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Landmark and Legend
Memphis, TN
Here we note legends-in-their-own-time and landmarks as they transition into history


 
Threatened Landmarks
 
Hotel ChiscaHotel Chisca, built  in 1913, sits empty and boarded up at 272 South Main Street. After serving as a hotel, the Church of God  in Christ (COGIC) acquired the building for $10 and located its headquarters there until the late 1990s. Thereafter, the building, still owned by COGIC, has been empty. Fire authorities have cited the owners for neglect and fines have been ordered. In the summer of 2011, reports are that COGIC has engaged a realty company to seek a buyer. Paul Morris, president of the Downtown Memphis Commission says he would like to see the building restored to a hotel or apartments. "The Chisca hotel is a very important part of that neighborhood. That space connects the South Main area that is so vibrant to the core of downtown which is so vibrant. So, to have that major block taken up by a vacant blighted building is a real hindrance to the neighborhood." (WHBQ-TV)
There are probably many historic features of the property, but one sure to be  popular is that the hotel was the site of the studios of WHBQ radio in 1954 where for the first time a record by an unknown singer named Elvis Presley was  broadcast.  DJ Dewey Phillips was on to something, as callers demanded he play it again, and again, and again on his "Red, Hot, and Blue" show. Although many others cite "Rocket 88" by Ike Turner and his band, recorded in 1951 also at Sun Studios, Rolling Stone Magazine considers Elvis' version of "That's All Right" to be the first rock-and-roll record.

Highland Street branch, Memphis Public LibraryThe Highland Street Branch of the Memphis Public Library, opened in 1951 at Highland Street and Midland Avenue, was closed for repairs after storms in April, 2011, caused flooding. The repairs, however, were not made and in mid November, 2011, the City announced it would not reopen the facility. Staff were reassigned to other libraries after the storms and now the materials will also be similarly disbursed. The library had been expanded in 1959 and had a capacity of 60,000 volumes and had also undergone renovation in 1999. A city efficiency study recommended the branch for closing in 2007 since the new main library located at 3030 Poplar Avenue is less than two miles away. It's closing was proposed in 2008 during budget cutbacks but avoided the ax. The property may be declared surplus and sold. Major mixed commercial development is underway crosswise at the intersection (see the Highland Street Church of Christ page) and the University of Memphis plans to purchase property on the opposite side of Midland Avenue for a new "front door" to the university.Therefore, Landmark and Legend considers this property a threatened landmark.

Prospect Elementary School (also MCS South Area Office)Prospect Elementary School, 2300 Hernando Road, opened in 1952 and closed as a school in 1981. In 1982, Memphis City Schools made it the South Area Office and it housed administrative offices, including those for the Junior Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) and the Memphis Interscholastic Athletic Association. The building has been unoccupied since the 2005-2006 school year. Memphis City Schools proposes to sell the building and the 6.83 acre campus. Since the building's future is somewhat unknown, it is being listed here as threatened, however, it is very likely the building will be preserved and used by the future owners. Several organizations have expressed interest in the property, including charter schools, private schools, faith-based groups, community organizations, real estate investors, reading and literacy advocacy programs. The property has been appraised at a value of $1,135,000.

Longview Middle School (also Longview Junior High School)Longview Middle School,  1895 South Orleans Street, opened in 1955 as a junior high school with grades 7 through 9. In 1981, it was converted to a middle school with grades 5-8. It closed in 2007. Memphis City School proposes selling the building and 5 acres of land around it. The campus originally was 22.8 acres and also is the site of Alton Elementary School, which continues to operate. The school system plans to subdivide the lot to provide the 5 acres as part of the sale of the Longview structure. The Longview school consisted of 2 buildings. The primary classroom building is 3 stories and has 28 classrooms, a library, and administrative offices. An auxiliary building contains a gymnasium with locker rooms on the top floor and a cafeteria with one large classroom or storage area on the bottom floor. The city school system says there has been some community interest in purchasing the buildings. The two buildings and 5 acre lot are appraised at $2,015,000.

UTCHS: Randolph Hall, Feurt Building, Beale BuildingWhile many Memphians may not recognize these specific buildings, thousands of former students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center will. This web site gives more "landmark" weight to such buildings because so many people spent so much time in them, even if the broader community may not have any particular association with the buildings. More generally, people recognize the UT Memphis campus and its many buildings and may take note when there are changes but not particularly notice the individual structures. The campus is undergoing changes, with a new College of Pharmacy building, a soon-to-be-built cardiovascular research facility, and renovations to existing buildings. Three buildings have been targeted to be torn down as soon as funds become available. In fact, demolition of Randolph Hall, 790 Madison Avenue, the Feurt Building, 26 South Dunlap Street, and the Beale Building, 822 Beale Street, were already planned but have been postponed due to budget cuts. University officials say the old buildings are not worth any additional investment and need to be removed. The Beale Building, located on Beale Street behind the Scottish-Rite Building and next to the Office Depot store, originally was a bus barn but later was converted to offices for the University, including the College of Social Work. The Feurt Building originally housed the pharmacy and dentistry academic and laboratory areas. Randolph Hall served as a residence for students and should not be confused with the adjacent and not-as-tall Wassell Randolph Student Alumni Center (SAC) building.
You may find a reference to UTCHS in our notes. Over the past 40-years not only have new buildings risen and old ones been removed, but the name of the institution has changed. Now known as the University of Tennessee Heath Sciences Center (UTHSC), it was known for many years as the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences (UTCHS), and at one time simply as University of Tennessee - Memphis (UTM).



2100 Union AvenueIt is doubtful this building is currently a landmark. It is hardly noticed except for its bright yellow color as one passes by it at 2100 Union Avenue in Memphis. It is possible it could have been a landmark in years past, or perhaps it is just worthy of note because of its age. It appears to once have been a residence believed to have been built in 1915. As of the spring of 2011, it is commercial property occupied by Mid-South Title Loans. The property was recently sold for $250,000, including a vacant lot behind the building. Although it hopes to renew its lease for the long term this summer, there is a question whether the current business will be allowed to do so. The new owner, Taylor Caruthers of the tax consulting firm Caruthers and Associates, says he has some preliminary drawings for a store or restaurant on the land. Memphis Heritage Executive Director June West says she would welcome the opportunity to work with the new owner to find a way to adapt and reuse the old home. "Certainly, it's part of the character of the street. Not only were there big mansions up and down Union, but small ones as well," said West.

Mid-South ColiseumThe Mid-South Coliseum, opened in 1963, was last used for public events in 2006. The 11,00 seat facility is located on what is known as the Fairgrounds, though the Mid-South Fair is no longer held there and the property itself is undergoing major changes as the city of Memphis redevelops it. During its active period, the "round house" as MSU fans often called it, the Mid-South Coliseum was home of the Memphis State University Tigers basketball team, concerts, including one of the last performed by The Beatles, public ice skating, professional ice hockey teams (Memphis Wings and Memphis South Stars (1964-1969) and  in the 1990s, the Memphis RiverKings ice hockey team, professional basketball teams the Memphis Pros (1971–1972), the Memphis Tams (1972–1974) and the Memphis Sounds (1974–1975), boat shows, tractor pulls, and professional wrestling, among many other events. The future of the Coliseum has been in doubt since even before its closing, as event bookings dwindled after the opening of the Pyramid Arena downtown and even more after the FedEx Forum, also downtown, opened. In January, 2011, the Memphis Housing and Community Development director said the coliseum "has numerous safety and code issues, and it has asbestos throughout... It cannot compete with more modern facilities." Update: in March, 2011, the City administration proposed spending $25-million for improvements to nearby Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and demolition of the Coliseum.

The Plaza Theater / BookstarThe Plaza Theater is being listed as threatened because the lease for the Bookstar store that has occupied the space since 1992 is being discontinued. While the building itself is not believed to be at risk, the elements of the movie theater that Bookstar preserved may be. When Bookstar renovated the space when moving in, several vestiges of the old movie house were preserved. The leasing agent says whether those details remain depends on the future tenant.
"Except for the leveled floor, the main room has the shape and feel of a large theater.
A movie screen hangs over the magazine racks on one end of the room, and small projection windows overlook the room from the opposite wall.
The men's bathroom has its own swerving sitting room with upholstered seating.
Outside, the Bookstar sign is structured like a marquee, and underneath stands a glass-encased ticket booth." (The Commercial Appeal)

The Rowland J. Darnell HouseThe Rowland J. Darnell House, headquarters of the Nineteenth Century Club since 1926,  and the major collection of antiques inside will be auctioned in December 3-5, 2011. "Nobody wants to sell it," Heathcott said. "We just don't have any choice," says the Ninetheenth Century Club president. (The Commercial Appeal, Nov. 24, 2011). The house was built in the first decade of the 20th century at 1433 Union Avenue in Memphis.  According to the Shelby County General Sessions Environmental Court, the house must undergo substantial repairs to meet current fire and construction codes or face the consequences. There is concern that the consequences could be demolition. The Nineteenth Century Club, an organization for women, was organized in 1890 and moved into the mansion in 1926. The club mostly serves as a philanthropic organization today and it also makes the home available for parties and weddings. A club spokesman says the ordered repairs could cost more than $1.5-million but that the club does not have that kind of money. The judge told the club to find the money for the repairs or a plan to get them. According to The Commercial Appeal, "Economics in recent years have favored demolition of landmarks to make way for fast food and other chains that generate enough cash to pay Union Avenue rents." The minimum starting bid for the property will be $1.5-million, a price equal to the value as determined by an independent appraiser. Government has appraised the value of the land at $626,400 and the building at $38,400.

The Scottish Rite building site is desired by the University of Tennessee for a medical clinic.The University of Tennessee Health Services Center is proceeding to prepare a formal offer to buy the Scottish Rite Building at 825 Union Avenue in Memphis despite the organization's statement that it  has "no real desire to sell our building." The university wants to demolish the 101 year old building and put up a multi-story Clinical Services facility. A University spokesperson says if the offer is refused, "then we would have to assess what our next step would be.” In an earlier Commercial Appeal article (July 1, 2010), the executive vice chancellor and chief of staff of the university is reported to have said that using eminent domain to take the building is not being considered. According to newspaper, a decade of discussions between the University and the Memphis Consistory of the Ancient of the Accepted Scottish Rite resulted in an appraisal of the property which came in at $2-million, but that price did not interest the Scottish Rite.

Sterick Building, MemphisThe Sterick Building, 8 South Third Street, in downtown Memphis was put on the "Ten in Tennessee" of endangered historic structures in May, 2010. The Tennessee Preservation Trust calls the 29 story building a "unique example of a Gothic Style office building with attendant interior and exterior period architectural detailing..." At its construction in 1930 it was the tallest building in the South. until 1965, the tallest in Memphis. It has been closed for more than 20 years. The building remains boarded up, with various owners over the years finding it uneconomical to renovate. It is said to contain environmentally hazardous materials such as asbestos. The Tennessee Preservation Trust says it is endangered by "inappropriate renovations, redevelopment challenges, and a looming land lease expiration." As a major office building for decades in Memphis and the tallest skyscraper for many of those years, the Sterick Building was and is truly a landmark. Even today, it remains the fifth tallest building in the city.

 
 
  
 
 

Cobblestone landing at Memphis RiverfrontRiverfront cobblestone landing - Many say plans of the Riverfront Development Corporation would seriously devalue the historic cobblestone landing in Memphis. For more information, see the websites of Memphis Cobblestones, Friends For Our Riverfront, and the Memphis Riverfront Development Corporation.


Anderson-Coward House (Justine's)The Tennessee Preservation Trust has listed the Anderson-Coward House, 919 Coward Place, Memphis, which was the location of what was then considered the city's finest restaurant for many years, Justine’s, as an endangered historic property due to vandalism and neglect. The is believed to have been built in the 1840s and remodeled and expanded in the 1850s. See the Tennessee Preservation Trust website.


The Harrson-Goyer-Lee HouseThe Harrson-Goyer-Lee House, 690 Adams Avenue, Memphis, upon which construction begun in 1848, is in jeopardy due to neglect and uncertain control in the future. It was also the original location of the Memphis Academy of Art. The home has been vacant since 1959. A lease to The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities runs out in 2011. See the Tennessee Preservation Trust website.



Photo not availableThe Public Promenade on the river bluff at Memphis.  The Tennessee Preservation Trust says this property is in danger of being "leased to developers, and 400 foot high office buildings and a mall would be constructed that would change the entire character of the riverfront area--- and separate a significant portion of the city center from its long-standing relationship with the Mississippi River." See the websites of  The Tennessee Preservation Trust and the Memphis Riverfront Development Corporation.