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The Old Daisy has been centerstage for the messy history of Beale Street control. Here’s the story.

By , Daily Memphian Updated: July 26, 2025 9:04 PM CT | Published: July 13, 2025 4:00 AM CT

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.

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Beale Street Beale Street Development Corporation Paul Young Subscriber Only

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Bill Dries

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.


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