Vollintine Hills Historic District
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Vollintine Hills Historic District is a
historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
located in the Midtown area of
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, notable for its cohesive collection of 78 post-World War II
Minimal Traditional Minimal Traditional is a style of architecture that emerged in mid 20th century America as a vernacular form that incorporates influences from earlier styles such as American Colonial, Colonial Revival, Spanish Revival, Tudor Revival, and American ...
and
ranch-style houses Ranch (also known as American ranch, California ranch, rambler, or rancher) is a domestic architectural style that originated in the United States. The ranch-style house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and wide open layout. ...
built around a former
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
. "The neighborhood represents the efforts of members of an
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
religious group to accommodate their beliefs by developing a synagogue and housing for the congregation within easy walking distance." Added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2007, the area also includes the former site of the
Baron Hirsch Synagogue Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...
, built in two phases—1950-52 and 1955-57—in the International Style and set on a site at the southwest corner of the district. (Section 7, page 1) With When it was completed in 1957, the main sanctuary of the synagogue was the largest in the United States, according to the
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for ...
. Houses within the district are largely "intact and homogeneous building stock constructed between 1946–1957" in conjunction with the synagogue, and are within walking distance of the former synagogue. They originally served to house its
orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
congregation." The district has been singled out for its unity by both "its historic building stock and contiguity to the former synagogue." Vollintine Hills is notable as a clearly definable geographic area, whose physical development, "defined by the needs of a religious community," is "readily distinguishable from surrounding properties." Although the synagogue was vacated in 1984 and moved to a new location farther east in Memphis, the original building still stands and in 1992 was sold by the congregation to the Gethsemane Garden Church of God in Christ. (Section 8, page 20)Members OK Sale of Old Baron Hirsch Site", The Commercial Appeal, June 1992. The historic area "continues to be a viable area today, adapting to changing times and needs." Vollintine Hills is located approximately four miles east of the downtown Memphis central building district in the northern section of the Midtown area, and is roughly bounded by Vollintine Avenue, Brown Avenue, McLean Boulevard, and Evergreen Street.


Recent events

In 2008, a controversial proposal to build a multistory 117-unit apartment development on of land behind the former synagogue site was rejected by the Memphis City Council. Fearing that the project would "affect the integrity of the Vollintine Hills" historic district and "destabilize the neighborhood," residents of the Vollintine Hills neighborhood had vigorously opposed the development, which was part of a proposal by the Gethsemane Garden Church of God in Christ, which purchased the former synagogue in 1992. The Memphis City Council sided with Vollintine Hills residents, ultimately upholding a 1947 covenant covering the kind of housing allowed in the neighborhood, restricting it specifically to single-family houses on individual lots. Parts of the covenant read, "All lots in the subdivision shall be described as residential" and "No construction other than single-family dwellings shall be built and none over two stories." Residents of the area had united for several months, voicing their concerns that the development would affect the integrity of the historic district by introducing a high occupancy structure into the district of single-family homes which mark its character and for which it was cited for inclusion in the NRHP. Increased traffic, parking, and environmental impact were also issues of concern. Residents intensified their efforts after an initial approval of the project by the Memphis Land Use Control Board despite their opposition. Project developers had altered their plans repeatedly in response to the concerns by neighbors about the size and design of the proposed development, scaling back the original proposal. Local news coverage took note of the Vollintine Hills community's highly organized opposition and efforts to preserve the character of their historic neighborhood, characterizing the district as "a middle-income area of 50- to 80-year-old homes on the National Register of Historic Places that is vigorously maintained by some of the most diligent neighborhood activists in town."


References

{{Memphis, Tennessee Geography of Memphis, Tennessee Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Memphis, Tennessee 1950 establishments in Tennessee