Inside the Porter-Leath Home: After sale, what's next for historic Memphis property?

Be careful, that’s a wild dog over there.

Not exactly, the words I was expecting to hear from Andrew Murray before we migrated toward the front entrance of the historic Porter-Leath Home in Uptown. (The home is on the fringes of what was once known as Smokey City.)

The former orphanage at 850 N. Manassas St. has been mostly vacant since 2017. The front door is locked shut still, forcing Murray and I to go around to the rear of the building.

Murray, who is the president of the Memphis and Shelby County Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), informed me before our tour it was wise to bring an N95 or face mask due to mold in the building.

Despite the dogs and the threat of mold, the building was in relatively good shape — especially given it's 167 years young.

“Our main goal is to preserve the building," Murray said. "It needs some love, about a million dollars, worth of love."

The first floor of the building is decorated with Porter-Leath signage, forgotten security tags in wicker baskets, empty mail chutes and vacant exam rooms from the building’s original core.

Broken HVAC vents and the occasional drip from water-damaged tiles dot the growing sea of leaks below.

The stairs leading up to second floor have weathered cracks, and a “do not enter” sign hangs above the stairway to the attic. One hallway entrance on the second floor leading to the former Bond executive room is furnished with an exit sign hanging by its electrical wire.

Despite a few broken tiles, crumbled walls and torn interiors, the building — given its age  — is still in better shape than most vacant Memphis buildings.

It’s one reason why Murray was adamant the CRA save it. Its place in Memphis history was the other half of that logic.

On Aug. 4, the CRA bought the property for $600,000. The nonprofit entity paid a third of that price at closing and will pay the remainder once the property is redeveloped or within four years, Murray said. The deal includes four administrative buildings, the Gould Cottage and 3 acres of land. (Porter-Leath will continue operating Sarah’s Place and Early Head Start buildings.)

After Porter-Leath exited the property in September 2017, the goal was to find a partner who would preserve the building and ensure a bright future for the campus. Porter-Leath’s main headquarters is now located at 3400 Prescott Road.

“Historic preservation of these properties has been a focus since 2016 and we are very excited our efforts have come to fruition,” Porter-Leath Home chair Lura Turner said in a statement.

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Porter-Leath Home's history

In the mid-19th century, Sarah H. Leath donated 9 acres for the Protestant Widows’ and Orphans Asylum and in 1856 the first building on that 9-acre campus was built: the Leath Orphan Asylum.

The building went through several expansions including a significant three-story one in 1875. The 1875 expansion was designed by architect Edward C. Jones (Jones had designed several prominent Memphis buildings at the time) and became the focal point for the campus. Funds from Dr. David Tinsley Porter and his family were gifted to the campus in 1901 and resulted in a name change to Porter Home and Leath Orphanage. It was later renamed Porter-Leath Home in 1951.

A third expansion was built in 1912 on the southwestern side of the building. Later railroad mogul Edwin Gould of New York would donate funds for a Spanish-mission style building named the Gould Cottage, which was used as a refuge for older girls and widows.

In total, the campus would have six structures, three of which are still in use today; including the Gould Cottage. The CRA began leasing out the cottage in 2021 and has invested over $100,000 in renovations in the building, Murray said.

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What could be next for Porter-Leath Home?

The campus is located in the CRA’s Uptown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, which continues until January 2032, Murray said. The goal of the TIF district is to work with community stakeholders, residents and local businesses to effectively redevelop and increase property value throughout the district and its incorporated neighborhoods.

Murray said the CRA’s next steps are to issue a request-for-proposals (RFP).

“Our plan is to use a RFP to get developers interested,” Murray said.

Murray added that he’s hoping the right developers can make the building into a vital asset again. He believes that in the right hands the campus can be used as a senior living facility or youth center.

Neil Strebig is a journalist with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at neil.strebig@commercialappeal.com, 901-426-0679 or via Twitter@neilStrebig. 

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Porter-Leath Home in Memphis sold: Here's what's next for the property