The Old Daisy has been centerstage for the messy history of Beale Street control. Here’s the story.
The circa-1917 Old Daisy, now known formally as the Historical Daisy, has become a symbol of the skirmish for control of the Beale Street Entertainment District. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
The distinctive red half-shell facade of the Old Daisy theater has presided over more than a century of life on Beale Street.
Now known formally as the Historical Daisy, it’s frequently confused with the younger New Daisy Theatre across Beale Street.
But the Old Daisy is part of the street’s lore, at times venturing close to the mythic.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
Beale Street Beale Street Development Corporation Paul Young Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community.
You can help us reach more Memphians.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.
When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today.
Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Bill Dries on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Bill Dries' stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.