NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The home in East Nashville padlocked by Metro as a public nuisance was called a drug house by police, but it wasn't always that way.
Many years ago a family gathered there and spent the holidays together.
The house at 16 Fern Avenue was built in 1933. The property has sat on a hill and has quite a view of the city.
Several families have owned it.
Phyllis Day said it made her sick to see what’s happening.
Her mother Betty Simms owned the home for more than 25 years.
"From 81 up to 2007, there are a lot of memories in this house," Delay said.
She can't stand to see what was happening at the house her family once called home.
Wednesday Metro padlocked and boarded up the home.
"She had her lounge chairs out here, and she'd sit out here and watch the birds and read her paper," Delay said.
She said her mom could barely make mortgage payments.
They took up her whole social security check, but that didn't matter.
Delay remembered on almost every holiday her mom serving up a big family dinner for everyone.
"We did all of our picture taking here in the front yard. This was just the place," Delay said.
So, imagine how Phyllis felt when she saw images of the house being padlocked and boarded up.
Metro used the city's public nuisance ordinance to close up the home and stop anyone from entering.
Police called it a drug house and arrested four people for selling heroin including Wayne and Shirley Ellis who lived there.
"Over the course since January of last year we've found I think powder cocaine, crack cocaine, but mostly it's going to be heroin," Metro Police East Precinct Commander David Imhof said.
The horrible news compelled Phyllis to call us. The timing was strange.
It's Phyllis' birthday and the anniversary of her mother's passing was just a few days ago.
"My sister and I felt like we needed to honor her because of the hard work that she did, and let people know this was never a drug house. That was a real family home, and it was full of love and care," Delay said.
There's such an attachment Delay wondered if her family may have a shot at buying back the property.
Last year Wayne Ellis deeded the home to a family member named Aisha Ellis who lives in Hendersonville.
Wayne Ellis, Shirley Ellis and Aisha Ellis have been scheduled to appear in court next week on the nuisance charge.
The home on Fern Avenue was only the second one Metro has padlocked for drug activity. The other was on Merry Street 5 years ago.
Tax records showed it has since been torn down.
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