East Nashvillian Issue 09 by The East Nashvillian

Music Legend

Bob Moore

Vernon

Vol. 2, Issue 3 January / February 2012

Winfrey

Conundrum

remembering

Vic Varallo

The Evolution of East Nashvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s . C OM Main Street

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S T N E T N O C F

Publisher Lisa McCauley Editor Chuck Allen Associate Editor Daryl Sanders Design Director Jeff Stamper Contributing Writers Chuck Allen Helen Gaye Brewster Caitlin Cuppernull Eric Jans Robbie D. Jones Carole Anne King Theresa Laurence Melanie Meadows Lynn Taylor Contributing Photographers Chuck Allen Stacie Huckeba Theresa Laurence Melanie Meadows Advertising Contact: Lisa McCauley lisa@theeastnashvillian.com 615-582-4187

www.theeastnashvillian.com

© 2012 Kitchen Table Media, LLC The East Nashvillian is published bimonthly by Kitchen Table Media, LLC. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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O E L B TA 9

Family Fun by the River Cumberland Park gives East bank a much-needed facelift

Bob Moore p.27

By Helen Gaye Brewster

The 2011 East Nashvillians of the Year Eric Jans and The Green Wagon

Winberry Place Vernon Winfrey hopes to spark revitalization in Cleveland Park

The Gallatin Road Conundrum The evolution of East Nashville’s Main Street

By Melanie Meadows

By Theresa Laurence

By Robbie D. Jones

Bob Moore A poor kid with a lot of talent grows up to become one of the world's most influential musicians

A Unified Voice From the Cornelia Fort Airpark to nonworking streetlights, Rosebank Neighbors represents its community

By Chuck Allen

By Carole Anne King

Eclectic Elegance A selected guide to historic homes in East Nashville, Part II By Lynn Taylor

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Shape Shifters Health and fitness focus of new East Nashville businesses By Eric Jans

‘You would have loved him’ Remembering Vic Varallo, 1922-2011 By Caitlin Cuppernull

Cover photos by Stacie Huckeba Composite illustration by Jeff Stamper

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S T N E T N O C F

www.theeastnashvillian.com

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O E L B TA 9

Family Fun by the River Cumberland Park gives East bank a much-needed facelift

Bob Moore p.27

By Helen Gaye Brewster

The 2011 East Nashvillians of the Year Eric Jans and The Green Wagon

Winberry Place Vernon Winfrey hopes to spark revitalization in Cleveland Park

The Gallatin Road Conundrum The evolution of East Nashville’s Main Street

By Melanie Meadows

By Theresa Laurence

By Robbie D. Jones

Bob Moore A poor kid with a lot of talent grows up to become one of the world's most influential musicians

A Unified Voice From the Cornelia Fort Airpark to nonworking streetlights, Rosebank Neighbors represents its community

By Chuck Allen

By Carole Anne King

Eclectic Elegance A selected guide to historic homes in East Nashville, Part II By Lynn Taylor

38 40

Shape Shifters Health and fitness focus of new East Nashville businesses By Eric Jans

‘You would have loved him’ Remembering Vic Varallo, 1922-2011 By Caitlin Cuppernull

Cover photos by Stacie Huckeba Composite illustration by Jeff Stamper

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Inglewood

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

o begin with, a confession for which I beg your forgiveness in advance: When Lisa and I were first batting around the idea for the magazine you’re holding, one of my first thoughts was, “I hope we have enough material to keep the stories interesting.” I suppose one could say I was a victim at the time of “the grass is always greener on the other side” syndrome.

Computers Repair / Accessories

Police Scanners

New Models / Repair / Programming

Another adage comes to mind as well: familiarity breeds contempt. Before you throw the magazine at

me allow me to expound. We’ve lived through an age in our society in which we’ve been conditioned to believe happiness resides somewhere over the rainbow, all the while ignoring the blessings that have been laid at our feet. Although I’ve always been fascinated by history, I, too, have overlooked the wonders surrounding me — historically speaking. It’s easy to get into a routine, driving the same roads, seeing the same things, all the

Toys

New Models / Repair / Accessories

Turntables

New Models / Needles / Repair / Accessories

while taking for granted the incredible tapestry of history lying just beneath the surface. That being said, it should come as no surprise that I was mesmerized while conducting the interview with legendary bass man Bob Moore. He and his wife Kittra were kind enough to invite Lisa and me to

Amps Repaired

their Brentwood home in December, and by the time we left, I felt like I had enough material for a book.

Don’t forget Valentine’s Day February 14

Condensing a story like his into a few pages is no small feat, especially given the fact that his playing

The RadioShack® with Electronic Technicians

and arrangements graced literally hundreds of No. 1 records. To say Bob played with everybody is an

In Inglewood, on Gallatin Road near the Train Bridge

understatement; he played with EVERYBODY. Walking the streets of East Nashville will have a different

615-227-5441

vibe having come to realize the integral part it played in laying the foundation for all things Music City. Another man from modest means who made a difference was Vic Varallo, who passed away this past November. Caitlin Cuppernull provides us with a glimpse of this East Nashvillian whose service to his community was an inspiration to us all. Lynn Taylor continues with the second part of her exploration of East Nashville’s historic homes in “Eclectic Elegance.” The East Side is fortunate to have an abundance of these well-preserved jewels, and Lynn is masterful at deciphering the when, where and why of how these homes came to be. On to our cover story with Robbie D. Jones’ in-depth assessment of “The Gallatin Road Conundrum.” History may have been kind to East Nashville in general, but the same can’t be said for the Gallatin Road corridor. What’s been done, what can be done, and what is being proposed for the future are laid out in detail in hopes of furthering the debate and getting the people ultimately affected by these decisions involved. The East Nashvillian will have ongoing coverage of this issue as it unfolds. Finally I’d like to thank our Associate Editor Daryl Sanders for filling in as our interim designer, and welcome Jeff Stamper to the fold as our new design director. I look forward to working with them both to continue to serve the community we call home. Chuck Allen chuck@the eastnashvillian.com

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Inglewood

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Computers Repair / Accessories

Police Scanners

New Models / Repair / Programming

Another adage comes to mind as well: familiarity breeds contempt. Before you throw the magazine at

Toys

New Models / Repair / Accessories

Turntables

New Models / Needles / Repair / Accessories

Amps Repaired

their Brentwood home in December, and by the time we left, I felt like I had enough material for a book.

Don’t forget Valentine’s Day February 14

Condensing a story like his into a few pages is no small feat, especially given the fact that his playing

The RadioShack® with Electronic Technicians

and arrangements graced literally hundreds of No. 1 records. To say Bob played with everybody is an

In Inglewood, on Gallatin Road near the Train Bridge

understatement; he played with EVERYBODY. Walking the streets of East Nashville will have a different

615-227-5441

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Illustration courtesy of Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation

Family F un er v i R e h T By Cumberland Park gives east bank a much-needed facelift

By Helen Gaye Brewster t won’t be long before you can dip your toes in the Cumberland from the river’s east bank. Later this year, a process that

began in 2006 will result in the opening of Cumberland Park on the east bank of the river. The park is designed to engage children and adults in activities that connect them to the river and provide a uniquely Nashville waterfront experience.

Offering classes in metal, printmaking, film, photography, bookmaking, ceramics, painting and more. Registration for spring classes is now open!

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more information at watkins.edu/community • 615.383.4848

Located between the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge, Cumberland Park will include a series of play zones with a wide range of recreational features such as spray-grounds, water jets, wading pools, interactive play equipment, bridges, climbing walls, picnic areas, a stage with a lawn amphitheater, river walk, overlooks and discovery trails. The design provides something for all ages and activity levels to enjoy year round. There will be pedestrian access around the park that connects to the greenways to the north and

south via the esplanade at the top of the bank and a bikeway at the parking lot edge. The combination of programs offered by the park is expected to attract a wide range of visitors and provide the types of play experiences and activities that will be appealing to people from all income levels and backgrounds. Cumberland Park is part of a multi-phase riverfront redevelopment plan. In 2009, Mayor Dean submitted and the Metro Council adopted $30 million for capital improvements for the New Riverfront Plan in the Capital Spending Plan and the park was identified as the first project to be implemented. Originally referred to as Adventure Play Park, it was almost placed on the back burner by the mayor to allow for development to begin on the river’s west bank. But later in 2009 at a public meeting, then city councilman Mike Jameson and fellow East Nashvillians voiced strong opinions that the east bank should be developed first. The issue received a lot of attention and tremendous public support, so the park was chosen to be the initial investment. Jameson, who is now a Davidson County General Sessions judge, says that enthusiasm about the park is based on the successful riverfront development of other cities like Chattanooga and Louisville. Louisville’s riverfront was heavily industrial, but since redevelopment, their park draws a million people per

year. The park’s design will encourage people to “dip their toes in the water” of the Cumberland. “It will give the east bank a face lift,” he says. “LP Field was a start. But the park will be different because it’s a 24/7 event that doesn’t cost a full day’s pay to go there.” Construction began in October of 2010, and at the groundbreaking, the mayor announced a competition for residents to name the park. In May of 2011, it was announced that the official name would be Cumberland Park based on the results of the contest. “Since the founding of our city, the Cumberland River has been a vital economic and social link for Nashville, so it seems fitting this new active, familyoriented play park be named Cumberland Park,” said Mayor Dean. The heritage of the Cumberland River to the area that is now Nashville began when the river provided transport for French fur trader Timothy Demonbreun in the late 1700s. In the winter, he hunted in the region and bought furs from Native Americans, then made his way down the Cumberland to New Orleans with the furs. He lived in a cave near Shelby Bottoms and later built a cabin. Colonization continued on the riverfront when Colonel Richard Henderson purchased land on the west bank bluffs, now part of today’s downtown. James Robertson and John Donelson settled in the area, then Fort Nashborough was built and government was established. The fur-trading route on the Cumberland gave the settlement an economic base and river transportation was revolutionized by the arrival of the steamboat in the early 1800s, allowing faster trips up and down the river and increasing commerce. As the city developed, sewers were built that flowed into the Cumberland. Mills were built along 2nd Avenue, and businesses used the river as a loading dock and 2nd Avenue as their storefronts. A city waterworks department was established in the

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Illustration courtesy of Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation

Family F un er v i R e h T By Cumberland Park gives east bank a much-needed facelift

By Helen Gaye Brewster t won’t be long before you can dip your toes in the Cumberland from the river’s east bank. Later this year, a process that

Offering classes in metal, printmaking, film, photography, bookmaking, ceramics, painting and more. Registration for spring classes is now open!

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more information at watkins.edu/community • 615.383.4848

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Cumberland Park is designed to be distinctively Nashville and an active, vibrant and lively park that seeks to connect people to the river and become a unique part of city life. 1800s, which first used natural filtration and then in the early 1900s began chemically treating the water. Because of the growth of the city, by the 1980s the Cumberland’s water quality was a source of concern. Metro government officials began to develop a plan to eliminate pollution caused by combined sewer overflows. In the '90s, Metro began the Overflow Abatement Program to improve the water quality by planning for the separation of storm and sanitary sewers to prevent discharge directly into the river. According to Jameson, the river has gone from being an EPA hazard to providing water where park goers will be able to dip their feet. There are now wild heron nests on the river, which are an indicator of good water quality. And, the river has been removed from the state’s 303(d) list of streams and lakes that have limited water quality. The new park will also contain a variety of sustainable features and will remediate a former industrial site for its intended use, returning the waterfront to a

healthy, public green space. The park is designed to harvest storm water from the park and adjacent parking lots and bridges. The water will be scrubbed and used for irrigation on the park site. Treated water from the play park water features will also be recycled and used for irrigation. Native plants will be used in the landscape design which will decrease irrigation demand and improve ecological diversity. In terms of the quality of construction, materials and park experience, Cumberland Park will be the benchmark for all future phases of the Riverfront Plan. “The park should be a great new addition to all the possible activities offered in the city and is an especially exciting contribution to the east bank of the riverfront being located within easy access to the growing East Nashville community,” says Chris Koster, Special Projects Manager for Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation. “Cumberland Park is designed to be distinctively Nashville and an active, vibrant and lively park that seeks to connect people

to the river and become a unique part of city life.” Scheduled to open in 2012, the park will be free and open to the public except during special events. Free parking will be available in Lot R between the Korean Veterans Bridge and the Shelby Street Bridge. There will be bike racks at several locations within the park. Easy access and a variety of activities at no cost will provide an immediate lure to draw people to the park. To East Nashville, the park will give an improved face to the east bank and convenient access to a healthy green space for families to enjoy. It will be another amenity in a growing community of diverse residents. From Nashville’s beginning, the Cumberland River has been part of our heritage, and Cumberland Park will continue the tradition of keeping the river as an integral part our city. Connecting people to the water, the park will provide a source of relaxation, entertainment, exercise, and natural beauty to residents and visitors alike.

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FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY | GENERAL * AESTHETIC * RESTORATIVE 10

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Dr. Joe knows… A great dental experience isn’t just about teeth.

1916 Patterson St., Suite 605, Nashville, TN www.josephwiggsdds.com | 615-329-4388

FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY | GENERAL * AESTHETIC * RESTORATIVE 10

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the

Soup Sunday is fantastic family fun featuring delicious soups from over 50 local restaurants.

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Don’t miss the children’s activities, silent auction and celebrity judges!

East Nashvillians of the Year

PRESENTED BY

February 26, 2012 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM LP Field (Club Level West) - Free Parking

East Nashvillian of the Year 2011 (Citizen): Eric Jans

Proceeds benefit Our Kids serving Middle Tennessee with medical exams and crisis counseling for children and caregivers in response to child sexual abuse.

Discounted tickets available at www.ourkidscenter.com

Eric Jans and The Green Wagon Story and photos by Melanie Meadows

t’s that time of year, and once again, the Historic East Nashville Merchants Association (HENMA) has chosen both a citizen and a business for the annual East Nashvillian of the Year award. Launched in 2008, this award honors

both a business and an individual for outstanding contributions to the East Nashville community. This year’s winners — Eric Jans and The Green Wagon — are neighborhood advocates who have poured their hearts and livelihoods into this community. So, what does it mean to be an East Nashvillian anyway? What

www.platinumsaloneast.com find us on facebook & myspace

makes this neighborhood different from any other part of Nashville? Most people say it’s a “vibe” or “state of mind.” It’s hard to put into words. But one thing is certain, this year’s East Nashvillian of the Year award winners — Eric Jans and The Green Wagon — both have it.

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If you’ve spent any time in East Nashville, chances are you’ve heard of Eric Jans. He moved to East Nashville from Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 2002 with his singer-songwriter wife Wendy. Jans owns a successful business — Eric Jans Insurance — and he’s been very active in East Nashville community and business organizations. “My personal rule is that whenever I say, ‘Somebody should…,’ then I need to stop and figure out if that somebody is me, and if so, what the next step is,” Jans says. He has certainly lived up to his rule. Jan’s community involvement started shortly after moving to the neighborhood when he served on the dog park planning committee. Next, he teamed up with local crime fighter Bob Acuff to pressure local convenience stores to stop selling roses inside glass beakers that were being used on the street as crack pipes. Soon, he joined the Lockeland Springs Neighborhood Association and took over from Bob as crime and safety chair of Rediscover East!. He would go on to serve as president of both of those organizations, and then as president of HENMA. This year, Jans became chair of Chamber East, an advisory board of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. “We focus on East Nashville businesses who are Chamber members and we also target the needs of the community,” he explains. “We are trying to bridge the gap between the schools, neighborhoods and business in order to create a more vibrant economic base. We have a monthly meeting with area leaders, police, schools officials, nonprofits, churches, our council members and the mayor’s office to address the issues concerning the neighborhood.” The East Nashvillian of the Year award is a fitting end to what has turned out to be a year of significant milestones for Jans and his family. “In my job as a health and life insurance broker, this last year has been one of my best yet. I am nearly to my eighth year in business and it keeps getting better every year,” he says. “Personally, it’s been an awesome year as well. In July, Wendy and I welcomed our first child, Miranda Paige, into the family. She has pretty much taken over our hearts and minds lately.”

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the

Soup Sunday is fantastic family fun featuring delicious soups from over 50 local restaurants.

1 1 20

Don’t miss the children’s activities, silent auction and celebrity judges!

East Nashvillians of the Year

PRESENTED BY

February 26, 2012 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM LP Field (Club Level West) - Free Parking

East Nashvillian of the Year 2011 (Citizen): Eric Jans

Proceeds benefit Our Kids serving Middle Tennessee with medical exams and crisis counseling for children and caregivers in response to child sexual abuse.

Discounted tickets available at www.ourkidscenter.com

Eric Jans and The Green Wagon Story and photos by Melanie Meadows

www.platinumsaloneast.com find us on facebook & myspace

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East Nashvillian of the Year (Citizen): Eric Jans

• Moved to Nashville from Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 2002 with singer-songwriter wife Wendy; daughter Miranda Paige was born in July 2011. • Owner of Eric Jans Insurance. • Nashville Chamber of Commerce, 2009-2012; Chamber East chair, 2011-2012. • Historic East Nashville Merchants Association, 2006-2012; president, 2008-2010. • Tomato Art Fest, music coordinator, 2008-2010. • Metro Water, Citizen’s Advisory Committee, 2010. • Lockeland Springs Neighborhood Association, 2003-2009; president, 2005. • Rediscover East!, 2003-2006; president, 2004. • Metro Nashville Citizen’s Police Academy, 2004. Nashville Film Festival volunteer, 2004-2007. • Shelby Dog Park Advisory Committee, 2002.

East Nashvillian of the Year (Business): The Green Wagon • Owned by Johnny and Tara Shields; couple have a two-year-old son, Sawyer. • Both Johnny and Tara attended Furman University in Greenville, S.C.; Johnny did graduate work at the Institute for Sustainable Practice at Lipscomb University. • The business opened in 2009; the Shields bought the East Nashville store from founder Jennifer Casale in 2011. • The store is named for the owner’s 1982 station wagon that runs on waste veggie oil. • The Green Wagon is a “green” general store that features locally made products including cleaning supplies, clothing, shampoo and personal items, gifts and baby supplies and more. • The Green Wagon plans to expand their filling station and offer more workshops and even more diverse products in the coming year. • The Green Wagon is closely involved with several East Nashville nonprofits that promote sustainability, health and environmental causes.

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We are constantly increasing the diversity of what we carry, always seeking to have anything that will make living more sustainably convenient for our customers.”

Jans feels that, as an East Nashvillian, he’s part of something unique, a place where people can be themselves and feed off the energy of everyone else around. “It sounds cheesy,” he says with a laugh. “This award means so much to me because I really feel like this neighborhood is a deep part of me and has helped shape the person I have become. That makes me want to give back in any way I can. The previous winners are all people that I consider great examples and friends, so I am joining good company.” As chair of Chamber East, Jans has his finger firmly on the pulse of economic activity on the East side. He’s excited to see new businesses and business districts spring up all around the area — Eastland and Porter, Five Points Collaborative, Paro South Business Suites, East Nashville Storage and Jeni’s Ice Cream, to name a few. “East Nashville is becoming more and more of a place to do business,” he says. “I think the real challenge is economic and particularly whether Gallatin Road/Main Street will start to become the commercial corridor we all want.” Jans expects 2012 to be another big year for East Nashville. “2012 will give us a new park and hopefully a new baseball stadium on the east bank,” he says. “5th and Main will continue to add retail and restaurants. We have new apartments being built on Woodland Street. It just keeps getting better and there is room for so much more.”

East Nashvillian of the Year 2011 (Business): The Green Wagon They say “great minds think alike” and that adage was affirmed once again when Johnny and Tara Shields met Jennifer Casale, founder and CEO of The Green Wagon. “I’ve always needed to know that what I was doing for a living was helping others,” Johnny says. “As I learned more about the environmental crisis that our planet was in, sustainability seemed to be the most important and therefore best way, to accomplish my goal of helping others while earning a living.” The Green Wagon’s concept — a “green” general store that sells locally made, environmentally friendly products including cleaning supplies, clothing, personal items, gifts, baby supplies and much more — was very attractive to the Shields. “I think what really influenced us was the farmers market scene in Hawaii,” Tara says. “There were so many of these neat farmers markets that were much more than just a place to buy your vegetables. There were always artists and artisans selling their wares, and even stylists and massage therapists sharing their services. When I thought about mainland culture, I thought, Nashville really needs more markets like this.” While working on a project for his graduate program in sustainability, Johnny visited The Green Wagon to discuss some of his ideas with Jennifer Casale, who opened the East Nashville store in 2009. The couple struck up a friendship with Jennifer and started helping out at the store and with farmers markets. One day, Jennifer told Johnny and Tara she had been looking for someone to take over the store, but hadn’t found anyone she felt she could trust to uphold the standards and ideals of the business — until she met them. So, on Jan. 1, 2011, the couple was thrilled to officially take over ownership of the East Nashville location. They celebrated their grand reopening a few months later on March 19 and it was the first of what has come to be known as The Green Wagon Block Parties. “In just one quick year, we have become known for these block parties,” Tara says. “We are tightly connected with many of the East Nashville nonprofit organizations through events like these as well as our Sustainable Community Days, where we donated five percent of every sale each Wednesday to four of East Nashville’s nonprofits: Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms (environmental), East Nashville Cooperative Ministry (food security), Martha O’ Bryan (education), and East Nasty (personal sustainability/health/community involvement).”

The Shields firmly believe if we can learn to care about the well-being of our neighbor, we’ll learn to care about the well being of the environment, because the two are inherently linked. The couple has big plans for 2012, including the addition of several more educational workshops on topics including: making your own nontoxic cleaning products, brewing your own kombucha, brewing your own beer, healing yourself naturally, benefits of shea, and DIY basic vehicle maintenance. “We are also constantly increasing the diversity of what we carry, always seeking to have anything that will make living more sustainably convenient for our customers,” Johnny says.

Johnny had previously worked for last year’s winner Alan Murdock at ArtHouse Gardens and through that experience, fell in love with the architecture of the houses, the great people and tight-knit community that is East Nashville. “We were shocked to hear that we had been nominated, and eventually to learn that our business had been named East Nashvillian of the Year,” he says. “We can’t express how much this means to us and how honored we feel. We are also excited to build on the momentum of this year and do more and more to make East Nashville a safer, healthier, more beautiful, and quirkier place.”

East Nashvillian of the Year Past Recipients

2011 East Nashvillian of the Year Nominees Citizen

Business

The Citizen Award

Helen Gaye Brewster, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

East Nashville Community Acupuncture

2008 : Bob Acuff

Elizabeth Chauncey, East C.A.N.

Matt Charette

2009: Carol Norton

Mike Jameson, former District 6 councilman

2010: Catherine McTamaney

Eric Jans, Chamber East chair and former

Batter’d and Fried)

HENMA president

Nuvo Burrito

Emily Masters, owner of DancEast

The East Nashvillian magazine

Brooke Scurlock,

The Green Wagon

The Business Award 2008: Art & Invention Gallery (Meg and Bret MacFadyen) 2009: Riverside Village (Dan Heller) 2010: ArtHouse Gardens (Alan Murdock)

(Beyond the Edge, Watanabe, Drifters,

organizer of Rosebank neighborhood association Carol Williams, former president of Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms

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East Nashvillian of the Year (Citizen): Eric Jans

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We are constantly increasing the diversity of what we carry, always seeking to have anything that will make living more sustainably convenient for our customers.”

East Nashvillian of the Year Past Recipients

2011 East Nashvillian of the Year Nominees Citizen

Business

The Citizen Award

Helen Gaye Brewster, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

East Nashville Community Acupuncture

2008 : Bob Acuff

Elizabeth Chauncey, East C.A.N.

Matt Charette

2009: Carol Norton

Mike Jameson, former District 6 councilman

2010: Catherine McTamaney

Eric Jans, Chamber East chair and former

Batter’d and Fried)

HENMA president

Nuvo Burrito

Emily Masters, owner of DancEast

The East Nashvillian magazine

Brooke Scurlock,

The Green Wagon

The Business Award 2008: Art & Invention Gallery (Meg and Bret MacFadyen) 2009: Riverside Village (Dan Heller) 2010: ArtHouse Gardens (Alan Murdock)

(Beyond the Edge, Watanabe, Drifters,

organizer of Rosebank neighborhood association Carol Williams, former president of Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms

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Celebration Worship 9:00am - Sanctuary

A large service with a blend of traditional and newer music leading us into the presence of God, including choir, orchestra, and the message of the morning by Pastor Kevin Ulmet.

Emmaus Fellowship

5:30pm - Fellowship Hall A worship service in the context of a fellowship meal open to all people. Emmaus is an opportunity to worship through both serving and being served, where people longing for both physical and spiritual food may be satisfied together. Preaching by Emmaus Ministry Director Eric Paul.

Haitian Worship

Ancient Future Worship 10:30am - Heritage Chapel A mix of rich Christian traditions including the Creeds and weekly Communion, with acoustic worship music in an intimate setting and a preaching rotation, led by Pastor Brent Lawrence.

Heritage Holiness Hour 6:00pm - Heritage Chapel A service similar to yesterday’s Nazarene style, including rousing hymns, testimonies, special songs and offertories; but with a present and future-focused atmosphere and message, usually from Pastor Kevin Ulmet.

9:00am - Sunday School 10:15am - Worship in Wise Chapel 16

A growing ministry to Haitian-American families with worship, music and a preaching rotation led by Pastor Maromy Samuel. CinOM Wise Chapel.

With Winberry Place, Vernon Winfrey hopes to spark revitalization in Cleveland Park

Story & photos by Theresa Laurence t’s a beautiful fall day and Vernon Winfrey’s barber shop, fresh off its grand reopening, gleams in the bright December sunshine. It’s

a slow day for customers, but the shop echoes with conversation and laughter nonetheless. The shop is Winfrey’s castle and he eagerly holds court with friends and neighbors who stop by for a quick or extended visit, perhaps even a haircut. It may be a barber shop, but of course, it’s more than that. Founded over 40 years ago — long before Winfrey’s media mogul daughter Oprah rose to superstardom — Winfrey Barber Shop has been a neighborhood gathering spot at the heart of East Nashville’s Cleveland Park. Winfrey is optimistic that his new barber shop, which anchors phase one of his and his wife Barbara’s new real estate venture, Winberry Place,

will serve as a catalyst for redevelopment in the area. “This will hopefully continue to brighten up things,” he says. The redevelopment plan, which the Winfreys initially announced over four years ago, has taken a long time coming to fruition. Now that the first building and new business are up and running, the couple is working hard to keep the project moving forward. They plan to build a mix of retail and residential units on several parcels of their property centered around Lischey and Vernon Winfrey avenues. The Winfreys opted to tear down the aging, stucco-sided building that housed Vernon’s old barber shop and replace it with a classically modern brick structure. He expanded the old three-chair shop to six chairs and decorated it to reflect his longtime love of boxing. In the same building, there is also a separate, adjoining beauty salon that does not yet have a tenant. Winfrey, 78, has seen the Cleveland Park neighborhood through many ups and downs during the 56 years he has lived in the Nashville area. “It was a fabulous neighborhood when I moved here,” he says. Fresh off a stint in the military, 22-year-old Winfrey came to Nashville at the urging of his

brother, who lived here. He wasn’t quite sure what the future held, but “I knew I didn’t want to plow the mule and pick cotton the rest of my life,” says Winfrey, a native of Mississippi. He landed a job at Vanderbilt, working as a janitor. “I tried to be the best they had — I’d sling a mop until I made it smoke,” he recalls with a laugh. After putting down roots in Nashville, Winfrey opened his barber shop on Lischey Avenue and ran a corner store next door. Of the 14 years he ran the store, he says, “I never closed, not for one day.” When Oprah lived in Nashville — she attended East Nashville High School and Tennessee State University—she helped her dad out in the store. After Winfrey turned the store over to new management, it started to go downhill. Business suffered as customers were deterred by the constant presence of trash and loiterers, until the shop was finally closed about four years ago. As he puts it, “Too much hang-around is bad for business.” But now Winfrey is willing to give the corner store idea another shot. “You can’t get a cold drink or bag of potato chips” without walking quite a few blocks, he points out. A store is needed, he continues, “for people with no transportation, for the convenience of the community.”

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Celebration Worship 9:00am - Sanctuary

A large service with a blend of traditional and newer music leading us into the presence of God, including choir, orchestra, and the message of the morning by Pastor Kevin Ulmet.

Emmaus Fellowship

Haitian Worship

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With Winberry Place, Vernon Winfrey hopes to spark revitalization in Cleveland Park

Story & photos by Theresa Laurence t’s a beautiful fall day and Vernon Winfrey’s barber shop, fresh off its grand reopening, gleams in the bright December sunshine. It’s

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Ever community-minded, Winfrey served as Nashville’s District 5 Metro councilmember from 1975-1991, all the while continuing to cut hair. In fact, the shop doubled as his office, and was the place constituents always knew they could find him. Those were some lean years for the neighborhood, when longtime residents fled to the suburbs, absentee landlords drove property values down, and crime spiked. Now, it’s a neighborhood “on the rise again,” Winfrey says. Ills that plagued the area — open air drug markets, packs of stray dogs, and illegal dumping — have been mitigated by community efforts. New families are moving in, carefully renovating the historic homes and dedicating themselves to revitalizing the area. While some of the core neighborhoods of East Nashville have gentrified beyond many people’s reach, Cleveland Park is still accessible for those looking for a neighborhood with affordable urban housing. The city has also made streetscape improvements along Dickerson Pike; a developer is proposing a recycling center nearby. “Those who can are going to try to fix it up,” Winfrey said. Count Winfrey among “those who can,” for as long as he is able. At 78, he says he would consider retirement at 80, but he’s not making any promises. Oprah encouraged him to retire 10 years ago, when he turned 70, “but 70 came too soon,” he explains. When Winfrey told his daughter about the grand opening of the new barber shop, he got a

less than enthusiastic response. “I don’t think she’s real elated I’m doing this,” he says. “I think she’d rather I’d retire and go home.” But even when Winfrey does retire, he says “I won’t just go home and sit down.” He plans to pack up his barber’s travel kit and offer haircuts at area nursing homes, to those who can’t make it out to get their hair cut. Although Winfrey now lives in Franklin, he

Now, it’s a neighborhood

“on the rise again,”

Winfrey says. Ills that plagued the

area — open air drug markets, packs

of stray dogs, and

illegal dumping — have been mitigated by

community

efforts.

makes the trek to his East Nashville barber shop nearly every day. Of course, he knows he won’t be able to run this show forever. “An old barber is like an old preacher — when the preacher dies, the church dies,” Winfrey says. “An old barber doesn’t attract many more young folks.” To ensure the viability of his shop into the future, he is hiring a young Hispanic barber and a young white barber to work alongside him and his sister-in-law in the shop, and increase the diversity of his clientele. When the time for retirement does come, Winfrey will likely go reluctantly, quietly. As father of one of the world’s wealthiest, most recognizable and influential women, he keeps a remarkably low profile, aside from the occasional media spotlight or tour bus descending on the shop. “I enjoy meeting people, it doesn’t bother me,” he says. Sometimes he even hops aboard the bus, takes the microphone and welcomes the group to Nashville, “our friendly, fair city,” as he likes to call it. Winfrey’s main goals right now are “to cut a little hair” and do what he can to keep the neighborhood moving beyond the tipping point. He is quick to say that Barbara is “in charge, doing all the legwork” for their real estate venture, yet he remains the more public face of the duo, a role he embraces. It gives him plenty of opportunities to spread the gospel of good things happening in Cleveland Park. “I want to leave the neighborhood in as good or better shape than I came to it,” he says.

TODDCOUNTER 615.500.8180

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Vernon Winfrey cuts hair — and holds court — at his new Winberry Place barber shop.

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Now, it’s a neighborhood

“on the rise again,”

Winfrey says. Ills that plagued the

area — open air drug markets, packs

of stray dogs, and

illegal dumping — have been mitigated by

community

efforts.

TODDCOUNTER 615.500.8180

todd@landscapeTN.com

700 Church St. Unit 405 Nashville, TN 37203 landscapeTN.com

Vernon Winfrey cuts hair — and holds court — at his new Winberry Place barber shop.

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LANDSCAPE

solu+ ons

organic garden maintenance • environmental landscape design & installation • landscape renovation & clean-up • residential master planning • rain gardens • native planting

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a l t l in a

h T – e m

le’s l i v h s a N et e r t S n i Ma

have the perception that opening a business on Gallatin Road

is more trouble than it’s worth

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The n o i t u l o v E t s a E f o

Whether valid of not, potential East Nashville developers “In my opinion, city planners refuse to compromise or allow developers to take steps in the right direction, they want all or nothing, and I am afraid that attitude will simply not encourage development.” The result can best be described as the “Gallatin Road Conundrum.” In order to have a better understanding of this head scratcher, we need to peel away some layers, like the proverbial onion.

Transportation

Photo by Chuck Allen

Originally, streetcars in Nashville were pulled by mules. (Photo courtesy of Metro Nashville Archives.)

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By Robbie D. Jones ast Nashville is on a roll, receiving accolades from across the country for its historic neighborhoods, locally owned restaurants, unique shops, quirkiness,

volunteerism, vibrant music scene, urban infill development, popular parks, you name it. Drawing members of the creative class like moths to the flame, residents are proud of the progress that has taken place and root each other on. But if there’s one area of contention, it’s Gallatin Road. The mere mention of Gallatin Road more often than not brings a wince from most folks. While the rest of East Nashville is evolving at a dizzying pace, the neighborhood’s spine lags far behind. If Gallatin Road is East Nashville’s front porch, why is it such a mess? Gallatin Road bisects East Nashville, connecting with Briley Parkway to the north and the downtown central business district to the south. In true Nashville fashion, the 172-year-old transportation corridor goes by several names: “Gallatin Pike” at the northern end, “Gallatin Road” and “Gallatin Avenue” along the center, and “Main Street” at the southern end. Before Ellington Parkway was constructed in the 1960s, it also carried the designation of U.S. Highway 31E and State Route 6. For the most part, local residents refer to the corridor as Gallatin Road. “I’ve lived in East Nashville for seven years and love its historic homes and pedestrian friendliness,” David Price, former president of Historic Nashville, Inc., says. “I can

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Gallatin Road Fire Hall for Engine Company 18, an Art-Decco-style structure circa 1930, has been identified as one of the city's most endangered historic buildings. (Photo courtesy of Metro Nashville Archives.)

walk five minutes one way and reach a corner market or pub, and five minutes the other way and be in Shelby Park. Gallatin Road on the other hand is designed for cars and the modern drive-thru culture, which is not friendly to people on bikes or on foot, nor is it attractive.” For better or worse, most people associate Gallatin Road with gas stations, liquor stores, fast food restaurants, drug stores, auto part stores, banks, pawn shops, car washes and laundromats. Not long ago, plans for a new upscale Publix grocery store along Gallatin Road were canned, bringing jeers from just about everyone, especially the foodies who grow tired of having to drive across town to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Meanwhile, commercial chains like Family Dollar, Save-a-Lot, and Popeye’s Chicken are popping up like mushrooms after a midsummer rain. Moreover, the corridor is lined with shiny new banks, while older bank buildings sit vacant. Beloved historic homes with bucolic names like “Evergreen,” “Silverdene” and “Sunny Gables” have been bulldozed. Others sit empty and on the market, awaiting a similar fate. With so much positive energy flowing in and out of East Nashville, why does Gallatin Road continue to be an albatross? How did we get here? More importantly, what can be done so East Nashville’s front porch is something to be proud of instead of something to avoid? The short answer: it’s complicated. There are several forces at work; unfortunately not always together. Developers have their agenda, as do planners, elected officials and property owners. “As it is now, the Metro Planning Department is holding property owners hostage,” says Chad Baker, who recently butted heads with city officials while renovating a porn shop into a doggie daycare.

First and foremost, Gallatin Road is an urban, four-lane, multi-modal roadway with a center turn lane, flanked by wide shoulders and pedestrian sidewalks. Since this is a medium-speed arterial thoroughfare, there are no bicycle lanes, although this doesn’t stop bikers from sharing the road, albeit at their own risk. According to a recent city planning study, the corridor carries over 23,000 cars per day, a decrease of some four percent from 2000-2006. At the same time, traffic along Ellington Parkway increased 16 percent. Gallatin Road is also the most popular mass transit route in Nashville, carrying 10 percent of the city’s bus traffic, along local fixed bus routes and express bus routes connecting downtown with the suburban communities of Madison and Hendersonville. It may not look like it, but Gallatin Road is an old road, first laid out in 1839-1840 as a turnpike following the route of even older stagecoach routes connecting Nashville to Louisville, Ky., by way of Goodlettsville, Gallatin, and Bowling Green. Travelers had to pay tolls about every eight miles to use the turnpikes, which were public-private ventures until being “freed” when taken over by municipalities. In the early 19th century, turnpikes radiated from Nashville to surrounding rural towns — Franklin, Murfreesboro, Springfield, Lebanon, Nolensville, Ashland City — forming spokes to a giant wheel that drove the regional economy. In the late 19th century, these same pikes were upgraded to serve as multi-modal corridors, carrying street railways that allowed Nashvillians to commute from the downtown business district to fashionable new streetcar suburbs in places like Germantown, Sylvan Park, Belmont, Edgefield, Inglewood and West End. Streetcars were initially powered by mules, then steam engines, before switching to all-electric in 1889. Gallatin Road carried electric streetcars for a half century, roughly 1890-1940, as well as an interurban electric commuter rail route to Gallatin from 1913-1932 — one of only two true interurban lines in the entire state; the other connected Nashville with Franklin. In fact, around the turn of the cen-

tury, Nashville boasted one of the most extensive electric streetcar systems in the South. By World War II, however, the city had replaced streetcars with buses, which have been the predominant form of mass transit ever since. In recent years, the city established a commuter rail line to Lebanon and planners have commissioned studies on introducing other forms of urban mass transit, including light rail, rapid bus transit and the return of electric streetcars. Currently, the city is considering options for building a mass transit line connecting East and West Nashville. A federally-funded study recommended the preferred alternative as a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line running along a dedicated route down the center of Gallatin Road from Five Points to downtown, then along the Broadway/West End/ Harding Road corridor to Belle Meade and White Bridge Road. A return of electric streetcars is more expensive, would take longer to implement, and is less likely to receive federal funding. The city hopes to have the BRT up and running by 2014.

Housing A century ago, property along the streetcar routes was highly sought after, since it enabled residents to conveniently walk to their streetcar stop for the commute downtown where they could transfer to a streetcar leading to just about anywhere in Nashville. This continued the pattern of larger and more fashionable homes being built along the major corridors from the turnpike era. One only needs to drive down Franklin Road or Hillsboro Pike for evidence. In East Nashville, most of the original housing stock along Gallatin Road has been razed or hidden under layers of modern day “improvements,” but remnants remain here and there, particularly in Inglewood. “After World War II when cars became the dominant form of transportation, Gallatin Road underwent a dramatic transformation,” Carol Norton, longtime resident of East Nashville, explains. “Grand old homes were carved up for rental units; roadside motels, service stations, repair shops, diners and shops catering to tourists replaced urban housing.” Urban renewal in the 1960s widened Gallatin Road, further encroaching on existing businesses and encouraging higher speeds. By the 1970s, residents of East Nashville had turned their backs to Gallatin Road, which was no longer fashionable. Today, housing along Gallatin Road is nearly nonexistent, having been replaced with commercial businesses and strip malls. The few remaining homes

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a l t l in a

h T – e m

le’s l i v h s a N et e r t S n i Ma

have the perception that opening a business on Gallatin Road

is more trouble than it’s worth

Road C

The n o i t u l o v E t s a E f o

Transportation

Photo by Chuck Allen

Originally, streetcars in Nashville were pulled by mules. (Photo courtesy of Metro Nashville Archives.)

undr

By Robbie D. Jones ast Nashville is on a roll, receiving accolades from across the country for its historic neighborhoods, locally owned restaurants, unique shops, quirkiness,

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The 19th-century Silverdene house at 931 Main St., shown on the 1908 city plat map at left, was used as a roadside tourist court a century later, as shown in the photo below circa 1955.

have been converted into other uses, such as offices for white collar professionals like attorneys and dentists, daycare centers or commercial businesses. It is no longer desirable to live along Gallatin Road.

Zoning & land-use planning During the Progressive Era of the 1920s, American cities began introducing methods to plan their growth with tools such as zoning, which designated land uses. For example, factories could not be built on properties zoned residential and apartment complexes could not be constructed on land zoned for farming. This allowed city leaders and residents to shape their cities into more desirable places to live, work, and play, not unlike the popular video game SimCity. This makes perfectly good sense to most people. Enter the Gallatin Road Conundrum. In recent years, city zoning became more sophisticated, complicated and perplexing to just about everyone, even those who work in the planning field. Environmental laws require regulation of certain types of properties involving hazardous materials such as underground tanks at gas stations, floodplains, storm water and so forth. Laws were also initiated to protect cultural resources such as parks, historic landmarks and archaeological sites. In the 1990s, planners began introducing the concept of “New Urbanism,” which envisioned reverting urban areas that had evolved into blighted concrete wastelands back into dynamic urban neighborhoods. New Urbanism is based on pedestrianoriented development with mixed uses as opposed to car-oriented development so that people can live near where they work, shop and play. Since the 1990s, the Nashville Civic Design Center has promoted New Urbanism through a litany of public meetings, brainstorming sessions and design projects, leading to publication in 2005 of the “Plan of Nashville,” which offers guidance on how to “heal the pikes.” “New Urbanism has been well-received in progressive cities like Nashville,” Alan Hayes, an East Nashville architect and planner, says. “However, it was the 1998 tornado, which hit East Nashville hard, which spurred local planners to develop a new vision for Gallatin Road.” This led to the creation of a local chapter of the Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team or R/UDAT and the “Plan of East Nashville,” which guided a new “Specific Plan” or SP. An SP is a special set of guidelines for development individually tailored for areas like East Nashville. Created by the city’s planning department, the Gallatin Pike SP has been a point of contention ever since former Metro Council members Mike Jameson and Eric Cole led its implementation in 2007. With the goal of balancing community-driven development with aesthetics, which planners argue drives market values up, the SP set standards for landscaping, parking, signage, design and building setbacks from the street.

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(Plat map courtesy of Nashville Public Library; photo courtesy of Tennessee State Library & Archives.)

serving a few days in jail for opening a business without the proper SP permit can have a chilling effect on new investment “This SP zoning ordinance is intended as a proactive SP designed to achieve a vision of a better Gallatin Pike over a long period of time,” Rick Bernhardt, director of the Metro Planning Department, explains. “It covers approximately 264 acres of land and more that 540 properties fronting on Gallatin Pike under very diverse ownership. The SP prohibits new businesses such as check-cashing facilities, title loan operators and pawn shops. Nevertheless, the topic of redevelopment remains divisive since to some the SP is simply too rigid, applying the same “special design guidelines” to the entire Gallatin Road corridor although the urban character of 19th century Main Street is very different than that of the streetcar suburb of Inglewood. “Prior to its implementation, Gallatin Pike had minimal new construction,” Bernhardt says. “Since the SP was put into effect, there have been significant permits for new construction or major rehab within the district. This redevelopment opportunity preserves in-town residential neighborhoods, supports mass transit and utilizes existing infrastructure investments already made by the taxpayers.” According to Bernhardt, one of the “outstanding examples of successful development consistent with the SP” was the U.S. Bank built in 2010 in Inglewood — a “context sensitive” and “green” bank that required demolition of the existing 80-year old Sunny Gables, a beloved neighborhood landmark. In 2011, Publix abandoned plans to open a new

supermarket near Douglas Corner, due to SP permitting issues related to an existing payday loan store. More recently, doggie daycare owner Chad Baker was sentenced to five days in jail for opening his business in a renovated porn shop, which was controversial when it first opened in 2007, for operating without a required permit variance related to parking and landscaping. “The development situation along Gallatin Pike evolved over more than 100 years,” Bernhardt says. “To expect an immediate and complete facelift is unreasonable especially in this time of expected instant gratification.” Nevertheless, residents are frustrated and their patience is growing thin. “In my situation the subjectivity of the SP really hurt me since I was required to ‘further the goals and objectives of the SP,’ but no one could tell me which of the goals or how many I had to comply with,” Baker says. “I believe most people would agree that the transformation from an adult video store to a doggie daycare furthered the goals and objectives of the SP.” Other Metro development plans along the Gallatin Road Corridor include the Nashville Auto-Diesel College Master Development Plan, adopted in 2005. This 19-acre campus has operated in East Nashville since 1932, when the antebellum “Renraw” estate was purchased from Trevecca College, which had acquired it in 1918. Percy Warner grew up at Renraw, which is Warner spelled backwards, before moving to Belle Meade.

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The 19th-century Silverdene house at 931 Main St., shown on the 1908 city plat map at left, was used as a roadside tourist court a century later, as shown in the photo below circa 1955.

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(Plat map courtesy of Nashville Public Library; photo courtesy of Tennessee State Library & Archives.)

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Historic preservation As mentioned previously, development pressures have resulted in the demolition of numerous historic landmarks along Gallatin Road, especially in Inglewood where the 1950 Inglewood Theater was replaced in 1998 with an Eckerd drug store; the 200year old Evergreen estate was replaced in 2005 with a Home Depot; and the 1920s Sunny Gables house, where nationally acclaimed residential designer Albert L. Hadley grew up, was replaced in 2010 with a U.S. Bank. These demolitions outraged many residents, leading to a grassroots campaign by members of the Inglewood Neighborhood Association to complete a survey of over 1,000 buildings and begin documentation of two historic districts containing some 400 homes. (For more see “Inglewood: Nashville’s Newest Preservation Battleground” in the JanuaryFebruary 2011 issue of The East Nashvillian). “In 2011, Historic Nashville, Inc. included 13 homes along the Inglewood section of Gallatin Road, as well as the historic Gallatin Road Fire Hall next to Wal-Mart on its annual Nashville Nine list of the city’s most threatened historic properties,” board secretary and Inglewood resident Holly Barnett says. “Our members have expressed concern for these historic properties due to the ongoing threat of suburban-type, modern commercial development that they feel is inappropriate for such a unique and historic section of the city.”

In early December, the vacant Gallatin Road Fire Hall was heavily damaged by a suspicious fire, leading to renewed concerns about the future of the 80-year-old landmark. In recent months, the National Trust for Historic Preservation initiated preliminary discussions with various groups about the possibility of including Main Street, the southern terminus of Gallatin Road, in its Main Street program, which would offer incentives and other assistance for businesses to renovate and open in historic buildings. The section that would potentially qualify for this program stretches generally from Fifth and Main to Five Points. The city, through the Metro Historic Zoning Commission, also offers two types of historic preservation zoning overlays. Unlike the Gallatin Pike SP, historic overlays protect buildings from demolition and inappropriate exterior alterations. “Neighborhoods along Gallatin Road that have implemented historic preservation zoning included Edgefield, Eastwood, Greenwood, Lockeland Springs-East End and Maxwell Heights,” Tim Walker, executive director of the Metro Historical Zoning Commission, says. “In addition, several individual buildings along Gallatin Road have been designated Local Landmarks, including Gallatin Road Fire Hall for Engine Company 18, East Branch Carnegie Library and East Literature Magnet School.” “Residential preservation began one house at a time,

which eventually created a chain reaction into neighborhoods,” Norton says. “Just as we have planning and design tools for residential areas, we have the SP to guide positive change along our commercial corridor. It will happen when individual owners do the right thing for its viable use again by neighbors, visitors and the environment, and safety of everyone that uses it.” The Gallatin Pike SP has been amended three times in the past four years, which suggests the 50page planning document had deficiencies. Many in East Nashville feel that the SP needs to be amended yet again in order to encourage redevelopment of existing properties, instead of new construction, and offer more flexibility instead of a “one size fits all” approach that obviously is not working very well. Indeed, whether valid of not, potential East Nashville developers have the perception that opening a business on Gallatin Road is more trouble than it’s worth. And serving a few days in jail for opening a business without the proper SP permit can have a chilling effect on new investment. “The SP was well intentioned and could be wonderful, but until the Metro Planning Department decides that it is okay for Gallatin Road to get better in small increments instead of leaps and bounds, we will not see much development,” Baker insists. “I don’t know that the SP is the problem, in my opinion the planning department is the real problem.” Call it the Gallatin Road Conundrum.

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A poor kid with talent grows up to become one of the world's most influential musicians

By Chuck Allen n response to a question about how he got his start in the music business,

Modern suites ranging from 80 to 725 square feet

legendary bassist Bob Moore walks

Rent includes all utilities, high speed WiFi, parking, cleaning service and access to conference room

across his living room and points at

1400-square-foot event space also available for rent

an old wooden shoeshine kit. He picks it

Christian Paro | 615.517.1589 | christian@parosouth.com | www.parosouth.com

up and says with a wry smile, “I made this myself when I was 9 years old.”

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The handmade shoeshine kit he was holding gave Moore his first introduction to the movers and shakers in Nashville’s blossoming music industry. He got his start shining shoes at the corner of 5th and Broad around 1942. By the summer of ’43, The Grand Ole Opry had moved its home to the Ryman Auditorium, half a block north of that corner, and a young Moore found himself shining the shoes of people playing on the Opry.

of years, but they saw me growing up in the business.” It wouldn’t be long before these same celebrities would be hiring Moore to do a different kind of work for them. Much has been written of the legendary ATeam of Nashville studio musicians and the impact they had on popular music is immeasurable. The biggest names in music history, artists such as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones

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“Jack Drake (Pete Drake’s brother) would come by and when everybody else was giving me a nickel he would give me a quarter,” Moore recalls. “He promoted me, saying to the other guys, ‘Hey, your boots need shining,’ then he’d watch what they’d give me and say, ‘give him a quarter, dammit!” This eventually led to him being invited to shine shoes backstage at the Ryman. He got to know all of the headliners at the Opry, including Ernest Tubb and Bill Monroe. As he recalls, “Bill would say, ‘I’m gonna get ahold of your head boy if you don’t put a good shine on them shoes!’” Through his charm and industry, Moore endeared himself to these famous performers. “I got to know everybody. It was only for a couple

and Gram Parsons, were heavily influenced by these early recording pioneers. Locking down the low end rhythm for the A-Team was bassist Bob Moore, a man who has played on over 17,000 recordings, including seminal sides by Presley, The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline.

Dirt poor in East Nashville Moore was born in 1932. While still a young boy, his family moved from Lebanon to an East Nashville home located at 1618 Long Ave. He made the trip to school, first at Lockland Elementary and later at East High, on foot. One can imagine that’s part of the reason he still, at 79, has boundless energy. Moore describes his family as being “dirt poor,” a condition that motivated him to become industrious at a young age. “I was always looking for a way to make a nickel or two,” he says with conviction. In addition to his shoeshine business, he worked as a lifeguard at the Shelby Park swimming pool and as an usher at The Woodland Theater. Of the latter job, he says, “I became a huge Gene Autry fan. Later on, I got to meet him while I was in Las Vegas doing

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A poor kid with talent grows up to become one of the world's most influential musicians

By Chuck Allen n response to a question about how he got his start in the music business,

Modern suites ranging from 80 to 725 square feet

legendary bassist Bob Moore walks

Rent includes all utilities, high speed WiFi, parking, cleaning service and access to conference room

across his living room and points at

1400-square-foot event space also available for rent

an old wooden shoeshine kit. He picks it

Christian Paro | 615.517.1589 | christian@parosouth.com | www.parosouth.com

up and says with a wry smile, “I made this myself when I was 9 years old.”

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a movie soundtrack for Elvis.” Overhearing this, his wife Kittra says, “But you were already hanging out with Elvis.” Moore replies, “Yeah, but this was Gene Autry!”

Jam-Up & Honey “I’m a lucky guy,” Moore says, and luck found him in a rather odd way. Inspired by the music and musicians he was exposed to at the Ryman, he set himself to learning to play bass — upright or string bass, as it’s now known. By 1946, at the tender age of 14, he had joined “The Eagle Rangers,” a group featuring a few of his East High classmates. Combining hillbilly music with comedy, they played dances and shows all around Middle Tennessee. Soon thereafter, Moore’s innate ability to just, as he puts it, “be around at the right time,” led to his first job as a touring musician with Jam-Up and Honey. Jam-Up and Honey were a popular comedy act on The Grand Ole Opry, as well as successful touring performers, in the Hokum style of traveling minstrel

Ma Upchurch's boarding house.

shows dating back to the 1840s. Music interspersed with risqué comedy bits in a barnyard dance atmosphere that existed just at the edge of acceptable, coupled with a nice paycheck was too tantalizing an opportunity for the 15-year-old to pass up. “They were blackfaced comedians,” Moore explains. “They wore white gloves, had black face paint, big white lips. They had a tent that would seat 1,800 people, I think. That was the first summer of actually going out on the road. I was 15, I guess. “I worked 90 one-nighters in that tent in Oklahoma, and it was a different town every night,” he continues. “The tent would move overnight and we’d stay in a hotel. The next morning, we’d get up and drive to the next town and there’d be the tent set up. It went that way all through the summer.” Honey Wilds, the leader of the act, lived in East Nashville just off Gallatin Road near East High

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School, and it was from there the travelers would stage their departure. Once a week, they had to make the long trip back to Nashville for the Saturday show on the Opry, because, as Moore succinctly puts it, “To be on the Opry, you had to show up.” It was during these grueling road trips that he became more and more immersed in the world of the top players and performers of the day. Many of the Opry stars at the time would join the traveling road show, stars like Eddy Arnold, Uncle Dave Mason and Roy Acuff, just to name a few.

player they could depend on. I was there every morning at five o’clock because I had to eat!” Moore would often walk to the studios, although he would sometimes hitch a ride in with Lester Flatt. “There was a real big studio on the other side of the hallway, and probably a hundred people would come up there most every morning,” he explains. “They’d have the big band set up, and Owen Bradley was the leader of the big band. “So I was across the hall and I’d go in there every morning. Owen and I got fairly well acquainted, so I’d ask him, cause I was real interested — Owen played with real good taste, I’d hear moving chords that I’d never heard with the hillbillies — I’d say, ‘hey what kinda chord was that?’ and he’d say, ‘well come over here and let me show you. “So he started teaching me the inside movements of the chords. My playing got better and better until when I got in the record business, I was the number one bass player in town. But it just happened that I was at the right place at the right time, I guess. “And so it happened that Anita Kerr took a job at a nightclub in Belle Meade, and she hired me, and Grady [Martin], and Buddy Harman to go out there and play with her. It was also where Don Estes was singing. So I became a member of what was kinda the inside group.”

Boscobel to be exact — to what was known as Ma Upchurch’s boarding house. He was staying busy at WSM, as he recalls, “Now I was playing six shows a day, so I was making $18 a day, and my rent at Ma Upchurch’s place was around $5 a week including meals — and she was cooking all the time!” Asked if $18 a day was a lot of money back then, Moore laughs and says, “It was a helluva lot more than it is now!” His roommate at the time was none other than future A-Teamer and legendary guitarist Hank Garland. Among the many people who called Ma Upchurch’s home over the years were June and Anita Carter, Ray Edenton, Billy Stewart and Buddy Emmons, as well as Anita’s future husband Don Davis.

The Red Foley years

By the time he was 18, Moore owned his own home and a Cadillac, and had firmly established himself as one of the top players in town. He was still working at WSM in the mornings, having now joined The Waking Crew, the show occupying the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. morning slot featuring Owen Bradley’s orchestra. He was also playing in Owen’s big band, which made regular appearances at Belle Meade Country Club. During this time, Red Foley was one of the biggest names in country music and was a featured performer on The Grand Ole Opry. Tragically, his wife com-

mitted suicide in 1951, prompting Foley to quit the Opry in favor of hitting the road. As Moore recalls, “He just wanted to get away from the bullshit.” His friend Grady Martin had been playing in Foley’s band for a few months, and they needed a bass player. Moore got the call. “Grady was the best guitar player around and had gotten the job with Red Foley,” he says. “At that time, he was the best job in the country.” In time, the job with Foley would lead the bassist to the Ozark Jubilee, which was Springfield, Mo.’s answer to The Grand Ole Opry. This would prove to be very lucrative for Moore because he was able to convince the producers at WSM and WKO to let him produce transcriptions for both shows, although this arrangement required weekly round trips between Springfield and Nashville.

Dirt poor no more Moore continued building upon his success, eventually making the transition into the recording studio. When his old friend Owen Bradley started producing records full time, he relied on a core group of players — Moore, Martin and Harman — and the “Nashville Sound” was born. Asked to sum up the experience of the early days, Moore says, “We were poor kids with a lot of talent, and we helped each other out.”

Photo by Chuck Allen

WSM

During his tenure with Jam-Up and Honey, Moore honed his skills as a bass player, allowing him to Moore with Roy Orbison in the early '60s eventually leave the road behind, at least temporarily. His connections landed him a job at WSM-AM, Don Estes was also the singer for Owen Bradley’s which even then was world-famous as the home of WSM orchestra, and being part of the “inside group” The Grand Ole Opry. He started out doing the earlier eventually landed Bob an opportunity to play with morning 15-minute segments which began at 5 a.m. the orchestra. “I guess they figured that’s when the farmers were up “I was in heaven,” he says. Of course it would also milking their cows,” he quips. lead, eventually, to Moore being first call when Brad“Everybody had a 15-minute program, and they ley moved on from WSM and into record producing were paying $3 a program,” he continues. “They had full time. eight of them; I was doing six of them. Ray Price was hanging around and just dying to do one of those shows, and I talked them into using him. He and I Late in 1948, Moore decided to spread his wings a have been great friends ever since because of that, bit further and left home. He stayed in East Nashville, but I was in no hiring capacity — I was just a bass however, moving a little closer to downtown — 620

Ma Upchurch

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a movie soundtrack for Elvis.” Overhearing this, his wife Kittra says, “But you were already hanging out with Elvis.” Moore replies, “Yeah, but this was Gene Autry!”

Ma Upchurch's boarding house.

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The Red Foley years

Photo by Chuck Allen

WSM

Ma Upchurch

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From the Cornelia Fort Airpark to nonworking streetlights, Rosebank Neighbors represents its community

By Carole Anne King t started with Cornelia Fort Airpark and litter. Rosepark Drive homeowner Brooke Scurlock had noticed litter throughout her neighborhood

and wanted to organize a pickup. She had also heard foreclosure and development rumors about the small airpark beyond her back deck.

“We needed a unified voice, especially where the airpark was concerned,” Scurlock, a registered nurse at Centennial Medical Center, says. “Its future was very serious for our neighborhood. Having that unified voice helped us get heard. “Rosebank neighborhood has amazingly easy access to the greenway, six entrances in all,” she continues. “It’s the gateway to the greenway. The airpark space — the quietness, the 800-plus acres of nature — that’s a gift. And we didn’t want to lose it.” These days, 115 people share information, insights and common causes on the association’s

Brooke Scurlock has a clear view of the historic airpark from her back deck. Photo by Melanie Meadows.

Don’t forget to make your 2011 IRA contribution. SERVING THE MADISON, INGLEWOOD AND THE HISTORIC EAST NASHVILLE AREAS.

Frank Ballard Jr Financial Advisor .

1574-A North Gallatin Rd Madison, TN 37115 615-868-5704 www.edwardjones.com

Member SIPC

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“I wondered who to contact to get started, if there was a neighborhood association to get the ball rolling,” Scurlock recalls. But there wasn’t one at the time. So she posted a few messages on the East Nashville listserv, started meeting her neighbors and got the ball rolling herself. Launched in April 2011 on the patio at Cooper’s on Porter, Rosebank Neighbors Association has since been involved in several cleanups, coordinated with NES and District 7 councilman Anthony Davis to get almost 30 nonworking streetlights replaced and become a positive, growing force for the neighborhood.

listserv and Facebook page. About 50 members are regularly involved in the monthly meetings and other activities. Homeowners and renters alike are welcome to join. “We have neighborhood natives, people who grew up here, as well as those who just moved here and everyone in between,” Scurlock says. “It’s whatever people want from it, neighbors just looking out for neighbors, being involved. It’s your neighbors — simple as that.” The group counts itself fortunate to have not one but two councilmen among its ranks: Peter Westerholm of the 6th district and Anthony Davis of the 7th.

The association’s coverage area is bounded by Riverside Drive to the south and east, and on the west by Shelby Bottoms. Its north boundary is the Inglewood neighborhood. “We wanted to be as inclusive as possible,” Scurlock recalls. Rosebank Neighbors is focused on what every neighborhood association wants: a safe environment, attractive properties, good schools and more. “This area is already low-crime and we want to keep it that way,” Scurlock says. “We also want to be a vibrant neighborhood, one that supports our schools so that families want to stay here and don’t feel the need to move away when their children become school-age. Rosebank Neighbors is working to make a connection so it’s not schools vs. neighbors.” To that end, the association has gotten involved with Rosebank Elementary, participating in several events. It is all part of building a stronger sense of community. The association fielded 35 volunteers during the school’s Hands on Nashville cleanup day earlier this year. Several members helped make the holidays merrier for children in need who had been identified through the school’s Christmas Angel program. The group is also involved in Promise Neighborhoods, an education, mentoring and social services initiative specifically geared toward strengthening the Stratford High School Cluster for which Rosebank Neighbors residents are zoned. The program, which aims to foster healthy communities and combat inner-city poverty, is managed by the Martha O’Bryan Center. Sergeant Dan Ogren, community affairs coordinator with the Metro Police Department’s East precinct, attends the new group’s monthly meetings on a regular basis to share information and help guide ideas into action. “Neighborhood associations are always stronger, more effective than neighborhood watches,” Ogren says. “Because associations are looking to address a wider range of interests, they seem to last longer. Rosebank Neighbors is a top-tier group; they’re well-organized and focused on a variety of issues beyond crime.” In early December, association members were

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From the Cornelia Fort Airpark to nonworking streetlights, Rosebank Neighbors represents its community

By Carole Anne King t started with Cornelia Fort Airpark and litter. Rosepark Drive homeowner Brooke Scurlock had noticed litter throughout her neighborhood

and wanted to organize a pickup. She had also heard foreclosure and development rumors about the small airpark beyond her back deck.

Brooke Scurlock has a clear view of the historic airpark from her back deck. Photo by Melanie Meadows.

Don’t forget to make your 2011 IRA contribution. SERVING THE MADISON, INGLEWOOD AND THE HISTORIC EAST NASHVILLE AREAS.

Frank Ballard Jr Financial Advisor .

1574-A North Gallatin Rd Madison, TN 37115 615-868-5704 www.edwardjones.com

Member SIPC

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knocking on doors to encourage those who live closest to Cornelia Fort to attend a community meeting to discuss the next steps for the park, which was recently purchased by Land Trust of Tennessee and the City of Nashville in a private-public joint effort. Rosebank Neighbors are keen to be a part of the conversation. “These residents understand that space better than anyone,” Scurlock explains. “Some of them have lived the actual history of the airpark with the planes, the hot air balloons, the summer socials. We want to achieve a use that honors that connection, that is sensitive to the park and its neighbors.” As a relatively new resident to East Nashville, Faye Hunt was excited to join the Rosebank neighborhood association. “I feel more empowered as a resident here, knowing who to call or where to go if I notice something that affects us all,” Hunt says. “It feels good to know that like-minded individuals can band together to get litter cleaned up, report illegal dumping, participate in neighborhood beautification projects, support the wonderful resource we have in our very own backyards and just be there for one another in general.” The Rosebank Neighbors Association meets the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Brooke Scurlock at bascurlock@gmail.com or 931-260-9493, or follow the association on Facebook.

Who was Cornelia Fort?

Born to a well-to-do and prominent Nashville family, Cornelia

Clark Fort had earned her pilot’s license in Hawaii and was a civilian instructor pilot at an airfield near Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. While accompanying a student pilot that day, Fort saw a military

Photo courtesy of the Fort family.

airplane flying directly toward them and swiftly grabbed the controls from her student to avert a collision. It was a Japanese plane. With billows of black smoke coming from Pearl Harbor and bombers flying in, Fort quickly landed the plane at the civilian airport near the mouth of Pearl Harbor. Still in pursuit, the Japanese plane strafed her plane and the runway as she and her student ran for cover. After her return to the mainland in 1942, Fort made a short movie promoting war bonds and was a successful speaker. She was soon recruited for the newly established Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron or WAFS, the second woman to be accepted. As a WAFS, she ferried military planes to bases within the United States. WAFS eventually became the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots or WASP. Fort became the first WAFS fatality on March 21, 1943, while stationed in Long Beach, Calif. She was killed in a midair collision when another plane being ferried by a male pilot struck the wing of the BT-13 she was ferrying. Fort was acknowledged as being killed “in the service of her country” and described at the time of the accident as one of the most accomplished pilots of the WAFS. Cornelia Fort Airpark was built in her honor in 1945 near her family farm. — Carol Anne King

is ad Mention th

FR y Home Eltnaetriog n Con($1su50 Value)

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Who was Cornelia Fort?

Born to a well-to-do and prominent Nashville family, Cornelia

Photo courtesy of the Fort family.

is ad Mention th

FR y Home Eltnaetriog n Con($1su50 Value)

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929 Rusell

Four Square Four Square

Turn of the Century Houses

1895–1915 & Bungalow & Craftsman Houses of 1905-1930 of

A selected guide to historic homes in East Nashville, Part II

The second part of this series features differing styles including the Four Square, Transitional Victorian, Bungalow, and Craftsman. Each style has distinctive details, as well as numerous sub-styles or variations.

By Lynn Taylor

1030 Seymore Transitional Transitional Victorian

Photos by Stacie Huckeba Editor’s note — Lynn Taylor is a nationally recognized residential designer (www.taylormadeplans.com). This is the second in her three-part series highlighting the historic styles of homes in East Nashville.

• Low-to-moderate pitch roofs with deep overhangs • First floor ceiling height — anywhere from 10' to 12'

1311 Calvin

Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

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the ornate Victorian era to the simple Craftsman era. • One or one-and-a-half story structures

• Hipped pyramid roof

historic architecture. Some refer to this

During this movement, most styles did not fit into one category, but were influenced by two or three styles combined. Many styles such as Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, Prairie, Four Square, Transitional Victorian, Bungalow, Tudor and Mission all were being built at the same time. This period of historic styles, from 1900 to 1940, is somewhat complicated. For example, a historic American Four Square home can have any style detail applied to the exterior such as Colonial Revival or Neoclassical or Craftsman. Sometimes even Bungalows will have Greek Revival or Colonial Revival detailing. Pulling design elements from the past architectural styles allowed designers and builders a wide variety of expression. Design has always been organic, gathering and incorporating unique elements, trends, and the demands of our changing lifestyles along the way. This guide will help identify the styles and period of your home, but it is not absolute, as there are many differing opinions on historic design.

This style is considered to be “transitioning” from

• Box-shaped floor plan with large rooms

in 1893 and in Nashville in 1897, influenced

movement of 1880 to 1940.

Transitional Victorian:

• Overall exterior simplicity – usually lap siding

of the 1800s, the World’s Fairs in Chicago

period in architectural styles as the Eclectic

• Overall exterior simplicity — brick, stone,

• Hipped pyramid roof

as historic houses, all full of

on the events of the time. In the last decade

(Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, Prairie or Classic)

• Box-shaped floor plan with large rooms

group of residents as well

styles evolved over decades and were based

• Two-story structures

wood shingles or lap siding

ast Nashville has a diverse

history and character. Historic

Four Square:

• Low-to-moderate pitch roofs with deep overhangs

1431 Sumner

Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

• Decorative detailing is less elaborate than other earlier Victorian styles • First floor ceiling height — anywhere from 10' to 12'

Bungalow & Craftsman:

• Most are one or one-and-a-half story structures • Informal floor plans with more rooms, but usually smaller • Side-to-side main gable roofs or forward facing main gable roofs • Low-to-moderate pitch roofs with exposed rafter overhangs • Exterior finishes — brick, cedar, lap siding, shingles, stucco or mix of all • Triangular gable eave brackets and exposed roof eave beams • Exposed wood beams and posts on porches • First floor ceiling height — anywhere from 9' to 10' The final part of this series will explore the Tudors, Spanish

Eclectic, Minimal Traditional or Classic and Post War styles.

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929 Rusell

Four Square Four Square

Turn of the Century Houses

1895–1915 & Bungalow & Craftsman Houses of 1905-1930 of

A selected guide to historic homes in East Nashville, Part II

By Lynn Taylor

1030 Seymore Transitional Transitional Victorian

• Low-to-moderate pitch roofs with deep overhangs • First floor ceiling height — anywhere from 10' to 12'

1311 Calvin

Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

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the ornate Victorian era to the simple Craftsman era. • One or one-and-a-half story structures

• Hipped pyramid roof

historic architecture. Some refer to this

This style is considered to be “transitioning” from

• Box-shaped floor plan with large rooms

in 1893 and in Nashville in 1897, influenced

movement of 1880 to 1940.

Transitional Victorian:

• Overall exterior simplicity – usually lap siding

of the 1800s, the World’s Fairs in Chicago

period in architectural styles as the Eclectic

• Overall exterior simplicity — brick, stone,

• Hipped pyramid roof

as historic houses, all full of

on the events of the time. In the last decade

(Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, Prairie or Classic)

• Box-shaped floor plan with large rooms

group of residents as well

styles evolved over decades and were based

• Two-story structures

wood shingles or lap siding

ast Nashville has a diverse

history and character. Historic

Four Square:

• Low-to-moderate pitch roofs with deep overhangs

1431 Sumner

Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

• Decorative detailing is less elaborate than other earlier Victorian styles • First floor ceiling height — anywhere from 10' to 12'

Bungalow & Craftsman:

Eclectic, Minimal Traditional or Classic and Post War styles.

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1815 Lillian

Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

Turn of the Century Houses

1895â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1915 & Bungalow & Craftsman Houses of 1905-1930 of

1403 Stratton Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

1312 Stratton

Four Square Four Square

1005 Mansfield

1401 Forrest

Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

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Victorian Transitional

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1815 Lillian

Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

Turn of the Century Houses

1895â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1915 & Bungalow & Craftsman Houses of 1905-1930 of

1403 Stratton Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

1312 Stratton

Four Square Four Square

1005 Mansfield

1401 Forrest

Bungalow & Bungalow & Craftsman

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Victorian Transitional

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Shape Shifters

YEAR OF THE DRAGON

Health and fitness focus of new East Nashville businesses By Eric Jans

Get a health coach

Photos by Stacie Huckeba

With her newest venture, Bliss Holistic, Amber Robertson-Smith counsels people on using food and lifestyle to improve their health and helps them determine the necessary food and lifestyle changes. She works one-on-one with clients on a variety of health concerns including weight loss, cleaning up their diets, managing cravings and digestive concerns. To learn about upcoming group counseling sessions, call 615.336.3048 or visit www.blissholistic.com.

t’s the New Year, time to polish off last year’s list of resolutions — get in shape, lose weight, travel to new places, get healthier, etc. We all start

off with the best intentions but sometimes have a hard time following through. Well, there are six new businesses in East Nashville that will help you feel happier

Richie Lee

and healthier in no time. Riverside Village Pharmacy

Healthy products and a local pharmacy Owned by Gary Williams, Riverside Village Pharmacy is a local drug store which carries the essential products you would expect to find at a pharmacy, as well as natural organic products from lines like Thistle Farms, Burt’s Bee’s, Watkins, Tom’s and many others. Located at 1406A McGavock Pk., it also features a gift section carrying jewelry, candles, toys, stationary and more. Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 615-650-4444 or visit www.riversidevillagepharmacy.com.

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Vegan meals delivered right to your door My Veggie Chef is Nashville’s first 100-percent, plant-based, meal-delivery service; the brainchild of passionate vegan chef Kristie Agee. My Veggie Chef delivers frozen vegan meal kits featuring plenty of vegetables, fruits, grains, beans and even the occasional treat. It doesn’t have to be difficult to make the switch to a mostly plant-based diet. Prices are affordable at just $80 per week for five entrees that feed two-to-three people each. There are no membership fees or commitments. You can order as needed at 615-200-TOFU (8638) or www.myveggiechef.com.

SUCCESS. PROSPERITY. HAPPINESS.

Copywriting and graphic design services for print and web. Learn more at MeadowsCreative.com

Chiropractic care for people and their pets East Nashville Chiropractic is the new business at 213 17th Ave., which was opened last August by Dr. Kathleen Inman. ENC offers gentle chiropractic adjustments, applied kinesiology (muscle testing), exercise rehabilitation, nutritional counseling, and nutritional supplementation. In addition to providing services for people, Dr. Inman is also certified in animal chiropractic. Hours: Monday, 2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 615-414-7914 or visit www.inmanchiro.com.

Vibrance Family Chiropractic has just opened at 922 Main St. Dr. Christopher Clarke specializes in corrective care, focusing on the underlying causes so the problem doesn’t return. Dr. Clarke is also one of the few chiropractors in Nashville specializing in the gentle chiropractic technique, Activator. Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6:30 p.m.; and Tuesdays, 2 to 6 p.m. For more information, call 615-915-1255 or visit:www.vibrancefamilychiropractic.com.

East Nashville Chiropractic

Get in shape quickly with an acclaimed trainer Voted the No. 1 Personal Trainer in the Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville Reader’s Poll in 2009 and 2010, Richie Lee has just opened Karisma Fitness at 604 Gallatin Ave. Lee offers personal training, boot camp, kick boxing, jiujitsu, Muay Thai, Western boxing, submission grappling, JKD concepts, weapons training/disarmament, self-defense seminars, cardio classes and kid’s classes. For class hours and other information, call 615.417.8583 or visit www. karismafitness.com.

Dr. Christopher Clarke

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Shape Shifters

YEAR OF THE DRAGON

Health and fitness focus of new East Nashville businesses By Eric Jans

Get a health coach

Photos by Stacie Huckeba

t’s the New Year, time to polish off last year’s list of resolutions — get in shape, lose weight, travel to new places, get healthier, etc. We all start

off with the best intentions but sometimes have a hard time following through. Well, there are six new businesses in East Nashville that will help you feel happier

Richie Lee

and healthier in no time. Riverside Village Pharmacy

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SUCCESS. PROSPERITY. HAPPINESS.

Copywriting and graphic design services for print and web. Learn more at MeadowsCreative.com

East Nashville Chiropractic

Dr. Christopher Clarke

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be inducted into Middle Tennessee State University’s Hall of Fame and the TSSAA Hall of Fame. “He was just a natural athlete from a very early age,” Collier explains. “And he had a great love of young people. I think the combination of those two things is what drew him to teaching and to coaching.” In addition to coaching, Vic often helped at the Varallo’s Chile Parlor, a family restaurant that has

e v a H d l u o ’ m i W ou oved Hg Vic Varallo ‘ Lememberin 11

States,” she says. “And everywhere I’ve lived, somebody eventually would come up and say to me, ‘Listen, there’s this guy I know from Nashville, have you ever heard of Vic Varallo?’” East Magnet Middle School hopes to give this familiar name a lasting place in Nashville. The school is in the early stages of planning a fundraiser to raise money for signage and improvements to the football field,

“He was there for one reason, and that was to try to make a difference.”

which it intends to rename in Coach Varallo’s honor. As for those who did not know Vic: “You would have loved him,” Collier says. “Just like everybody else.”

A dashing Varallo sports a pipe in the photo on the left taken during his military service. Below, the former Metro councilmember-atlarge. (Photos courtesy of Varallo family)

seen 104 of years of continuous operation in downtown Nashville. In the 1990s, he extended his service to the public sector and served two terms as a Metro councilmember-at-large — a shoo-in on the first ballot each time. His family says he fought constantly for “the little man” and small businesses. “He was one of those idealistic politicians that really, totally, was there for one reason, and that was to try to make a difference,” his niece says. This attitude permeated all aspects of his life, and Collier says Varallo’s influence reached beyond his family, his classroom and even his district. “I’ve lived in a lot of different places in the United

0 2 – 2 2 9 1

By Caitlin Cuppernull ngelo Varallo’s life was marked by a desire to help others, and

if you’ve lived in Nashville for any length of time, odds

are “Vic” taught, coached, worked with or befriended you or someone you know.

The former Metro councilman and East Nashvillian died Nov. 25 at age 89, and while he left behind a legacy of public service and athletic achievements, it is his love of people for which he is best-remembered. Born in 1922, Varallo attended Holy Name Catholic School in East Nashville and later Father Ryan High School. Following college and service in two wars, he returned to Nashville — eventually to the same house his parents lived in off of Eastland Avenue — where his niece Rae Collier says he devoted his time as a teacher and coach to helping young people who were struggling as he once did. “He started out as a kid in East Nashville; he came from nothing,” Collier says. “He learned that you didn’t have to have money to be a good person.” A talented athlete, Varallo was accepted to the University of Mississippi on a football scholarship, but his college career was interrupted by World War II, during which he served as an aerial gunner and was awarded the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-

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Vic Varallo, shown here outside the family chile parlor at 9th and Church, could often be found as a young man behind the restaurant’s cash register.

Pacific Campaign Medal, the National Defense Ser- and never had children, he made a point of treating vice Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. those he taught as his own. He resumed his education at Middle Tennessee “He put one or two kids all the way through college State University, playing basketball and football — that we know of,” Jim Varallo, Vic’s cousin says. throughout, but was once again called to action “There’s probably not too many people that know that during the Korean War. After a year of service, he about Vic. Vic saw the potential in one student and returned to Nashville where he worked at East High took him all the way through his college career.” (now East Literature Magnet School) for 22 years, As an athletic director and a basketball, football, from 1952 to 1974. Though Varallo — who accord- and track and field coach, Vic led numerous teams ing to his family was one of Nashville’s longstand- to victories and state championships, and his pering “most-eligible bachelors” — married late in life sonal and professional athletic success led him to

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e v a H d l u o ’ m i W ou oved Hg Vic Varallo ‘ Lememberin 11

“He was there for one reason, and that was to try to make a difference.”

which it intends to rename in Coach Varallo’s honor. As for those who did not know Vic: “You would have loved him,” Collier says. “Just like everybody else.”

A dashing Varallo sports a pipe in the photo on the left taken during his military service. Below, the former Metro councilmember-atlarge. (Photos courtesy of Varallo family)

0 2 – 2 2 9 1

By Caitlin Cuppernull ngelo Varallo’s life was marked by a desire to help others, and

if you’ve lived in Nashville for any length of time, odds

are “Vic” taught, coached, worked with or befriended you or someone you know.

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Vic Varallo, shown here outside the family chile parlor at 9th and Church, could often be found as a young man behind the restaurant’s cash register.

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market place

to be a part of Marketplace Call Lisa at 615-582-4187 or email: lisa@theeastnashvillian.com

Dry Cleaning Alterations Wash and Fold Sign up for our email newsletter to receive coupons

East Nashville 615.228-4332 419 Gallatin Rd. Nashville, TN 37206

Elliston

Bryana Lavery, G,G, GIA Graduate Gemologist 615.925.9172

615-327-4546 2410 Elliston Pl. Nashville, TN 37207 www.nicholsoncleaners.com Historic East Nashville FINE & ANTIQUE JEWELRY APPRAISALS gemsandjewelsappraisalservice@yahoo.com

d e s i g n s t u d i o llc interior design project management business furniture Pick a winning team for your next move!!! Award winning Real Estate Specialists

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Bretz Teamâ&#x20AC;? Cheryl and George

Consultations & Gift Certificates Available www.hardwearmerry.com merrybethm@yahoo.com

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Keller Williams Realty George Cell: 615-428-8758 Cheryl Cell: 615-969-5475 Office: 615-822-8585 www.movingtonashvilletn.com www.cherylbretz.com

nfusiondesignstudio.com 1.615.850.5532

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market place

to be a part of Marketplace Call Lisa at 615-582-4187 or email: lisa@theeastnashvillian.com

Dry Cleaning Alterations Wash and Fold Sign up for our email newsletter to receive coupons

East Nashville 615.228-4332 419 Gallatin Rd. Nashville, TN 37206

Elliston

Bryana Lavery, G,G, GIA Graduate Gemologist 615.925.9172

615-327-4546 2410 Elliston Pl. Nashville, TN 37207 www.nicholsoncleaners.com Historic East Nashville FINE & ANTIQUE JEWELRY APPRAISALS gemsandjewelsappraisalservice@yahoo.com

d e s i g n s t u d i o llc interior design project management business furniture Pick a winning team for your next move!!! Award winning Real Estate Specialists

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Bretz Teamâ&#x20AC;? Cheryl and George

Consultations & Gift Certificates Available www.hardwearmerry.com merrybethm@yahoo.com

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Keller Williams Realty George Cell: 615-428-8758 Cheryl Cell: 615-969-5475 Office: 615-822-8585 www.movingtonashvilletn.com www.cherylbretz.com

nfusiondesignstudio.com 1.615.850.5532

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