Coffee Magnate and Financier. Leslie Cheek and his wife Mabel Wood Cheek invested in his cousin Joel's coffee which was served at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. It was known as Maxwell House coffee and its tagline was "Good to the last drop". Leslie Cheek purchased Maxwell House's parent company, Cheek-Neal Coffee and from that sale the Cheek estate was born. He purchased one hundred acres of wooded land west of Nashville and hired New York architect Bryant Fleming to design the home and gardens. The Cheeks moved into their home in 1933 but Leslie died just two years later. In 1943 Mabel deeded the Cheek estate to her daughter Huldah Cheek Sharp and her husband, Walter Sharp. In the 1950's Huldah Sharp offered to sell the site as an art museum and botanical gardens. Through the efforts of many Nashville organizations the Cheek estate was purchased and renamed Cheekwood. At the opening day ceremonies, May 22, 1960, the dedication speech was given by Senator Albert Gore Sr. Cheekwood, also known as the house that coffee built, became one of Tennessee's most popular tourist attractions. (*NOTE: The Tennessee Death Certificate lists his birth date as September 17, 1872 while his grave marker says 1875.)
Coffee Magnate and Financier. Leslie Cheek and his wife Mabel Wood Cheek invested in his cousin Joel's coffee which was served at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. It was known as Maxwell House coffee and its tagline was "Good to the last drop". Leslie Cheek purchased Maxwell House's parent company, Cheek-Neal Coffee and from that sale the Cheek estate was born. He purchased one hundred acres of wooded land west of Nashville and hired New York architect Bryant Fleming to design the home and gardens. The Cheeks moved into their home in 1933 but Leslie died just two years later. In 1943 Mabel deeded the Cheek estate to her daughter Huldah Cheek Sharp and her husband, Walter Sharp. In the 1950's Huldah Sharp offered to sell the site as an art museum and botanical gardens. Through the efforts of many Nashville organizations the Cheek estate was purchased and renamed Cheekwood. At the opening day ceremonies, May 22, 1960, the dedication speech was given by Senator Albert Gore Sr. Cheekwood, also known as the house that coffee built, became one of Tennessee's most popular tourist attractions. (*NOTE: The Tennessee Death Certificate lists his birth date as September 17, 1872 while his grave marker says 1875.)
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