Living Near Overton Park in Midtown Memphis

Some neighborhoods are defined by a street or a school. In Midtown Memphis, a lot of life orbits a park. Overton Park sits at the center of the area, with Overton Square a short walk south, and the streets around them hold some of the oldest and most character-filled homes in the city. Here is a neighborly tour of the area around the park in 38104 and 38112.

Overton Park: 342 Acres in the Middle of Midtown

Overton Park covers about 342 acres, framed by Poplar Avenue on the south, North Parkway on the north, East Parkway on the east, and McLean Boulevard on the west. It was laid out in the early 1900s with help from landscape architect George Kessler, and the park is marking its 125th anniversary this year.

The heart of the park is the Old Forest, roughly 126 acres of old-growth woods that the state designated as the Old Forest State Natural Area in 2011. The park has more than eight miles of trails in all, and a few other spots locals use constantly:

• The Greensward, a big open lawn for frisbee, picnics, and lazy afternoons
• Rainbow Lake, with a renovated playground and a pavilion
• Overton Park 9, the nine-hole golf course that reopened after renovations in 2022
• Overton Bark, the park's off-leash dog area
• Veterans Plaza and the formal gardens

The Greensward was once the center of a long disagreement over zoo parking. That was settled in 2022, when the Memphis Zoo agreed to return 17 acres of the Old Forest to the Overton Park Conservancy, and the deal included a new North Parkway entrance and parking for the zoo. The Conservancy has cared for the park in partnership with the City of Memphis since 2011.

The Zoo, the Shell, and a Changing Arts Corner

The Memphis Zoo sits on the park's north side and is home to more than 3,500 animals.

You may still hear people call the outdoor amphitheater "the Levitt Shell," but it went back to its historic name, the Overton Park Shell, in 2022. The Shell celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2026 and continues to offer free programming through the year. Their online calendar is the best place to see what is coming up this fall.

The southwest corner of the park has seen the most change lately:

• The Metal Museum opened its new home on September 5, 2026, in Rust Hall, the former Memphis College of Art building. The art college closed several years ago, and the museum spent about a decade planning the move, adding workshop space where smiths and artists work and teach.
• The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art has left its longtime park building. It is reopening downtown on the river bluff as the Memphis Art Museum, with the opening expected in December. A decision on what comes next for the original park building has not been announced.

Overton Square: Theaters and Dinner a Few Blocks Away

About six blocks south of the park along Cooper Street, Overton Square fills the area around Madison Avenue and Cooper. It has been a Midtown gathering place for decades.

The performing arts are the big draw. Playhouse on the Square, the Circuit Playhouse, Hattiloo Theatre, and Ballet Memphis are all part of the district, so seeing a show and walking home afterward is a real option for nearby residents.

Food and music fill in around the stages. A few names you will hear often include Lafayette's Music Room, Babalu Tacos and Tapas, Boscos Squared, Zebra Lounge, Panta, and The Second Line. The Memphian, a boutique hotel, sits right in the mix too. If you want a taste of the square this fall, Overton Square's site lists its free Oktoberfest for Saturday, October 24.

The Streets and Neighborhoods Around the Park

Several distinct historic areas touch the park or sit just across the street from it:

• Evergreen Historic District sits west of the park, roughly between North Watkins Street and McLean, from Poplar up to North Parkway. It is a 53-block area listed on the National Register in 1985 and protected by a local historic overlay. Evergreen also has a famous backstory: homes were cleared in the early 1970s for a planned Interstate 40 route through the park, and neighbors took the fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971. The highway never came, and many of the empty lots were rebuilt starting around 1991 in styles that blend in with the older homes.
• Hein Park sits just north of the park across North Parkway, next to Rhodes College, bounded by North Parkway, Jackson Avenue, Trezevant Street, and the campus. It was built out between 1921 and 1941, and its winding streets follow the natural hills, so homes sit at different heights along the curves.
• South of the park, older Midtown blocks between Poplar and Overton Square make walking to both easy.

What the Homes Are Like

Most homes around the park were built from the 1890s through the early 1940s, when streetcar lines and the Parkway system pulled the city east. In Evergreen you will see bungalows, Craftsman homes, American Foursquares, and Colonial Revival designs, often with deep front porches and mature trees. In Hein Park, the look leans toward Georgian Revival, Tudor Revival, and English cottage styles, with the rolling topography giving many homes a little extra presence from the street.

Lots in this part of Midtown vary a lot from block to block. Some streets have modest, close-set lots that make for a strong front-porch feel, while others, especially along the curving Hein Park streets and the Parkways, offer more room and larger trees. Because Evergreen carries a local historic overlay, exterior changes there generally go through a review process, which is worth knowing early if you have projects in mind.

Every block around Overton Park has its own personality, and the best way to get a feel for it is to walk it, maybe with a stop on the Greensward or a show at the square. If you would like to talk through the streets around the park, or just have questions about Midtown, I am always glad to help, with no pressure at all.

Kelly Day, SRES, SRS, AHWD, PSA, RENE
Multi Million Dollar Club
Broker Lic # 365811
simpliHOM
901-289-9227
855-856-9466
[email protected]
https://memphishouselistings.com