The Guardian of Memphis

It's still the big dog of the Mid-South. That title didn't go anywhere. Yes we've had our failures, lots of them, but successes too. I'm glad the Grizzlies are here - the mistake was turned into a positive. They have embedded themselves in the folklore and culture now. Most of my family members enjoy basketball more than football. That's the culture here in Memphis. There are too many Cowboys and Steelers fans (of my generation and the previous) to have a football team. They probably wouldn't be loyal to the hometown team. It would've been nice, and from a financial standpoint, maybe lower income people could've afforded to go because of the games being spaced out, but it is what it is. I'll take my Grizzlies. By the way, they should've proposed the name to be the Showboat or Pharaohs. Grit grind forever.

I would have to say the Grizzlies have put Memphis on a new trajectory somewhat. Now more than ever there is civic pride in the city compared to what it used to be. Finally people have accepted the positives of this city. The culture, the music, the food, the language, all are properties we have rallied around. I also think there is more cohesion between African Americans and Caucasians - mostly because of the new generation. There is more intersectionality now than it has ever been. I know crime is a problem, but it is a problem in other cities too (plus corruption). Memphis isn't the poster child of violence, as people would want it to be, and as our history may suggest. Someone once told me: "Atlanta's best defense is their offense" and they weren't talking about sports. Even though I looked to compare Memphis to other peer cities, which is unfair sometimes, because each city has its own set of unique problems, geography, demographics, etc. At least people want to live downtown, with the occupancy rate being at 95%. If it was so bad, there would be no one living in South Bluffs or Harbor Town, and I know they probably have their share of incidents too. Yes, the skyline could be better for a city that wishes to be more world class, but there are still people that care about Memphis deeply and want positive change. It has been said too many times. Memphis is an asset to the nation, in my opinion. Some things take time to mature and evolve, probably not at the rate of others. Unfortunately we'll have to wait, but the city has come a long way from where it was. LONG way. Tourism will pick back up - due to the new convention center. Tom Lee Park is going to be better. Someday Mud Island will too. Got it. Still a fairly young USL franchise. Tim Howard still the manager? Like everything else, may have to play the long game with this - get people interested in soccer. I remember going to Memphis Storm games (indoor soccer) and Showboats games. I just dated myself. LOL.

Yeah me too. It's good the DMC recognized this and didn't think it would be in the best interest for downtown as a whole. Even though I'd like to see this structure go, I don't mind the variation of architectural styles downtown has. MLGW belongs at Civic Plaza with the rest of the governmental institutions. I'm also in favor of Beale Street seeing more activity during the day rather than on weekends. I think that's in the DMC's plan too.

The All Star Weekend here should be the goal. Can the city support a WNBA franchise? MLS? Is there enough interest?

At least the residential market is strong, and we have that in our favor. I honestly think we are still recovering from the mass exodus of downtown that took place back in the 60s. Thing is, most of our growth happened in the 50s and 60s - developers were bold, but we missed out on the building boom of the 80s because of the shift to East Memphis and beyond. Although the office sector is changing because of the pandemic, people may not go into the office as much. The thinking is that office usage has changed for good (albeit not a good thing), and that offices will only be used for meeting space every once and a while for remote workers. I don't think it's a good thing to compare Memphis with Nashville or Charlotte. Both are different animals with different demographics. We have to find out what works in Memphis. Hopefully that time will come one day. I hope and pray that it's soon.

That's our only hope at this point. I wholeheartedly agree that crime and poverty are the biggest issues (the quality of schools debate is moot), and it contributes to the stagnation of population growth. Unlike other downtowns, unfortunately Memphis is surrounded by low incomes which makes developers uneasy about the profitability of their projects. Maybe it takes an Intrator to stir things up finally and get things moving, even though it's taking him a lot of time to secure financing too. How come no one said anything about the billions of dollars in development that downtown has incurred over the years? Doesn't that speak for itself, that while not booming, there is progress? What amenities do the other cities have that we do not? Not trying to compare apples to oranges, but can the same be said about the growth of say, Louisville or Birmingham, our peer cities?

Well, I hope you are wrong on all your guesses, but it is concerning somewhat. It should be a no-brainer. Prime real estate location, with the ability to spur more projects. I hope they don't scale down the height of the proposed office tower. Probably will. Why are there too many risks when residential is a commodity? My opinion is from what Paul Young stated, in that they want downtown to grow smartly, not necessarily quickly. How are Austin and Nashville able to build all of their projects? Is it their economies? From a real estate standpoint, one of the positives of downtown Memphis is the River.

Now that's what I'm talking about! They should at least paint it and do some kind of maintenance on the building, but hopefully it'll get done like Crosstown with the vertical village concept. There's no telling how much it will cost to paint, get rid of the asbestos, raise the ceiling heights and convert the rooms into whatever. The historic credits won't put enough dent into the cost. I was thinking since the DMC wants to kick MLGW out of their mid-century building on Main, they could possibly move into the Sterick or build something new on Civic Plaza. Per the DMC's Master Plan: So if Townhouse bought it, why haven't they mentioned it in their plans or commit to phases? Like 100 N. Main could be phase 1, and Jefferson Plaza could be phase 2? I hope they don't build low in this location. At least a new structure could be the height of the Exchange Building of the Goodwyn. Wow, never saw that before. Well, glad it fell through. It's too low.

Forgot about Jefferson Plaza. That would be a perfect site for a new high rise, as the skyline could be improved between the Exchange Building and Morgan Keegan (50 N. Front). I wonder what they plan to do with the dirt area that's between the two buildings? I've always thought a tower would be good there - especially on a podium (see image below). I thought the people that owned that property also owned 100 N. Main and the adjacent parcels before the city bought it?

Thanks for the info. I'm pretty sure the Lakeland interchange was priority too. That used to be horrible.

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/07/26/dmc-ceo-paul-young-on-fiscal-year-goals.html According to Paul Young, Downtown Memphis Commission president, residential downtown is a sure thing and oversaturation is not anything to be worried about. Also, he mentions that they are waiting for the people behind the Walk until October to secure financing (waiting on your questions and concern about this one...LOL). He also expects the Grand Hyatt to eventually move forward.

I'm glad the inside is nice, but coming to the airport - Winchester, Plough Blvd., needs some landscaping improvements. I've heard that EH Crump used to keep the city clean. That needs to happen today.

Well they keep talking about it and nothing is being done. I guess it's too much like right and have asked for a whole lot (2-3 bridges, Second St. extension, I-69 segment from TN300 to TN385) and haven't gotten anything (yet). Time to call Cohen or Kustoff. LOL. I would have to agree with you about all of this. Not to bellyache, but you're right, West TN gets the shaft. The I-240/Midtown interchange is blighted and is in desperate need of upgrading. It looks tacky to have one section outdated and farther north on 240/40/Jackson Ave something fairly new. On the other hand, I-240/Poplar interchange has been updated, we got 385, and US 78 is being upgraded. Maybe we're being too greedy? Maybe not?

Check one more vacant building off the list. Good. As far as the "big empties" that should leave only the Sterick. A lot of development is happening on BB King Blvd. That leaves Sterick as the main empty on the street. Since the pool will be directly behind the building, I wonder if anyone will be able to drive up and see who's taking a swim...Usually pools are secluded and private. Hopefully development will continue to push farther east - a lot of parking lots, ripe for development. I look for something to be built on these lots as least the height of the Dermon building or TALLER.

I thought New Orleans had more than 3...wow... Only thing about the third bridge is that it would draw attention away from downtown - but as we saw with the bridge shutdown last year, this region is very important to the economy of the whole country. A third bridge is definitely needed. I say build it next to the old bridge. The old bridge is not interstate standard. I can't stand those skinny lanes! LOL.

Regional leadership is important, I believe there is one, but it's rarely heard of. The only thing as of late is MATA buses going across the bridge to serve West Memphis again. This is the type of leadership that's needed. From a couple of people from Southaven, I've heard: "Southaven ain't a suburb of Memphis", as if to say they don't want any association with it, which is fine, because that is someone's opinion, but, in the grand scheme of things, the leadership from all TN-AR-MS (mayors, etc.) should want what's best for the region. Glad your children liked Memphis! I agree, Memphis is unique, but that is a compliment to say the least. Both New Orleans and Nashville are great cities in their own right (and so is Memphis). I would say it is more like Charleston, SC too in a lot of ways. Plough Blvd. needs to look better - since it is the first thing visitors see. There is a lot of potential here - just scratching the surface, but we should not look to emulate anyone, just build on the rich culture and history that's already here. Don't try to be Atlanta, don't try to be New Orleans, don't try to be Nashville, with all due respect. Third bridge...I've always wondered why Memphis has only two, but other major cities along the Mississippi have way more than that.

Very true. TDOT has got a lot of money invested in the I-55/Crump interchange plus the I-22/Lamar construction as well. Don't know if they can handle I-69 as of yet, although it should've been done a long time ago. West Tennessee needs it. Taking U.S. 51 is too slow and has hindered us for too long.

I agree. Intrator has come in with bold ideas. Hope they come to fruition. Most of the old heads in the game aren't as bold because they don't want to take risks. Don't want the prices here to get too out of hand and lose the soul and character of this great city.

Hopefully with more and more residents downtown, the office market activity will come to life more too. HOPEFULLY!

I agree. The hotels should near or around the Convention Center or Civic Plaza. Most convention centers have at least two or three hotels immediately nearby. The Pinch would also be another great location.

Would be nice to have Millington as the next up-and-coming suburb, especially with its proximity to downtown. If only I-69 could be built from 385 to TN300 as well as the Second Street extension, which would make the commute faster.

Bill Dries used to report on downtown development as well, especially when The Daily Memphian used to the Memphis Daily News. He did a good job too. He also used to be on a show called "Behind the Headlines" with Eric Barnes (CEO of The Daily Memphian) where they discussed projects on-air.

I hope so. We need to look ahead and plan for future possible expansion of the Convention Center. So the only logical way to expand is up or to the east. Don't know if that would happen, but it's a thought. They could build something brand new on the current site and replace the outdated version they have now. The landscaping and grounds look outdated too, so that needs to be upgraded. Maybe close off Exchange completely and build something new there? The Civic Center site is a good location. Something definitely could go there. As well as apartments.

We'll catch up with you all one day! LOL. Memphis Business Journal has good info too, need a subscription though.

Most definitely. Would've liked for it to be more taller, but new construction is good construction. We start of small, then build larger the next time.