top of page
Jay Brothers

Houston Hall (P. D. Houston House)/ Ivy House (Harvey home) more fam info

610 Belle Meade BL Nashville, TN

Circa 1925. 2-story Greek Revival style home


Dr. Persis Daniel (P. D.) Houston (1843-1921) and Medora Ann "Dora" Pickens Houston (1847-1911) built their 18 room abode on Belle Meade BL and called it Houston Hall. They wed in 1868. The home faced Gerald Place with the driveway running from the Boulevard. They enjoyed 18 acres of lawn that originally started at Jackson BL behind them. He was chairman of American National Bank. Their son P.D. Hosuton, Jr. owned Rippavilla at one point. After Medora's death, P.D. remarried to Sarah Elizabeth Freeland Houston (1841-1929) in 1912. Houston sold the home to Edwin Craig in 1933.


After Craig passed away, his widow built a home on Chickering Rd. - Belleforest.

The next owners were Fredric "Fred" Morton Harvey, Sr. (1898-1960) and Dorothea Sprague Harvey (1903-1998). They wed in 1928. He opened the original Harveys in downtown Nashville in 1942 at 6th Ave. North and Church St.The business prospered and eventually expanded to cover the entire block and held the first escalators in Middle TN. They named their home Ivy House. Later, their son, Harvey Jr. subdivided the property and built his own house


William Fletcher Earthman, Jr. (1926-2004) was the next owner. He married Alice Warfield Tyne (1928-2009) in 1950. Alice was part of the Tyne family of Longleat. She was Secretary of The Junior League Board of Directors, on the first Board of Trust of The Ensworth School, and Chairman of the Swan Ball in 1965 among other accomplishments. William and Alice divorced, and Earthman later married Dorothy Ann Bartlett Earthman (1943-?) in 1968. Earthman was Chairman and CEO of Commerce Union Bank in Nashville - on the way becoming the youngest president of a major bank at the age of 35. After retirement from the bank, he became a nurseryman in Beersheba Springs with his 500-acre Shady Valley Nursery. Alice remarried to Girard Polk Browlow, Jr.


The next owners in 1974 were George William Coble and Karin Dale Coble (1934-2017). They wed in 1955. Karin was very involved in The Junior League of Nashville and served as president in 1973. Later in life, she returned to Vanderbilt Univ. to complete her undergraduate degree and continued to Vandy Law School and graduated in 1981. She practiced at her father's law firm (Goodpasture, Carpetner and Dale) for five years and then changed careers to open a renowned antique store, Made in France, in 1986 with her daughters. An accomplished singer, she served on the advisory board of the Blair School of Music from 2001-09.

In 1979, Richard Freeman purchased and remodeled the home.


In 1990, Ellen H. and Charlie Martin were owners with 6 acres. Martin is a serial entrepreneur and healthcare executive. He is the founder and chairman of Martin Ventures. She has been very involved with Cheekwood and the Frist Art Museum. At some point, the couple divorced, and Ellen remained in the home. See Sugar Hall/ Sugar Tree Grove,



In 2020, Ellen put the home on the market with about 5 acres, and Brian and Megan Fox purchased it. Ellen moved to Warner Place. Fox is a Venture Partner with Adeuceus Capital Partners and a founder of Confirmation.com and Rivio.com. See Belleforest


Sources:



0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

コメント


bottom of page