that Councilman Michael Craddock, who held
the meeting, confirmed.
John Warner, 80, of Joyce Lane, surveyed the rubble yesterday.
"I don't like it," he said of the demolition. "I was hoping they could fix it up and do something with it."
But Warner, who has lived there 54 years, won't fight progress. He's moving on, selling his place, although he
doesn't know yet where he'll go.
"They're going to buy my place," he said. "They went up three times on the price. They want to build it up." o
Lee Ann O'Neal can be reached at 259-8814 or loneal@tennessean.com.
Evergreen Place
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* One of the earliest homes built in Nashville.
* Oldest portion built in the late 18th century by a prominent Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Thomas B.
Craighead.
* Home was expanded in 1832.
* Dog-trot style home fashioned in an 'L' shape.
* Site also home to two log cabins, which some historians say were once slave quarters.
* Recently known as the home of the Jim Reeves Museum. Jim Reeves was a country music signer whose hits
include Four Walls, Welcome to My World and Distant Drums.
* Go to www.tennesseepreservationtrust.org to see a Tennessee Preservation Trust list of the "state's most
endangered historic sites."
SOURCES: The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture, Tennessee Preservation Trust, Tennessean
archives.
Make your voice heard
Two log houses, which some historians say were once homes for slaves, remain on the site. The property owner
has said he is committed to relocating those, and some neighbors believe they should be moved to Litton Middle
School.
Do you think the main house should have been demolished? What do you think should happen to the two log
houses?
* Robert Moore, property owner; Mail: 1615 Parkway Towers, 404 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, Tenn.
37219; Phone: 256-7531
* Home Depot; Phone: 770-433-8211
* Councilman Michael Craddock; Phone: 226-0521; E-mail: michael.craddock@nashville.gov
* Councilman Jason Hart; Phone: 262-1791; E-mail: jason.hart@nashville.gov
* Patrick McIntyre, Tennessee Preservation Trust; Phone: 259-2289; E-mail: tnprestr@bellsouth.net
* Fred Zahn, Metropolitan Historic Zoning Commission; Phone: 862-7970; E-mail: fred.zahn@nashville.gov
* Tell us what you think. CC your comments to: politics@tennessean.com.
At Tennessean.com
View pictures of the former Jim Reeves Museum site and letters from Metro departments about the demolition.
State law
This is the portion of the law cited by Metro Codes officials in issuing a stop-work notice at the former Jim Reeves
Museum site:
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"Restrictions on demolition of residential structures -- Approval of demolition.
"No owner may demolish any residential structure which meets all of the following criteria unless the county or
municipal legislative body, as provided in this part, approves by majority vote such demolition:
"(1) The residential structure was originally constructed before 1865;
"(2) The residential structure is reparable at a reasonable cost;
"(3) The residential structure has a historical significance besides age itself, including, but not limited to,
uniqueness of architecture, occurrence of historical events, notable former residents, design by a particular
architect, or construction by a particular builder."
SOURCE: TENNESSEE CODE ANNOTATED 7-15-1201
Most endangered historic sites
In 2004, Evergreen Place was on a list called "Ten in Tennessee." The Tennessee Preservation Trust puts out the
list, billed as "a roster of the state's most-endangered historic sites," on their Web site.
Here is the 2005 list:
Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, Jamestown, Fentress County
Mount Olivet Cemetery Office/Chapel, Nashville, Davidson County
Anderson-Coward House, Memphis, Shelby County
Shake Rag (McNabb Mines), Marion County
Battle of Franklin Sites, Franklin, Williamson County
Central Elementary School, Union City, Obion County
Matt Gardner Homestead, Elkton, Giles County
Mining Sites of Coal Hill, Scott County
Middle Tennessee State University's President's House, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County
Crosstown Sears, Memphis, Shelby County
SOURCE: www.tennesseepreservationtrust.org.
PHOTO; CREDIT: MATTHEW H. STARLING: CAPTION: What's left of the Jim Reeves Museum sign rests against a
stump on the Inglewood site after the 200-year-old structure was torn down Thursday night. The property
owner has the 15-acre site under option to The Home Depot for development.
CORRECTION:
The Jim Reeves Museum at Evergreen Place was never the country music star's home, as a headline wrongly
stated on Page 1B Saturday.
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Indexing (details)
Subject Museums;
Luxury homes;
Hiking boots
Title Country music star's home demolished
Author O'Neal, Lee Ann
Publication title The Tennessean
Pages B.1
Publication year 2005
Publication date Sep 24, 2005
Year 2005
Section Local
Publisher Gannett Co., Inc.
Place of publication Nashville, Tenn.
Country of publication United States
ISSN 10536590
Source type Newspapers
Language of publication English
Document type News
ProQuest document ID 239749667
Document URL http://search.proquest.com/docview/239749667?
accountid=33208
Copyright Copyright 2005 - Tennessean, The - All Rights Reverved
Last updated 2012-12-27
Database The Tennessean
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The Tennessean regrets the error.
THIS CORRECTION RAN ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2005 ON PAGE 2B.
Copyright 2005 - Tennessean, The - All Rights Reverved