Chattarati Articles in Highland Park

Highland Park Commons Breaks Ground

2011-04-20T11:00:00Z

Elemi Architects

An architect’s rendering of the marketplace and pavilion.

Highland Park has been called many things over the years, many of which were not so positive. For more than 20 years, neighborhood residents worked hard to clean up the area from crime and restore many of the once-beautiful homes to their previous glory. This week during a groundbreaking celebration for the Highland Park Commons, however, it was described as a “thriving community” and a “phoenix neighborhood”.

On Monday, the long-awaited, privately-funded community development project celebrated the beginning of construction on the 2000 block of Union Avenue at the intersection of Willow Street.

Highland Park Commons will include three Futsol (short soccer) courts, a children's playground, community garden space, farmer's market space and a multipurpose building that will house concessions and restrooms. The facility represents a truly collaborative effort on the part of philanthropic foundations, the city, and the Highland Park Neighborhood to create a hub for cross-cultural community engagement. The park will take up approximately three-fourths of a city block.

The Maclellan Foundation, St. Andrews Center and Tennessee Temple University, along with the Lyndhurst Foundation, are the founding partners of the project. The idea was conceived in 2009 as a way to bring soccer facilities to a growing Latino population in Chattanooga. In addition, the U.S. Soccer Foundation awarded a grant to Highland Park Commons reflecting the foundation’s focus on improving the health and well-being of children in inner-city communities. The grant will support programming, coaching and equipment for players, and the construction of safe playing fields that will aid the continued growth of soccer in the United States.

Charlie Phillips, secretary of the board of Highland Park Commons and strategy director at the Maclellan Foundation emphasizes that the park is about more than soccer, “Although soccer will be a defining element of the park, Highland Park Commons was never intended to be merely a soccer facility. It will create an environment for families and the community to come together for recreation, fellowship and community building.”

City Council members Peter Murphy and Manny Rico attended the event, as well as County Commissioner Greg Beck and Sheriff John Hammond. Representatives from the Highland Park Neighborhood Association were also there.

Construction is expected to last around seven months, projecting the Highland Park Commons to open sometime around November.

Special thanks to Gregg O'Dea and Jack Money. Photographs courtesy of Alice O'Dea.

Layout for Highland Park Commons. DC Sawyer Design Group.

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Highland Park to Host Great American Cleanup

2011-04-08T10:00:00Z

Highland Park residents will gather at Tatum Park on the corner of Holly Street and Union Avenue on Saturday, April 23 at 10 a.m. to participate in the Great American Cleanup.

Neighbors and community volunteers will walk the streets of Highland Park to pick up litter around the neighborhood. After the cleanup, we’ll celebrate with a hot dog picnic at Tatum Park.

Sponsored by Keep America Beautiful Inc., the Great American Cleanup is the nation’s largest community improvement program. It takes place each year from March 1 through May 31. Last year, volunteers donated more than 5.7 million hours to clean and improve more than 33,000 communities across the nation.

To organize your own Great American Cleanup event and for more info, contact:

Scenic Cities Beautiful Commission
Jeanette Eigelsbach
Chattanooga, TN 37403-3203
eigelsbach_j@chattanooga.gov
(423)757-0061

To learn more about Keep America Beautiful Inc., visit kab.org.

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Pancake Breakfast This Saturday in Highland Park

2011-03-16T10:00:00Z

The Highland Park Neighborhood Association continues to raise money for the Highland Park Community Fund, which will ensure that residents have a space to meet for years to come. The first event of the year is a pancake breakfast this Saturday, March 19, from 9-11 a.m.

The $5 event, or $6 at the door, includes Rembrandt's coffee provided by resident Chris Anderson and Link 41 sausage provided by resident Trae Moore. It will take place at the Highland Park Neighborhood Center at 1714 Duncan Ave.

All are invited to stop by and enjoy the local flavor and meet and greet with residents for a good cause. Local police and firefighters are invited free of charge.

For more information or ticket info, please send an e-mail to HPNA board member Cara Hicks at cara.ables@gmail.com or Shari Jump at chattjump@comcast.net.

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Highland Park Snowed In

2011-01-11T08:00:00Z

DJ Trischler

These cars won’t be leaving anytime soon.

DJ Trischler

Snow plowed on the side of the street.

DJ Trischler

Snow-covered homes on Vance Avenue.

DJ Trischler

A snow-covered home on Vance Avenue.

DJ Trischler

A lone set of tire tracks on Vance Avenue.

DJ Trischler

A snow-covered home on Vance Avenue.

The year's first big snowfall covered the homes, cars and streets of Highland Park.

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Tatum Park: A Neighborhood Park And More

2010-08-25T21:09:51Z

Alice O’Dea

Councilman Peter Murphy at National Night Out

Alice O’Dea

National Night Out @ Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

National Night Out @ Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

Councilman Peter Murphy at Great American Clean Up @ Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

Great American Clean Up @ Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

National Night Out @ Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

National Night Out @ Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

National Night Out @ Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

Take Root @ Tatum Park

Alice O’Dea

Take Root @ Tatum Park

Tatum Park is an important piece of property in the Highland Park neighborhood. The park was named in Ginny Tatum’s honor, for it was Ginny who helped form the Highland Park Neighborhood Association and Neighborhood Watch program in 1991.

Highland Park residents are known for being an active group willing to invest time and energy into making the neighborhood the best it can be. Tatum Park represents how diligently residents, like Ginny Tatum, have fought to revitalize and bring about positive change to one of Chattanooga’s oldest neighborhoods.

Located between Union and Bailey Avenues at Hickory and Holly Streets, it is the heart of Highland Park. Tatum Park is the site of many community events as well as casual recreation; it is essential to the quality of life of those that call Highland Park home.

Tatum Park is the place where Highland Park residents come together to engage the youth of our neighborhood through activities like flag football. It is where residents show support for our police and firefighters with events like National Night Out; where our community comes together during the holidays to wish one another good will; where neighbors may meet for the first time at our annual plant swap or during an afternoon barbeque; and where many residents bring their children to ride bikes. Additionally, Tatum Park is one of the few in-town locations that provide residents space to exercise their dog with Frisbee or ball.

This park named in Ginny Tatum’s honor serves as a lasting reminder that we owe it to our neighbors, our children and future residents to make a difference in our community.

The links below provide photos of the many ways Highland Park residents have spent their time at Tatum Park, as well as provide some background information about Ginny Tatum.

National Night Out, Aug 2010

Highland Park participates in Great American Cleanup, Apr 2010

Take Root tree planting, Nov 2009

About Ginny Tatum

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National Night Out in Highland Park

2010-08-02T10:30:00Z

Alice O’Dea

Photo of Highland Park’s NNO

Tuesday is National Night Out.

In Highland Park this is a big deal: the theme of community and police working together to make a difference is written throughout our neighborhood. The hours of patrol and attention given to the area over the past few years helped to build the friendly interaction and relationships that make us proud of our community. Neighborhood Association events, flower-filled landscapes, and home tours are all secondary to the incredible work of citizens, police and firefighters that have helped make this neighborhood a great place to live.

Last year, over 250 people came to enjoy National Night Out in Tatum Park, where we had food, raffles and games. This year Marlene Brown, who works tirelessly to coordinate the event, has received over 45 donations of prizes to give away during our raffle. Everyone is welcome and a raffle ticket is only a dollar — all proceeds benefit the Highland Park Neighborhood Association. See below for some of the incredible donations of gift certificates we have to give out. We also have barbecue donated from Kings Smokehouse, as well as coleslaw, baked beans and potato salad donated by Tennessee Temple.

If you're in the area, stop by to say hello, and enjoy some of the great food! And if you like, get in on the chance to win one of the wonderful prizes below. It's a fun time!

Restaurants

Hair of the Dog Pub
Terminal Brewhouse
Applebee's Restaurant
Chili's Restaurant
Wally's Restaurant
Cici's Pizza
Gollywhopper's Sandwiches
Chattanooga Cupcakes
Pizza Hut
Fazoli's Restaurant

Attractions

The Tennessee Aquarium
Creative Discovery Museum
Chattanooga Zoo
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

And More

Aunt Sue's K-9 Bakery
Ace Hardware
Bi-Lo (Brainerd & 23rd St.)
Humphry's Flowers
Center Med Spa
Gordon's Cleaners
Gregg's Flowers
Classic Beautique
East Ridge Car Wash

Grand Prize

A Scenic Trip for 10 on the Southern Belle Riverboat

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This Old House

2010-07-13T09:30:00Z

Jim Payne

Circa 1951

Jim Payne

1960

Jay Craven

Today

Jim Payne

Watermelon Time

Jim Payne

1950s

Jay Craven

The history of this 1920s bungalow reveals how differently its occupants lived.

For the past six years, I have lived in a 1920s bungalow. I didn't know exactly when it was built, but being the geek I am, I trotted down to the bicentennial library to pore over microfilms of old city directories. My house first appeared in the 1927 edition, which makes sense as 1926 is stamped on the bottom of my claw-foot bathtub. (Yes, I stuck a flashlight and a mirror under there).

Digging further, I not only found out when my house was built, I discovered some of its former residents. The first occupants of my house were Paul and Gertie Stinson. Mr. Stinson was a barber downtown, and I imagine Mrs. Stinson was a homemaker. They lived there for probably 10 years.

Later, during World War II, another barber and his wife called my house home. Mr. and Mrs. Mason lived there for several years, and when Mrs. Mason's father died in 1942 — I found the obituary; it said that the body would lie in state in the living room — her mother sold a house one street away (currently occupied by friends of mine) and moved in with her daughter and son-in-law. When my partner, John, described a dream he had about an elderly woman sleeping in our back bedroom, our neighbor who remembers her told him the description sounded like her, and that was her room. That was a little freaky.

Around 1950, the Payne family took up residence. Mr. and Mrs. Payne had two sons, Jim and John, and they lived in the house until 1964. Jim Payne came by to visit a few years ago, and I showed him around the house. He was delighted to see his childhood home, and that it was being well cared for again. He brought a box of old black-and-white pictures that I made copies of. Two in particular are brought out during Christmas: one is of Jim and his brother opening gifts on Christmas morning sometime in the 1950s, and the other one is of their father (with someone I can't identify) standing in the front yard next to a large snowman that they had built. The photo is dated 1960.

The last longtime residents of our house were Wade and Lois Fisher, an elderly couple. They lived there from around 1970 until Mrs. Fisher’s death in 1994. I found out that during her last days, she was moved into a hospital bed in the dining room, where she died. I imagine she wasn’t the first person to die in our house.

I'm always interested to hear what our house used to look like, but little things are always revealed. Like the mirror above our fireplace, for example. It's just a mirror. There isn't a frame or anything. We really didn't like it that much and were contemplating removing it. But then it was the first thing Jim Payne saw when he entered our house, and he was ecstatic that it was still there. His father had installed that mirror in 1951, and he put it in so well that it would probably have to be broken out. The mirror is still there, and it's not going anywhere as long as we're there.

One evening John pulled out a drawer from the built-in in the hallway, and he found a stash of Good Housekeeping magazines from the 1970s, an empty wallet, a vase and a ratty old Bible. I can only assume they belonged to Mrs. Fisher, depending on the era of the items.

Finding out these things also reveals how differently our former residents lived. My house has two bedrooms and one bathroom. Each bedroom has one terribly inefficient closet, both of which are full. My partner and I are the only ones (humans, anyway) who live in our house. But the Paynes raised two children there and, according to a former neighbor, at some point there was a family of four children in residence. Additionally, the kitchen only had a sink and three or four lower cabinets, according to Jim Payne, making space even more scarce. Then I think about how our kitchen cabinets and our closets are filled to the brim, and there’s only two of us, and figure that we probably have too much stuff.

I’m glad I’m fortunate enough to know about the history of our home. I often think about its former residents and what their lives must have been like. The house is the one thread that runs between us and these people; they spent part of their lives there, and made memories, just like we’re doing. We’re all a part of each other simply due to the fact that we all lived in the same place at different times.

For my part, I’m trying to preserve our memories as well. The photographs of our friends, our gatherings and our house in general will (hopefully) one day be printed and collected in an album, which I will leave for any future occupants. I want them to know what our lives were like, who our friends were, what our house looked like when we lived there, and who our pets were. I like to imagine that in 80 years someone will pull out a dusty photo album and see our photos — along with the Paynes and anyone else who may add to it over time — and wonder about us and our lives. I hope so.

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Memorial Day in Highland Park

2010-05-31T15:01:25Z

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A Conversation About ‘Higher Ground, Common Ground’

2010-04-22T11:00:00Z

‘Higher Ground, Common Ground: The Story of Highland Park’Mary Barnett via Vimeo

Higher Ground, Common Ground: The Story of Highland Park features commentary from the late Lee Roberson, Judith Schorr, Uneva Shaw, Lois Latimore, Geoff Tarr and Scott Wilson about the evolution of our neighborhood.

Residents of Highland Park — past, present, and future — thank Mary Barnett, Allied Arts and the Chattanooga History Center for capturing this great story.

Highland Park residents Lisa Flint and DJ Trischler comment on the documentary.

DJ Trischler: The video gives me a strong sense of pride as a Highland Park resident.

Lisa Flint: I agree! It doesn't matter how many times I watch, I get choked up every single time. You said it touches you too. Why?

Trischler: I love the rich story of our neighborhood told through the video. Highland Park was once a bustling place with a vivid community. The video helps me dream of an even livelier community, especially when I see the pictures of all the people walking around the neighborhood. I get excited about living in a place where people are interacting more and relating and engaging with each other, even if they are different. What about you?

Flint: The passion, dedication and persistence that so many demonstrated are awe-inspiring, really. At its worst, Highland Park wasn't a sexy place to be and they chose to band together. I'm not so sure that I would have had it in me to fight the way they did to try to get the neighborhood back. I admire Judith and Uneva and all the other residents for not giving up. They had no guarantee their efforts would pay off. Think about it, they could have given up, sold their homes and moved elsewhere. Instead they stayed put and faced the neighborhood's problems head-on.

Trischler: I’m inspired by the motivation and determination of Judith Schorr and her cronies. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk the streets, as a citizen, in order to reduce crime. I doubt I’d go out and walk the streets like they did!

From watching the video, I’ve witnessed and felt the spirit, or energy, of Highland Park. I wish I lived here when it was a thriving community. Like I said, it is hard not to have a dynamic vision of a lively community after watching the film.

Another important note ... I don’t think that folks like Judith Schorr and company want gratification. They want a revitalized Highland Park, a purposefully created community of many different people, found on a strong and vibrant history.

Flint: I think that is right! The beauty of HP is its diversity (I love the old houses too!) and so many people say they moved to HP for that very reason. One of our biggest challenges moving forward is preserving that unique feature of our neighborhood. Rev. Mike Feely has some demographic info on HP and says it truly is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in our area. I don't recall the numbers exactly but it was very interesting. I love that.

Trischler: That makes sense. Within proximity to the house my roommates and I live in, there are Hispanics, Koreans, whites and blacks.

Flint: What did you learn about HP that you didn't know before seeing Mary's documentary?

Trischler: I didn't realize the impact Highland Park Baptist Church and Tennessee Temple had on the community. At the moment, there are vacant buildings and not many students. Imagine that part of our ‘hood as alive as it is in the video. They both were once a great light for the community and I think they still are. They will inevitably contribute to the community — along with the St. Andrews Center, other churches and organizations — as Highland Park evolves.

Flint: It's hard to imagine that sprawl had such a huge impact on the urban communities. Or maybe it's not hard to imagine, since we seem to be an example of that.

Trischler: It’s hard for me to understand why someone would want to move from Highland Park into the ‘burbs. HP is kind of like the burbs, just there’s diversity and easy (bike) access to downtown.

Flint: But in the '80s, that was the new thing ... big houses in the burbs.

Trischler: Different generation, I suppose. I live in Highland Park because the folks around me here are different than me. I'd rather not live in the ‘burbs near folks who are as white as me.

What if the Church was [an] active contributor to the Highland Park community, like it once was? There's poverty in our neighborhood and people of faith are called to love widows and orphans. What if someone with a drinking problem, or who's lost in prostitution, addicted to drugs, or just lonely could find rest and peace in one of our many church communities?

What if HP didn't kick people out, like most developing communities tend to do, but instead, helped folks kick poverty?

I'm not intending to make an accusation. I hope to encourage those within the church, including myself.

I should have warned you, I'm an optimist.

Flint: Me too! Positive thinkers! I'd like to hear Tennessee Temple's perspective on the matter of sprawl. What a hub of activity it seemed to be! What an interesting conversation to have, to hear thoughts re: why/when the neighborhood changed. We need to call Judith!

Trischler: Agree!

Flint: What do you think the churches and St. Andrews could or should do to help?

Trischler: Well, the church community should be a place for all people to feel welcome. It should also be active in the community it exists — a positive piece of the community. Perhaps a place to people with drinking and prostitution and drug related problems to go to find rest. So that rather than driving people out of HP their facilitated out of poverty?

Flint: Rev. Mike Feely is doing great things at St. Andrews Center. The announcement, though not entirely formal, about Highland Park Commons is a great example of that! HP Commons will be a combination of athletic fields (futsal courts), community garden space, park space, and a vendor and farmer’s market venue, all on the 2000 block bordered by Union, Beech, Kirby and Willow. The project is largely an effort to unify the diverse populations in our neighborhood. It has been generously sponsored by local foundations along with significant support from Tennessee Temple University and the St. Andrews Center. Should be a great addition to our neighborhood!

Trischler: That sounds awesome! Gardens always bring unique people together. We all have to eat!

I'd love to see more public art in Highland Park, especially murals for all of the blank canvases that exist on the many vacant buildings and factories in our neighborhood. They could depict a narrative of our community history and dreams.

Flint: That would be great! I'd love to see the On The Fence project (that we'll see on Main Street) expanded to HP. What I love about a neighborhood like ours is that there are plenty of opportunities to bring people together for a common cause and plenty of room to be creative about those opportunities!

Trischler: HP was so many opportunities! These vacant lots and buildings are all opportunities. A neighbor down the street and fellow blogger, Jason Kelley, offered the lot next to his house as a place to play volleyball. We're looking forward to taking him up on his offer and the possibility of other neighbors joining.

Flint: Sounds great! Use the HP listserv to get the word out!

Trischler: It's just fun to live here. How many places can you actively live in the community you reside. I don't just go there to sleep.

Flint: I agree. I love the fact that the momentum that got started was truly a grassroots effort ... people got involved out of a strong commitment to their neighborhood. They gave of themselves, came together to make a difference and bring about positive change. Time to carry that torch!

Trischler: The vision of what Highland Park was, and the dream of what it can be, entices me enough to stay. An encouraging history builds a strong foundation for a solid future. I hope that you and me and our fellow citizens can continue to band together and keep the Highland Park spirit alive. Anything can happen at this point.

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It Only Takes One Person

2010-04-19T09:30:39Z

Last June, an elderly lady named Ginnie Tatum passed away in a nursing home here in Chattanooga. What many people didn't know was that this otherwise ordinary woman kicked some serious butt while she was here, with long-lasting effects on one Chattanooga neighborhood.

I never knew Miss Tatum, but her legacy lives on in all of us who proudly call Highland Park home. It was she, back in 1991, who began noticing the steady deterioration of her once-beautiful neighborhood; this sprurred her into action. She distributed flyers throughout the neighborhood urging residents to meet to discuss ways of stopping the slide into mayhem that, at the time, was plaguing Highland Park.

It was through her efforts and determination that the Highland Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA) was created, and this group of residents set about ridding their neighborhood of drugs, prostitution and violence to much success. In 2004, a new green space was dedicated as Tatum Park in her honor. The HPNA was — and still is, with a whole new generation of young'uns — one of the most active neighborhood groups in Chattanooga.

Those of us who are relative newcomers absolutely owe our Highland Park existence to Ginnie Tatum; due to her efforts, Highland Park is now a neighborhood of choice. My neighbors and I could have chosen to live anywhere in Chattanooga, but we chose Highland Park, and to me, Highland Park is Chattanooga.

Today, when one looks around and sees more homes being restored, mothers pushing their kids around in strollers, dogs walking their owners or people jogging, it's all because of the plucky determination of an elderly lady who wanted her neighborhood to be a better place for herself and her fellow and future residents. We have probably succeeded beyond what she ever envisioned.

Thank you, Miss Tatum, from dozens of people who never met you. Your legacy is immeasurable.

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