Westwood dreams of new future for the Southwest Twin

Alicia Davidson | THE DAILY MEMPHIAN

Community members and volunteers from local nonprofit organizations rolled up their sleeves at the former Southwest Twin Drive-In property Saturday, June 24, for the “Southwest Twin: Plot Twist” community cleanup.

The 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. event is a partnership between the City of Memphis and Uplift Westwood CDC, an organization geared toward creating and supporting revitalization efforts in Westwood.

Other participating community organizations included City of Memphis Housing and Community Development, Memphis City Beautiful, Clean Memphis, Paint Memphis and Castle Black Construction Company.

Westwood resident Rev. Melvin Watkins is the senior pastor for Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Westwood and the founding board chair of Uplift Westwood CDC. 

Watkins said Saturday’s cleanup project is a new beginning for the Southwest Twin property and a signal of progress for Westwood. He also feels the revitalized space could enhance the community’s economic and social capital.

“I feel the Southwest Twin will represent new life and hope for the next generation,” Watkins said. “It may not be a movie theater like it once was, but whatever we put out here is going to be life-giving and hopeful.

“I pray that it will be a place for young people to come to grow, learn, develop and interact with each other in a safe and meaningful way.”

Originally opened in 1956, the Southwest Twin Drive-In was a staple of entertainment for the South Memphis community until it was formally closed in 2001. 

Westwood resident Peggy Robinson is the owner of Peggy’s Beauty Salon in Westwood, which has been open since 1975.

Manning a station under the old concession stand with water coolers, sunblock, bug spray and face masks, Robinson noted what a fixture the former drive-in was for Westwood and hopes to see development that will breathe new life into the community.

“The Southwest Twin was the ideal place to go to; it was like a big football game,” Robinson said. “People would bring their families. Some came from Mississippi and all kinds of different places to watch the movies.

“Kids would cheer when you’d come home and say, ‘We’re going to the movies!’”

The 20-acre property has sat vacant for more than two decades, with only its two movie screens and a dilapidated former concession building still standing.

But signs of revitalization appeared quickly Saturday as volunteers revamped dingy wooden walls with fresh coats of paint, swept up dust and debris, and began digging up old roots and vegetation in the flower beds just in front of the former concession stand. 

Memphis City Councilman Edmund Ford Sr. was also present at the event and spoke of what he envisioned for the property, including a possible police precinct and new library. 

Ford Sr. noted he would like to explore the possibility of keeping one of the two movie screens to continue showing films onsite. He also encouraged the community to contact Watkins with suggestions about what they would like to see built on the property. 

“We’ve got a lot of things we’re planning on doing, but we’ve got so much space,” Ford Sr. said. “If we had a new library and new police precinct, we could still keep one of these screens, and we could look at movies too.

“We got a lot of space out here, and this is just the beginning.”

Volunteers painted one of the former concession stand walls a deep shade of black Saturday, intending later to add a second coat of black chalk paint, effectively turning the wall into a makeshift chalkboard. 

David Yancy III is a local artist and co-director of the annual mural festival Paint Memphis. According to Yancy, the chalk wall will be a place for community members to write their ideas of what they would like to see on the property.

“We’re getting the community involved, so allowing people to have their hands on having that memory, creating that bond with each other and working together to beautify.” Yancy said. “That makes this place even better because now they have a story to tell that goes along with the whole rejuvenation of this space.”

Holding a long foam paint roller and wearing a Westwood High School T-shirt, volunteer and Westwood High School staff member Tamara Lewis was onsite helping put the first coat of black paint on the soon-to-be chalk wall.

Lewis said she was inspired by the community turnout and hopes the space will serve as a place of refuge for Westwood residents and local children in particular.

“I’m excited to see all these people show up and put their hands to work for the betterment of Westwood,” Lewis said.

She also feels the investment in the property will attract renewed interest in her home community.

“It’s not only going to be for the people of Westwood but for surrounding communities and people from the city,” Lewis said. “We often travel outside Westwood to visit other places, but I think people will travel to Westwood to visit this space.”