Progress of the Shell

A few shots taken over the past 2 months.

Early March:



Early April:



Early May:

Urban Art in Overton Park

First,

Interactions/Interruptions
Opening Reception January 11, 6-8:00 PM
Gallery Talk January 23, 6:00 PM
Exhibit January 2-30

Memphis College of Art
1930 Poplar Avenue Overton Park

Please join the UrbanArt Commission this Friday night, January 11, from 6-8:00 PM, to begin the celebration of the UrbanArt Commission's 10th Anniversary. Viewers will get to see the behind-the-scenes work of public art, including models, plans, photographs, DVD's, projections and working drawings by some of the 56 artists the UAC has worked with to create close to 70 public art projects.

Second,


I found the image at this site (a German visitor's 1999 travelogue of Memphis) while looking for some vintage photos of the Shell. It's the Guitar Man tree sculpture that used to be on the west side of the Overton Park Shell. I don't know who created it, but it appeared to have been carved with a chainsaw into the standing trunk of a fallen oak tree. I assumed the tree man was Elvis, but it doesn't matter. I loved it, but now it's gone.

Anyone know what happened to it?

The Saving our Shell FAQ, Part 3: Programming the Shell

Part 1: The History of the FLPM
Part 2: The Renovation
Part 3: Programming the Shell

GoM: Will the Friends of the Levitt Pavilion Memphis produce all the shows, or will you be providing a venue for independent producers?

BL: FLPM will produce the 10 week 50 performance free concert series. Other shows outside our season will be available at the Levitt Shell with certain conditions being met. We are currently reviewing what those conditions will be.

GoM: The recent history of the Shell seemed to have a lot of DIY low-cost kind of productions -- Earth Day festivities, band showcases, independently produced theater, etc. Will the Shell still be available for these kind of events?

BL: Most certainly we will make the Levitt Shell available for DIY low-cost kind of productions if they meet the forthcoming conditions. Because the Levitt Shell is located in an urban area, sound levels and the time that the performances are to be staged will be among (but not limited to) the conditions that will be considered by the board of FLPM for events that can be held at the Levitt Shell.

GoM: How can an independent producer contact the Shell to schedule such an event?

BL: At this time we do not anticipate any events at the Levitt Shell until after our Levitt Concert Series in 2008. We do not have an executive director, but anticipate having one in place in 2007. I would suggest accessing www.LevittShell.org to view the conditions for renting the shell for performances and contacting us. I anticipate the website to be up and running about July 1, 2007.

GoM: How can someone volunteer?

BL: Volunteers will be essential for us to be successful. We cannot stage the Levitt Shell professionally performed 50 free concert series without the help of volunteers. I believe these performances will be driven by volunteers. At this time, you can contact me at 901-333-1359 or barry@levittmemphis.org (this will change to barry@levittshell.org in July 2007) to be added to a volunteer list.

Unfortunately we will not have any volunteer organizational meetings or events until the fall of 2007 at the earliest. I do encourage getting your name on the list as soon as possible. We will have a volunteer registration on the website by July of 2007.

The Saving our Shell FAQ, Part 2: The Renovation

Part 1: The History of the FLPM
Part 2: The Renovation
Part 3: Programming the Shell

GoM: What kind of physical changes do you have planned for the Shell? The articles last week mentioned the replacement of the wings and removal of the benches.

BL: At present you have identified most of the physical changes planned. We will bring the facility back to the original 1936 footprint size for the most part. We will remove the metal wings, reduce the depth of the stage which will remove approximately 10 ft from the front which now covers the original orchestra pit, remove the bench seating and renovate the backstage areas.
We will replace the current metal wing buildings with much smaller wings that will house the sound and lighting for the facility and allow for theatrical performances.

GoM: Do you have any other physical changes planned?

BL: In addition, we will create lawn seating where the benches are located complete with an irrigation system to insure lush lawn covering for seating and enjoyment, construct a fence on both sides of the stage utilizing the existing wooden bench seating as the primary construction material, and construct a sound barrier fence between the Levitt Shell and the Memphis College of Art utilizing the current concrete bench stanchions as the primary construction material.

We will utilize as much of the existing materials as possible in the renovation in order to be ecologically responsible. In addition we will use sustainable new materials where possible. We want this to be a "green demonstration site" where possible. We will install some seating (approximately 200-400 seats) for handicap, elderly or others who might not want to participate in lawn seating. In addition walkways will be added for easy access to seating areas. Initially, concession areas will not be built into the facility.

We will renovate the existing bathroom facilities adjacent to the stage and along the western border of the facility. Also, the backstage areas will be renovated with performance venue considerations the primary focus but also with facility rentals for other purposes in mind. All renovations will be ADA compliant. We have hired Askew Nixon Ferguson as our architects.

GoM: Is all the seating being removed?

BL: All the existing seating will be removed. We will replace some of the seating which will be on ergonomically more comfortable seating than the bench seating. This seating, which will total 200 to 400 seats, will be placed near the stage and up near the Brooks Museum entrance to the Levitt Shell.

GoM: How will you deal with events that occur after rains and saturated ground?

BL: We have discussed events that will occur after ground saturation. We anticipate that the drainage design will be for the maximum drainage in order for the ground to dry quickly. Having said that, there will be times when the ground will not be completely dry and possibly saturated with moisture.

Currently it is our best guess that we will move concerts indoors if absolutely necessary. These alternate indoor locations are being identified now. Suggestions are welcome.

The Saving our Shell FAQ, Part 1: History of the FLPM

This is is part 1 of an email interview with Barry Lichterman, a founder of the Friends of the Levitt Pavilion Memphis, the organization that will renovate, manage, and produce a free concert series at, the Overton Park Shell.

I've broken the interview into 3 parts: Monday: the history of the Friends of the Levitt Pavilion Memphis; Wednesday: the renovation of the Shell; Friday: programming the Shell.

GoM: Were you part of the Save our Shell organization?

BL: Friends of the Levitt Pavilion Memphis, Inc. (FLPM), a 501c3 organization, is not part of Save our Shell (SOS), however we work closely in conjunction with them. Their President, Jerry Brown, is a member of our board of directors.

In addition, Save our Shell's founder and Overton Park Shell's chronicler extraordinaire, David Leonard, is also a member of our board of directors. FLPM acknowledges that without the effort of individuals like Jerry and David and SOS, there would be no Overton Park Shell, now officially the Levitt Shell, to renovate, again make vibrant with musical performances and help build community.

GoM: How did Friends of the Levitt Pavilion Memphis get started?

BL: We started FLPM as a requirement of the Mortimer Levitt Foundation in order to obtain funding to renovate the Overton Park Shell and produce the concert program which is described in the next paragraph.

GoM: How did you learn about and make contact with the Mortimer Levitt Foundation?

BL: How we learned about and made contact with the Mortimer Levitt Foundation is as follows: The Mortimer Levitt Foundation's Vice President, Elizabeth (Liz) Levitt Hirsch, Mortimer Levitt's daughter, had a vision to expand their concert program to other parts of the country. The program which features a 50 concert season performed by professional musicians, free admissions to the concerts, and music under the stars with lawn seating, was started 35 years ago in Westport, CT.

For their first expansion outside Westport, CT, Liz first identified a band shell in the Gold Park in Pasadena, CA that badly needed renovating. The renovation was accomplished through a public private partnership between a newly formed local Pasadena "Friends" organization and the City of Pasadena. Utilizing the concert program from the Westport, CT Levitt Pavilion as a model, the Pasadena "Friends" organization, successfully started their 50 night free concert series which is now in its fifth season.

Approximately three years ago a former Memphian and friend of Liz's, David Troy Francis, performed at the Pasadena Levitt Pavilion. After the performance he was talking with Liz and suggested she research Memphis, TN for her next Levitt Pavilion expansion site. Armed with a referral from another former Memphian living in LA, Liz contacted Katie Smythe Thinnes, founder of New Ballet Ensemble in Memphis, to engage Katie in the project and enlist Katie's help in identifying potential band shell locations in the Memphis area for Liz to research during a planned visit to Memphis.

Katie invited me join the effort. We had lunch at the Brushmark in the Brooks Museum. At the conclusion to lunch walked across the street to the Overton Park Shell and the search for a facility was finished before it began. Liz immediately knew this was the site for the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts in Memphis.

A group of interested volunteers formed FLPM. We secured a public private partnership with the City of Memphis to renovate the Shell. In addition, FLPM has negotiated a management agreement to be the sole managers of the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts at the Overton Park Shell as the facility was recently renamed as part of the management agreement. We hope it will be known simply as the"Levitt Shell" going forward.

Katie Thinnes is one of our most active board members sharing her time talent and resources with us. Also on our board of directors are Thomas Boggs, Martha Ellen Maxwell, Jeff Goldstein, Chuck Blatteis, Joyce Cobb, Kaywin Feldman, Robert Spence, Jeff Nesin, Mimi Phillips, Blanchard Tual, Jerry Brown, David Leonard and Cindy Buchanan, Director of Parks is an ex-officio member.