Levitt Shell - Memphis, Tennessee
Posted by: 
cgeek
N 35° 08.706 W 089° 59.670
16S E 227187 N 3893240
The Levitt Shell (formerly known as the Overton Park Shell and the Raoul Wallenburg Shell) is located in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee.
Waymark Code: WM3KHN
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 04/16/2008
Views: 94
The Levitt Shell (formerly known as the Overton Park Shell and the Raoul Wallenburg Shell) is located in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee.
Here is some history about the shell:
1933-34
Ralph Dunbar produces two summer seasons of light opera and theater on a dirt stage at the foot of a natural bowl shaped slope in Overton Park. Dunbar begins to advocate the construction of a permanent amphitheater on the site.
1936
The Overton Park Orchestra Shell is constructed for $11,935 by the Work Progress Administration (WPA) and the City of Memphis. The facility has enough wooden benches for 4,000 people and is dominated by the reinforced concrete orchestra shell patterned after the acoustical designs of similar shells in New York, Chicago, and St. Louis.
Sept.13, 1936
Dedication ceremonies are attended by 6,000 as the newly formed Memphis Symphony Orchestra performs. The dedication program calls the Shell "A pledge to the future of music in Memphis".
1937
The Memphis Open Air Theatre (MOAT) produces the first of fourteen seasons of light opera and musicals.
1947
The Memphis Federation of Musicians inaugurates its "Music Under the Stars Program" series which will provide six to eight events over thirty years to come.
July 30, 1954
Elvis Presley steals the show from headliner Slim Whitman in what music historians worldwide regard as "The First Rock and Roll Show". Elvis is billed as "Ellis Presley".
1974
The fence is removed and the Shell resumes a schedule of free performances, thus ending the controversy over rock concerts.
1982
At the request of the National Council of Christians and Jews, the Shell is named after Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat responsible for saving thousands of Jews from Nazi death camps.
1985
The stage of the Raoul Wallenberg Shell in Overton Park remained dark for the first season since its construction. Many Memphians thought the dormant and somewhat dilapidated amphitheater was doomed to be displaced by a parking lot. Late in 1985, volunteers began repairs to the facility at NO COST to the city. A petition drive was begun, weekly meetings were held and the "Save Our Shell" committee was born.
1986-2003
Save Our Shell (SOS) Inc. has provided quality entertainment since 1986. Year 2002 - 54 performances for 63,000 people. Year 2003 - 63 performances for 75,000 people.
October 2004 City of Memphis closes the Shell once again..............
As of 2007, the shell has been the subject of a large-scale renovation funded by the Levitt Foundation. Now called the Levitt Shell, this musical venue is being renovated by Memphis firm Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects with state-of-the-art audio and visual design. The project is due to be completed in the fall of 2008, when free concerts will once again be held in the space.
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Check here if the structure is enclosed or mostly enclosed on three sides (required for posting): yes
Bandshell Webpage: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
When visiting a waymark, please take pictures that clearly show the bandshell. If you have pictures with yourself in the bandshell, that would be great too. Also, tell us a little about your visit. It's optional, but if you attended a performance here, tell us about it.