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"The Levitt Shell" January 30th, 2007 Memphis Business Journal - 3:06 PM CST Monday 29/1/07 The City of Memphis, the Mortimer Levitt Foundation and a group of Memphians will partner to revive the Overton Park Shell. The partnership was announced Monday in a news release prepared by The Carter Malone Group, a Memphis-based public relations firm. Further details about the project will be released in February. The Overton Park Shell closed in 2004. An engineering study found the venue would need about $550,000 worth of improvements. The Mortimer Levitt Foundation has a history of helping restore amphitheaters. In 2003, the foundation endowed the city of Pasadena, Calif., with a $250,000 grant to restore the Gold Shell in Memorial Park, which was built in 1930. That venue, now called the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts, recently held its fourth annual free summer concert series. Elvis Presley held his first paid performance at the Overton Park Shell in 1954. Over the years, entertainers such as The Allman Brothers Band, The Grateful Dead and Neil Diamond have performed at the Midtown venue. The Mortimer Levitt Foundation was created in 1963 to support the arts across the U.S. FROM: sanantonio.bizjournals.com Click HERE To Read a Feb 22, 2007 UPDATE on the: Mortimer Levitt Foundation's project to restore the Wallenberg Shell in Memphis October 25th, 2004 Memphis -- The Overton Park Shell played host to it's last concert until some necessary repairs could be made. An engineering study found that the shell will need about 550 thousand dollars worth of improvements. It said this historic venue has decayed to the point that it is now a liability for the city. After this weekend it will be shut down until that money can be raised to fix the structure. It is unclear how long that will take because there is no dedication by the city or any real organized sources of money for this project. But the intent is there as the group 'save our shell' try to organize a fund-raising campaign. They say this structure is a vital part of this city's history and is as important of a landmark like Sun Studios. The shell was the first real venue for a young Elvis Presley. He played his first show on that stage in 1954 and it is widely regarded as the first rock and roll show ever. FROM: http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?S=2472609 |
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