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FeedJan 22, 201307:27 PM
Eureka! A Great Photo of the Long-Gone But Never Forgotten Davis White Spot Restaurant!
photo courtesy Robert Wire
Well, I can finally cross one of the items off my "Most Wanted" list, because I finally located a rare, never-before-seen photo of Davis' White Spot Restaurant, which stood on Poplar, east of Estate.
I would feel much better if I could say that I found this after years of diligent research, but all credit must go to my Indianapolis pal, Robert Wire, who knew the owners of this establishment back when it was in business in the 1940s and 1950s, and has already sent me a nice shot of Robert and Pearl Winfield (and others), inside their cozy house, which was attached to the restaurant.
But this is what I really wanted to see: a nice, clear, exterior shot, showing it just the way everyone said it would look — a handsome white clapboard structure.
Here's what Robert has to say about this photo:
"Attached you will find the exterior shot of the White Spot I promised. I believe it was taken circa 1955. That date must be fairly close because the Mercury sitting in front of the employees' entrance is a 1953 or 1954 Mercury (Robert Winfield’s car). The 1949 Ford next to it is my Dad’s.
"This shot was taken from out in the parking lot, not the most photogenic side of the building but better than nothing. The gardens would have been behind the photographer. It’s actually a good resolution photo considering it was probably made with a Kodak box camera!
"My daughter Elisabeth actually found this photo after I gave her some hints about what to look for. If you examine the photo very carefully with a magnifying glass, on the right next to the roofline you will be able to see part of the White Spot sign."
Robert concludes with this plea: "The main reason I contacted you in the first place was in the hope that other people/customers would have more photos and memories of the place. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case, but thanks for getting it out there on your blog."
Well, Robert, a lot of people DO remember it, so maybe this will spark some additional memories, or make people realize, "Hey, I think I've got a picture of some place like that in a scrapbook somewhere." If they do, you'll read about it here first.
And here's a special offer for anyone really interested in this place. This blog only allows me to post low-resolution images; so if any of my readers need a high-res version of this building, just contact me and I'll email it to you (askvance@memphismagazine.com). Yep, that's the kind of guy I am. Just one request (a demand, really): If you post it somewhere, you MUST give credit to Robert Wire (with special thanks to his daughter, Elisabeth). This would be a blank page here if it weren't for him.
Now, how about those Tropical Freeze photos, folks? C'mon!
Ask Vance is the blog of Vance Lauderdale, the award-winning columnist of Memphis magazine and MBQ: Inside Memphis Business. Vance is the author of two books: Ask Vance: The Best Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine's History and Trivia Expert (2003), as well as Ask Vance: More Questions and Answers from Memphis Magazine's History Expert (2011). He is also the recipient of quite a few nice awards, the creator of several eye-catching wall calendars, and the only person we know with a vintage shock-treatment machine in his den. 
BRAVO, Vance!!! And Robert Wire!! Great work. This is so cool to see.
Tell me, what direction is the photographer facing? Are they facing south, with their back to the railroad tracks? That would mean the gardens lay on the east side of the restaurant, about where the gas station is now, right?
Wow...I don't remember this at all on Poplar east of Estate. And, I would have been old enough to recall it since I remember the Silver Slipper that was on Park as it became Old Poplar Pike. But, kid memories are often unstable.
The picture is taken looking at the house/restaurant's west side. In the picture the railroad track would be to the left and Poplar to the right, Estate would be behind the house. It was a house too. The family lived in the center of the house. The restaurant was to the right toward Poplar and the kitchen was to the left toward the railroad tracks. It ran more or less parallel to Estate and perpendicular to Poplar. Buckley's, the service station, and the office building behind both are the present occupants of the property! I hope my mom has some pictures of the house in the many boxes of pictures she always meant to go through before she died. Now I want to go through them, as soon as I have some time! I would love to have copies of anything associated with the White Spot. Contact me at donnaskaarer2008@gmail.com. Thanks!!
To Anonymous (above): The Silver Slipper was on Macon (now Shelby Oaks). The place you're thinking about on Poplar Pike was the old Cottage Inn supper club, which I've written about before here (and I'm about to do it again in a few days, because I turned up something new).
Donna, according to your comments, the house was located BETWEEN the railroad tracks and Poplar (if the tracks are to the left and Poplar is to the right). But other readers remember turning off Poplar and driving south ACROSS the railroad tracks to reach the White Spot, and old aerial photos seem to bear that out. It wasn't actually ON Poplar, but was set back from the road. Or so they said.
On historicaerials.com, it looks like Donna is right, except that we are looking at the EASTERN side of the house. Poplar is to the right, the railroad is to the left, and we are looking at the house FROM the west. On historicaerials, it looks like there were two entrances: one on Estate and one on Poplar.
On historicaerials.com, it looks like Donna is right, except that we are looking at the EASTERN side of the house. Poplar is to the right, the railroad is to the left, and we are looking at the house FROM the west. On historicaerials, it looks like there were two entrances: one on Estate and one on Poplar.