The H. J. Parrish House

The circa 1906 hipped roof, asymmetrical high style house is a subtype of the Prairie House movement which began quietly in the last decades of the 19th century. This is one of the few indigenous American styles. It was developed by an unusually creative group of Chicago style architects now known as the Prairie School (1900 to 1920). Architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867 to 1960) is acknowledged master of the Prairie House. According to author Eugene Johnson’s Memphis: An Architectural Guide, it is one of the finest efforts by architect Neander M. Woods, Jr. “Woods took full advantage of the corner lot site to design a house of great sculptural vigor that works from any direction of approach. Woods’ trademark diagonal porte-cochere splits the twostory, circular bulge on the east from the elaborate play of planes and roof levels on the west. The mixture of materials and the wavy joints of the stonework are particularly marvelous here. One would dearly like to know the name of the extraordinarily talented mason. The Parrish House is one of Woods’ finest efforts.

The residence’s original owner H. J. Parrish was a prominent businessman in cottonseed products and general manager of the Gayoso Oil Works. He was also president of the Merchants’ Exchange, which erected another Neander Woods building in 1911: the nineteen-story Exchange Building which survives on Second Street, and was Memphis’ tallest building for twenty years.

In 1919, the home was purchased by Mrs. Elizabeth Dies, widow of former Commissioner of Public Utilities under Boss Crump, Thomas Dies. Thomas Dies had passed two years before the purchase of the home in a suspicious death, caused by an “accidental gun shot” while cleaning his pistol at his S. Main office. Dies had been a respected businessman who started as a grocer in the late 1800s. He invested his profits in real-estate, owning many properties in the city, and later became involved in politics. Controversy surrounded his years as Commissioner of Public Works as his earlier role in negotiations between warehouse developers and railroad interests (the Harahan Bridge Project) came into question. Under scrutiny, he

1906 resigned from office in 1916. As for Elizabeth Dies, she unsuccessfully sued the Fidelity & Casualty Company for payout on her husband’s life insurance. Mrs. Dies lived in the home until her death in 1956. Her obituary states that she was a former member of the Nineteenth Century Club and active in social and civic affairs during her youth. She died at 85 years of age.

More notables lived in the home after Mrs. Dies passed, including a well-loved writer from the Memphis Press Scimitar, Paul Fairleigh, and Sherry Mathis

The home has been lovingly cared for through the decades with many modifications and upgrades completed over time. Current owners (need to find out if we can use their names) Angela Howard and Tina Motroni have recently finished renovations to include opening up the breakfast room space, replacing wood floors and updating the “she-shed” by the pool.