A Collierville landmark was among just eight sites in the state to be added to the National Register of Historic Places last week.
The 176-year-old Charles Davis house on Winchester Road was selected, along with Rock of Ages Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Memphis.
“As Tennessee grows, it is important to recognize the unique historic places that help define us,” said Patrick McIntyre, state historic preservation officer and executive director of the Tennessee Historical Commission. “The National Register is an honorary designation that emphasizes the importance of these special properties worth maintaining and passing along to future generations.”
Located at 1291 Winchester Road, the Charles Davis House was built in 1841 and in 1855, Andrew Taylor purchased and remodeled the house as a gift to his daughter Laura Therese and her new husband Charles Davis.
The two-story frame residence is a good example of a Greek Revival influenced I-house. Covered in shiplap, the most prominent feature of the house is the pedimented entry with square paneled columns and double-leaf doors, on both stories, that are flanked by glass and wood sidelights.
Multi-light windows with shutters and pilasters on the exterior and paneled woodwork with shouldered architrave trim inside are important Greek Revival features of the house.
The house stayed in the Davis and Taylor families until 1945 when Attorney John Porter and his wife, Mary, purchased the house and updated the interior. There are few changes to the historic architecture of the house.
Porter was a part of the law firm Burch, Porter & Johnson, which represented Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike.
The current owner of the house is Jane Porter Field.
Architectural Historian Judith Johnson nominated the house last year.
The Memphis Federation of Musicians Local 71 Building was also selected to the National Registry.
