Uptown, Memphis

Uptown Memphis is a neighborhood located near downtown Memphis, Tennessee.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Pinch District are located in the general vicinity.

History

19th century

Uptown was established in the 1840s by the Greenlaw Brothers. Partners in the establishing of Uptown were Robert Looney, John and Isaac Saffarans and E.T. Keel. Streets were paved with cobblestone with granite curbs, and were lined with sycamore trees.

Prominent Memphis families built large stately homes in the area. By 1865, blue collar workers began to build smaller homes alongside these homes creating an economically diverse community. Ethnic diversity was the norm. Immigrants from Germany and Ireland moved into the area, as did Jewish immigrants from Europe. Because of this, the area now known as Greenlaw attracted mostly Northeastern and Mid-Western families, giving the area its own distinctive culture.

In 1870, Greenlaw and Chelsea were annexed into Memphis.

20th century

The Mississippi River flooded Greenlaw in 1912, stopping construction of homes for the affluent.