Face and side view, the side view shows that due to hanging upside down they had the unusual configuration of having threads like screws so that they were self screwed and cemented in! Flower is about 6" across.
Photo of the cornice before removal, the red circle shows where the flowers were installed
HISTORY of the auditorium:
Ellis Auditorium
255 N Main
Memphis TN.
Ellis Auditorium was fortunate enough to have had two golden eras. The first was back in the 1920's and 30's, when it was used by Victor and other "field" recording units to record such luminaries as Memphis Minnie, Tommy Johnson, Furry Lewis, Sleepy John Estes, and Frank Stokes. Focus again turned to Ellis during the 40's and 50's when WDIA, "the "Sensation Station of the Nation" packed the auditorium for their annual Christmastime fundraiser, the Goodwill Revue. The proceeds established and maintained the Keel Avenue School for Handicapped Black Children.
Each event was jam-packed with talent from the station-- B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland--and such stars as Ray Charles, Clara Ward, and local fav's Phineas Newborn, Sr. and the Ben Branch Orchestra. There was even an unexpected appearance by Elvis Presley in 1956 that brought down the house. In 1954, a memorial service at Ellis for the Blackwood Brothers drew national attention. The auditorium was razed in 1999 to make way for a performing arts center.
