How Memphis Became the City Beautiful, Pg. 1

How Memphis Became the City Beautiful, Pg. 1

Civic Life

The City Beautiful Commission was founded in 1930. The first of its kind in the country, the City Beautiful Commission was defined as “good outdoor housekeeping”. The Commission was the brain-child of E.H. Crump. He felt that the best way to keep Memphis beautiful was to enlist the support of civic-minded Memphis women. This brochure was directed toward women, highlighting the before and after pictures of some of the City Beautiful Commission’s greatest achievements. The brochure also shows the Miss City Beautiful, the Annual Clean-Up parade and the Commission-sponsored Outdoor Christmas Lights competition. The brochure outlines the organization of the City Beautiful Commission. The Commission is unique because it was composed entirely of women. These women had official status with the city government and became part of the Public Works Department. The Commission consisted of a Volunteer chairman, Vice Chairman, and a Volunteer Board of twenty-three members. The brochure closes with a look to the future of the City Beautiful including more artistic fountains and the beautification of the approach to the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge and the Memphis Airport.

City Beautiful Commission

Mississippi Valley Collection

The University of Memphis Libraries

1958

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Hist4851, Spring 2015