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Landmark and Legend
Memphis, TN
Here we note legends-in-their-own-time and landmarks as they transition into history


 
Highland Street Church of Christ Buildings
1950 - 2011
 
The Highland Street Church of ChristIn 1950 the Normal Church of Christ, located on Southern Avenue east of Highland Street, constructed a new building at Highland and Midland Avenue and renamed itself the Highland Street Church of Christ. Numerous additions were added over the years until the mid-2000s when the congregation voted to relocate. The final Sunday service at Highland and Midland was January 27, 2008. Demolition of the building was expected to begin in summer (2008).


A ceremonial ground breaking for the new church building was held November 30, 2008 on Houston Levee Road just north of Walnut Grove Road on land the church had previously acquired. Although shortly after beginning services at an interim site at Harding Academy discussions were begun with Briarcrest Christian School about purchasing its facilities near I-240 and Poplar Avenue for the church, in September, 2008 the church decided to continue with its plan on Houston Levee Road.

The property at Highland and Midland was bought by Memphis based Poag & McEwen for $5.2-million and is to be redeveloped as part of "Highland Row," a mixed retail, restaurant and residential area. The plans allocate 100,000 square feet for retail and restaurants, above which will be 234 residential units.

For nearly three years the buildings at the former site of the church remained standing. The downturn in the economy put the redevelopment plans on hold. In late October, 2011, however, the church buildings were demolished.

In November, 2011, Worthington Hyde Partners doing business as Highland Row Land Partners LLC bought the property for $2.6-million. Principals in Worthington Hyde Partners are Pitt Hyde III, currently chairman of GTx Inc and founder of Memphis headquartered AutoZone Inc., John H. Pontius, who served as director of finance and administration for the City of Memphis from 1986 to 1991, and Atlanta based Robert W. Worthington.

For more information about the proposed and ongoing redevelopment of the Highland Street area often known as the Normal area near the University of Memphis, see the web site of the University Neighborhoods Development Corporation
Heavy equipment finishes the demolition of the buildings formerly housing the Highland Street Church of Christ
The photo above, taken October 24, 2011, shows the former site of the
Highland Street Church of Christ as heavy equipment finishes the demolition of the buildings.

Whoops! The Commercial Appeal's front page October 25, 2011, reports the Church of Christ buildings were demolished in 2010. Not so, demoltion took place in October, 2011.
Whoops! The Commercial Appeal's front page October 25, 2011, reports the Highland Street
Church of Christ buildings were demolished in 2010. Not so, as noted and pictured above, demolition took place in October, 2011.
(Sometimes not having enough reporters to actually take a look at what's going on proves to be a problem!)
Former location of the Highland Street Church of Christ, which has been cleared.
Above is a November 15, 2011, photo of the area where the Highland Street Church of Christ used to be. The builidng and parking lots have been cleared.