The Early Word: Comebacks planned for Clayborn Temple and Ashlar Hall
Happy day, Memphis. It’s Thursday, May 29, and Lester Community Center in Binghampton reopens today in a new building with more multi-purpose rooms, gymnasiums and an indoor walking track. It’s a big deal for Binghamption because Lester is one of the top-five most-used community centers in the city, especially for residents getting their steps in.
The plan to rebuild Downtown’s historic Clayborn Temple, which was declared a total loss after an April arson, got a big boost on Wednesday. The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, along with the Mellon and Ford Foundations, announced a $1.5 million grant to help the rebuilding effort for the church that became a civil rights landmark during the 1968 sanitation workers strike. The investigation into who set the fire is ongoing.
Ashlar Hall, the 127-year-old Midtown castle that was once home to Prince Mongo’s nightclub, could still see a return to the night life. Owner Juan Montoya bought the building in 2016 (for dirt cheap!!), and he’s been working for years to transform the space into an event venue. On Wednesday, the Shelby County Board of Adjustment offered Montoya a four-year extension for his plans, and his daughter gave an update, including a look at how many people might be allowed at events there.
Plus, the Shelby County trustee calls Mayor Lee Harris’ budget a “fantasy,” Memphis-Shelby County Schools is powerless over PowerSchool and Geoff Calkins remembers Reggie Barnes.
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Bianca Phillips
Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.
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