In the living room, Menzer’s curved wall and mildly coffered ceiling have created the perfect setting for the Hergenraders’ magnificent collection of artworks.
Photographs by Chip Pankey.
Sally and Wilmer J. (Wil) Hergenrader have been in Memphis since 1972, when Wil’s work for Cummins, the corporation that designs and manufactures diesel engines, generators, and related technologies, brought the Hergenraders to town. They got to know Memphis well by hopscotching around the city over the years, from Germantown, to downtown’s Waterford apartments, to the centrally located Woodlands condominiums, and now to the Trezevant retirement community in the heart of East Memphis.
Downsizing is never easy, but clearly this last move into a 1,300-square-foot apartment in the manor tower called for a large dose of professional creativity and some clever compromises on the parts of all concerned. Starting from the top, celebrated Memphis architect Oscar Menzer was hired to take on the project; he says simply (and with no small understatement) that “this was a real challenge.” Working with the Hergenraders, he came up with a vision for their new space in three days — amazing considering most “renovations” take place within existing layouts, something which was certainly not the case at Trezevant.
The Hergenraders’ new space had been totally gutted down to the concrete; that was good news for Menzer, given that he had a totally blank slate to rescale and re-engineer the empty space to his clients’ intentions. In six months’ time, the spacious apartment was transformed into a genuine home with an entry hall, living room, office, sitting room, kitchen, one bedroom and one-and-a-half baths — a remarkable achievement indeed!
Interestingly, the couple decided that a real dining room was not necessary for just the two of them. From its eight living-room windows, the apartment has beautiful views of the trees across nearby Highland Street. The window frames (mullions) are now painted black, which Menzer feels “frames the view,” and the sills are Carrera marble.
The natural light in the living room is provided by eight windows with black mullions — a detail suggested by the architect that perfectly frames the leafy view.
At the outset, Menzer says he feared that the relatively low ceilings would cramp the couple’s oversized works of art. Spoiler alert: They did not! A cleverly designed curved wall between the living room and Wil Hergenrader’s office helps draw one into the space. There is also “a peeping window” between the two rooms, and a wine locker in the office is something Wil Hergenrader insisted upon. The mildly coffered ceiling in the living room is a clever device to hide the track lighting and give the living room texture. The herringbone-patterned flooring also adds movement and interest. Throughout the home, Menzer managed to work in clever hidden storage solutions, always at a premium in a small space.
Jon Gambrell Construction were the contractors for the project. Alexander Brothers Tile and Marble did the tile work throughout, and much of the cabinetry is by Chris Wimpee of Design Woodcraft Manufacturing Company, Inc. The console in the entry area comes courtesy of Memphis’ own National Ornamental Metal Museum, about whose staff, Wil Hergenrader says, “can do anything.” Kerns-Wilchek created the cabinet doors to hide the cupboards in the pantry area.
The talented Kay Newman was the couple’s interior designer, and she worked closely with the homeowners in making the decisions on what to keep from their previous homes. The family had pared down their possessions through their prior moves over the years, which was of course essential. As Wil Hergenrader says, “Sally is a hard-nosed parer.”
Above all, Newman recognized that art was the Hergenraders’ passion and that setting off all their spectacular pieces to the best effect would make their house a home. She used three shades of gray throughout on the walls as a background canvas for the art, as well as bright primary colors to further enliven the decor. The living room features pops of purple and orange, colors in the Helen Frankenthaler painting that hangs there, which was the family’s first major art acquisition. The cast glass piece in the room is by Hank Adams, a student of Dale Chihuly.
The emerald-green chairs in the sitting room and breakfast area were reupholstered to suit the new décor. The kitchen is a little jewel with its one continuous piece of Calcutta Gold marble as its backsplash. In the bedroom, Newman selected the fabrics and added new pillows and end tables.
The compact little kitchen, dining area, and pantry hidden by concave cabinetry make this small space fully functional and so attractive.
The couple have been longtime supporters of Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Wil explains that they began collecting contemporary art by living Americans in the 1970s, and as they “grew more confident” they collected works by emerging artists. “We take great pleasure in living with our art.” The couple always bought their art together, and if there were disagreements, Wil concedes, “it went to the office.”
And indeed, art is everywhere in the apartment, dazzling to the eye of the visitor, from the Red Grooms Opera House in Aspen to The Slugger by John Ahern, to the Italian parachute lamp to the Nancy Graves masterpiece in the living room. Even the laundry room has art on its walls.
Decorating with such superb pieces of art in Wil Hergenrader’s study, the master bathroom, the sitting room, and the bedroom is a luxury that most designers can only dream of.
Lest one think the Hergenraders could be a bit cramped in their small place, I should point out they do have other lovely getaways, in Florida and, until recently, Colorado.
They are generous, philanthropic people, while at the same time, the two of them are modest and great fun and interesting to visit. I was told they have two grown sons, one who lives in Memphis and one in Oregon. Sally herself is originally from Vermont and trained as a nurse.
Wil is from Nebraska, a graduate in mechanical engineering, served in the Air Force, and later received his MBA from Ohio State. He loves woodworking and made many pieces in his younger years, though Sally laughingly told me there was a time when they used hand-me-down orange crates as bedside tables.
They lived in Columbus, Indiana (the “Athens of the Prairie”), for a number of years, which is the home base of Cummins and in Dallas, and at one point early in his career Wil started a filter company from scratch.
Speaking of Memphis, the place they have called home for 46 years, he marvels “at the innovation we have here.” Hergenrader is an accomplished businessman who knows how the world works. We can all be inspired by his wise words, not to mention his and his wife’s remarkable taste in art.
