A Quick Overview

Original Concept for Overton Square

During it's prime, Overton Square was a destination for shopping, dining, night life, festivals, concerts, and everything social. Places like Bombay Bicycle Club jazz bar, Paulette's French Restaurant, Gonzales & Gertrude's, and Solomon Alfred's music club were at the heart of this midtown node of activity.

First talk of the square came in November of 1969 with the passing of a Memphis referendum approving liquor to be sold by the drink (rather than by the bottle). The following day, the square's four founders went public with their plans to develop the small plot of land south of Overton Park, what was, then, one of Memphis' premier public green spaces. "Our project is not designed for young people," Robinson, one of the original founders, told the Commercial Appeal. "It's designed for people who think young -- whether they are 18 or 80. It will be contemporary, up to date. We're not interested in Glenn Miller or Tommy Dorsey, but we're not interested in hippies either." To be honest, I'm not sure who either one of those people are, but a lot can be taken from Robinson's statement.

Robinson was saying that they were setting out to design a space to the masses. They wanted diversity within the new development. It wasn't a matter of attracting one crowd or class. Overton Square was to be a place for anyone and everyone to gather and interact. This is what landscape architects, at least the good ones (in my opinion), strive to design. It wasn't about creating a space for the wealthy, well-to-do Memphians. Neither was it about a political or social movement. It was simply about providing a well designed space to foster interaction among citizens of a community.

After 5 years, Overton Square Expands

So what got it all started? Believe it or not, the cornerstone of the square was the first franchise location for TGI Friday's, the restaurant that we know today to have locations across the nation. Within 18 months of Friday's grand opening, 20 Overton Square businesses had opened their doors to the public. 

With business thriving and inspired by Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, the developers began to create what would become the premier Memphis destination east of downtown.

Lawrence Halprin's design for Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco inspired the developers with it's angled buildings, variations in elevation, strong definition of space, and diversity of visitors. After visiting Ghirardelli Square in May of 2011, I can definitely see elements in Overton Square that clue back to this precedent for semi-private space. However, Overton falls short to capture the same feeling. It lacks the unified architecture, customized character, and dynamic pedestrian experience found in Halprin's design.