Sterick Building Redevelopment

[The Guardian of Memphis]

3 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

Thank You! Interesting, that there ae a number of good-sized building available and unfortunate as well. I think all it will take is one domino to fall and the rest will come behind. Seems as if no one wants to take a chance.

You guys need someone like a Tony Giarratana there to do rehab/conversion on one of these buildings.

I think it’s safe to say that while it is unfortunate, at least there isn’t a fairly large amount of good sized buildings left. The count we’ve come up with here is 4, but we’ve come a long way. The area east of Sterick is almost like the final frontier for downtown at the moment. That push east will be more realized once the Walk gets off the ground. 
 

We had old school developers like Tony that jump started downtown’s renaissance. The Turleys (South Bluff, harbor town) and Belz were the powerhouses in their day. 

Edited January 17, 2023 by The Guardian of Memphis

[JTM1]

On 1/15/2023 at 3:03 PM, The Guardian of Memphis said:

There may not be enough space at that location, but all the structures on that block (275 Jefferson, Masonic Temple, 300 Court) will have to be torn down, so it may work. That part of downtown, especially near 201 Poplar and Uptown Square needs IMMEDIATE attention. 

I think you're right, there may not be enough land in that area.  In my opinion, the only building that would need razing would be the school, because you could build over court.  I don't know the acreage needed for the stadium, but there's at least 15 acres in that block.  I agree, the area needs activating. That's why I believe, they could squeeze the soccer stadium, and some other stuff too,  in there. 

[MDC26]

On 1/15/2023 at 3:03 PM, The Guardian of Memphis said:

There may not be enough space at that location, but all the structures on that block (275 Jefferson, Masonic Temple, 300 Court) will have to be torn down, so it may work. That part of downtown, especially near 201 Poplar and Uptown Square needs IMMEDIATE attention. 

Still not enough room.  There's around 330ft between Jefferson and Court.  At the very minimum, around 500ft is needed to construct a soccer stadium.  Wouldn't want to tear down the Masonic Temple and 300 Court, when there are other locations for a stadium that wouldn't require demolition of buildings like those. 

[JTM1]

On 1/17/2023 at 8:17 AM, smeagolsfree said:

After seeing where the Sterick Building is, I was wondering what the downtown residential situation is in Memphis. It seems as if this building is prime to be rehabbed as a residential and or a hotel building. My guess is that it could be picked up for a song and a dance. 

If it goes on the National register of historic Places, there are certain grants I think that the building would be eligible for.

From WIKI

"Further complications toward redevelopment include legal entanglements regarding the ground lease. The Sterick Building is a land lease property wherein the original builders leased the land the building stands on for 99 years without buying the land outright. The land and the building are currently owned separately.^[8] The land is owned by The Sterick LLC and the building's lease is held by AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company."

The lease would be up in 2027 it seems from what the above says.

According to the DMC there are more than 26, 000 residents that live downtown, and yet growing. There's a lot happening downtown. 

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/business/2023/01/13/downtown-memphis-commission-projects-residents-hospitality-parking-musician-pay/69792431007/

[MDC26]

16 minutes ago, JTM1 said:

I think you're right, there may not be enough land in that area.  In my opinion, the only building that would need razing would be the school, because you could build over court.  I don't know the acreage needed for the stadium, but there's at least 15 acres in that block.  I agree, the area needs activating. That's why I believe, they could squeeze the soccer stadium, and some other stuff too,  in there. 

Yes, if you blocked off Court Ave or dug it out to go under the stadium, and razed the school, there could be room for it.  If you look at Louisville's stadium, which is about the size we would need, its around 600ft x 500ft.  

1 minute ago, JTM1 said:

According to the DMC there are more than 26, 000 residents that live downtown, and yet growing. There's a lot happening downtown. 

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/business/2023/01/13/downtown-memphis-commission-projects-residents-hospitality-parking-musician-pay/69792431007/

Yup, that's pretty great.  I think Mud Island is included in the downtown population, so that's a good chunk of that, so not necessarily 26k in the downtown core.  

[JTM1]

10 minutes ago, MDC26 said:

Yes, if you blocked off Court Ave or dug it out to go under the stadium, and razed the school, there could be room for it.  If you look at Louisville's stadium, which is about the size we would need, its around 600ft x 500ft.  

Yup, that's pretty great.  I think Mud Island is included in the downtown population, so that's a good chunk of that, so not necessarily 26k in the downtown core.  

You're correct, and there's considerable effort going into populating the core. 

[JTM1]

On 1/15/2023 at 3:03 PM, The Guardian of Memphis said:

There may not be enough space at that location, but all the structures on that block (275 Jefferson, Masonic Temple, 300 Court) will have to be torn down, so it may work. That part of downtown, especially near 201 Poplar and Uptown Square needs IMMEDIATE attention. 

I really would hate to see down 300 Court and the Masonic Temple torn down. 

[MDC26]

Just now, JTM1 said:

You're correct, and there's considerable effort going into populating the core. 

Yes, its still increasing.  Little projects here and there, plus the Vance  & Orleans Station will keep it rising.  If other plans come online such 100 N Main, the Pinch, The Walk, it will get significant boosts.  

[MDC26]

1 hour ago, JTM1 said:

You're correct, and there's considerable effort going into populating the core. 

And I totally get including Mud Island in the downtown demographics, as I would too.  But, having lived on Mud Island for several years, I personally wouldn't consider it "Downtown Living."  It was nice, and convenient, but I would call it "Really-close-to-Downtown Living."  True downtown living, you can walk out your door and easily walk to multiple things.  We went to TJ Mulligan's a bunch in the Pinch, but that would have been a 2 mile walk for me.  Other downtown things were a lot further.  Even Harbor Town was over a mile, which had some restaurants, but pretty much, a car was required to go anywhere other than Greenbelt Park.   I think it would be cool if a pedestrian bridge (or two) was constructed over the Wolf River Lagoon that connected Mud Island to the Snuff District and would give people easy access to the two Breweries, and future restaurants that may open up there.  

[The Guardian of Memphis]

On 1/18/2023 at 5:06 PM, MDC26 said:

And I totally get including Mud Island in the downtown demographics, as I would too.  But, having lived on Mud Island for several years, I personally wouldn't consider it "Downtown Living."  It was nice, and convenient, but I would call it "Really-close-to-Downtown Living."  True downtown living, you can walk out your door and easily walk to multiple things.  We went to TJ Mulligan's a bunch in the Pinch, but that would have been a 2 mile walk for me.  Other downtown things were a lot further.  Even Harbor Town was over a mile, which had some restaurants, but pretty much, a car was required to go anywhere other than Greenbelt Park.   I think it would be cool if a pedestrian bridge (or two) was constructed over the Wolf River Lagoon that connected Mud Island to the Snuff District and would give people easy access to the two Breweries, and future restaurants that may open up there.  

Why not extend the trolley over the lagoon, then extend it to Mud Island? Then transform Mud Island into a place where there are restaurants and the like. That way, things are more connected. Need to move away from being car-centric, but don't know if the Harbor Townites would like this.

[MDC26]

It's exciting thinking about a restored Sterick building.  Here's a before and after of another yellow painted building - The Toof Building, that was restored in 2015.

I wonder what the deal was with painting buildings yellow?

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by MDC26

[Memphisborn]

On 1/21/2023 at 10:08 AM, The Guardian of Memphis said:

Why not extend the trolley over the lagoon, then extend it to Mud Island? Then transform Mud Island into a place where there are restaurants and the like. That way, things are more connected. Need to move away from being car-centric, but don't know if the Harbor Townites would like this.

Excellent idea! I would love to see rail extension into MI however cost and pushback from harbor town residents may make it prohibited 

[The Guardian of Memphis]

5 minutes ago, Memphisborn said:

Excellent idea! I would love to see rail extension into MI however cost and pushback from harbor town residents may make it prohibited 

After I posted, cost came to mind too, so maybe not. 

[Memphisborn]

2 hours ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

After I posted, cost came to mind too, so maybe not. 

I would be happy if we can get downtown/Airport rail and commuter rail to blue oval city. 

[The Guardian of Memphis]

On 1/25/2023 at 12:12 PM, MDC26 said:

It's exciting thinking about a restored Sterick building.  Here's a before and after of another yellow painted building - The Toof Building, that was restored in 2015.

I wonder what the deal was with painting buildings yellow?

 

It was a 70s thing. Same goes for shag carpets, bellbottoms, big hair, disco music, etc. LOL. Don’t know when this went vacant though. 

Edited January 27, 2023 by The Guardian of Memphis

[MLBrumby]

Wow!  A pretty building... glad it's restored. 

[Tony Randolph]

I have been away for a couple of weeks so I will be adding my questionable opinions to a few of the topics that have been mentioned:

# A trolley line across the lagoon would be very expensive.  A highly expensive to build and maintain drawbridge would be required.  A trolley line from the northern end of Mud Island that runs the length of the peninsula might be feasible.

#VMC needs to be left alone.  I am impressed how an empty building was restored, and then had dorms added to the north of the property.  Basically, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

#We already have a rail line running from Memphis to Blue Oval.  I have heard others opine that high-speed rail is an expensive fantasy, but double and triple tracking our existing mainline rail plant would make passenger rail much more feasible and freight rail much more efficient.  This is a topic that could be several doctoral dissertations, but basically double and triple tracking rail opens up tax expenses for the RR companies.    Most of us agree that rail must play a bigger role in our transportation infrastructure for obvious reasons.

#Please, no soccer stadium, I was born in Memphis in 1960, and I have yet to see soccer become a long-term success.  I am not saying to give up on soccer, but we have the Liberty Bowl and Redbirds stadium that are both underutilized and would serve as good enough soccer fields.

#Finally, getting back to my favorite topic on this page, someone high up in city government, must start pigeonholing both AXA and the Grosvenor family and getting direct answers about what will happen to the Sterick in 2025.  Every one of us is a stakeholder in the Sterick.

[The Guardian of Memphis]

6 hours ago, Tony Randolph said:

I have been away for a couple of weeks so I will be adding my questionable opinions to a few of the topics that have been mentioned:

# A trolley line across the lagoon would be very expensive.  A highly expensive to build and maintain drawbridge would be required.  A trolley line from the northern end of Mud Island that runs the length of the peninsula might be feasible.

#VMC needs to be left alone.  I am impressed how an empty building was restored, and then had dorms added to the north of the property.  Basically, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

#We already have a rail line running from Memphis to Blue Oval.  I have heard others opine that high-speed rail is an expensive fantasy, but double and triple tracking our existing mainline rail plant would make passenger rail much more feasible and freight rail much more efficient.  This is a topic that could be several doctoral dissertations, but basically double and triple tracking rail opens up tax expenses for the RR companies.    Most of us agree that rail must play a bigger role in our transportation infrastructure for obvious reasons.

#Please, no soccer stadium, I was born in Memphis in 1960, and I have yet to see soccer become a long-term success.  I am not saying to give up on soccer, but we have the Liberty Bowl and Redbirds stadium that are both underutilized and would serve as good enough soccer fields.

#Finally, getting back to my favorite topic on this page, someone high up in city government, must start pigeonholing both AXA and the Grosvenor family and getting direct answers about what will happen to the Sterick in 2025.  Every one of us is a stakeholder in the Sterick.

There needs to be some sort of connection to Harbor Town/Mud Island transportation-wise other than the car, but if Harbor Town wants to remain its own entity then that's understandable. As long as there's some type of public transportation to and from the North end of Mud Island to the south. Maybe a ferry or taxi to go east and west within the Wolf River harbor. 

I used to go to Memphis Storm games (I'm dating myself, LOL) and enjoyed it. Maybe folks in my generation and the Millennials or Gen Z enjoy soccer/futbol now.

[Tony Randolph]

I have never lived in Harbor Town but visit fairly often to walk around and look at the houses.  My wife and I used to like eating at Miss Cordelia's but last time we were there we learned that it was closed.  Hope it is some sort of Covid closure and will be opening again, they had an outstanding Ruben.  My feeling is that the residents of HT like being somewhat isolated.   We have thought about moving to HT for the idea of being isolated, and even the newer Crosstown Concourse for the same reason.  Now, getting back to the trolley idea, I do not see how the cost/benefit of a trolley is HT could be remotely viable.  Maybe rebuilding tracks over the former L&N railbed to Crosstown Concourse might work.

Now, back to the Sterick.  My employer once rented a few floors in the Derman Building.  The landlord literally rehabbed the building from the bottom up.  The first floor was a restaurant that served breakfast and lunch called George's Coffee shop, and there was a tailor shop and I believe an investigation business that made up the ground floor.   Higher floors were offices.   I would like to see the ground floor of the Sterick have a restaurant, a bank and a pharmacy (again).   The upper floors could be developed as needs arose.  I am not a landowner of anything except my house, but if I was a member of the Grosvenor family, you better believe I would take Billy Orgel out to lunch or dinner and ask his opinion about options.   

[MDC26]

On 1/29/2023 at 1:25 PM, Tony Randolph said:

I have been away for a couple of weeks so I will be adding my questionable opinions to a few of the topics that have been mentioned:

# A trolley line across the lagoon would be very expensive.  A highly expensive to build and maintain drawbridge would be required.  A trolley line from the northern end of Mud Island that runs the length of the peninsula might be feasible.

#VMC needs to be left alone.  I am impressed how an empty building was restored, and then had dorms added to the north of the property.  Basically, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

#We already have a rail line running from Memphis to Blue Oval.  I have heard others opine that high-speed rail is an expensive fantasy, but double and triple tracking our existing mainline rail plant would make passenger rail much more feasible and freight rail much more efficient.  This is a topic that could be several doctoral dissertations, but basically double and triple tracking rail opens up tax expenses for the RR companies.    Most of us agree that rail must play a bigger role in our transportation infrastructure for obvious reasons.

#Please, no soccer stadium, I was born in Memphis in 1960, and I have yet to see soccer become a long-term success.  I am not saying to give up on soccer, but we have the Liberty Bowl and Redbirds stadium that are both underutilized and would serve as good enough soccer fields.

#Finally, getting back to my favorite topic on this page, someone high up in city government, must start pigeonholing both AXA and the Grosvenor family and getting direct answers about what will happen to the Sterick in 2025.  Every one of us is a stakeholder in the Sterick.

I agree, there is not the need for a trolley to Mud Island.  I think a pedestrian bridge or two that connects Mud Island to the Snuff district would be good.  I agree on the VMC too.  I also agree that double/triple tracking existing rail lines would be the easiest and most cost effective to getting light passenger rail because you don't have to acquire property or do much prep work.  

I think a soccer stadium would be great, but don't want to tear down the MSC for one.  

There was a subscriber column on the Daily Memphian a few days ago that had an update on the Sterick.  Did anyone read that?

https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/article/33695/

Edited February 2, 2023 by MDC26

[MDC26]

16 hours ago, Tony Randolph said:

I have never lived in Harbor Town but visit fairly often to walk around and look at the houses.  My wife and I used to like eating at Miss Cordelia's but last time we were there we learned that it was closed.  Hope it is some sort of Covid closure and will be opening again, they had an outstanding Ruben.  My feeling is that the residents of HT like being somewhat isolated.   We have thought about moving to HT for the idea of being isolated, and even the newer Crosstown Concourse for the same reason.  Now, getting back to the trolley idea, I do not see how the cost/benefit of a trolley is HT could be remotely viable.  Maybe rebuilding tracks over the former L&N railbed to Crosstown Concourse might work.

Now, back to the Sterick.  My employer once rented a few floors in the Derman Building.  The landlord literally rehabbed the building from the bottom up.  The first floor was a restaurant that served breakfast and lunch called George's Coffee shop, and there was a tailor shop and I believe an investigation business that made up the ground floor.   Higher floors were offices.   I would like to see the ground floor of the Sterick have a restaurant, a bank and a pharmacy (again).   The upper floors could be developed as needs arose.  I am not a landowner of anything except my house, but if I was a member of the Grosvenor family, you better believe I would take Billy Orgel out to lunch or dinner and ask his opinion about options.   

How long ago was this rehabbing of the Dermon Building?  Wonder why it closed down since then.  

[Memphisborn]

6 hours ago, MDC26 said:

I agree, there is not the need for a trolley to Mud Island.  I think a pedestrian bridge or two that connects Mud Island to the Snuff district would be good.  I agree on the VMC too.  I also agree that double/triple tracking existing rail lines would be the easiest and most cost effective to getting light passenger rail because you don't have to acquire property or do much prep work.  

I think a soccer stadium would be great, but don't want to tear down the MSC for one.  

There was a subscriber column on the Daily Memphian a few days ago that had an update on the Sterick.  Did anyone read that?

https://dailymemphian.com/subscriber/article/33695/

No I didn’t see it I’m out of free articles can u copy and paste it for review.

[Memphisborn]

Just now, Memphisborn said:

No I didn’t see it I’m out of free articles can u copy and paste it for review.

As far as soccer stadium I’m and advocate for a new soccer stadium for 901 fc however it clearly needs to be downtown not @ the site of MSC. Union row (The Walk) has about 30 acres and have faced serious financial difficulties. If there could be an agreement for about 13 acres dedicated to a soccer specific stadium the rest to Apts/ hotel etc as previously proposed that could help bonds to be issued and may move the site forward. 

[MDC26]

3 hours ago, Memphisborn said:

No I didn’t see it I’m out of free articles can u copy and paste it for review.

I’m not a subscriber. For some reason, my old office computer allowed me to read all DM articles. The IT people changed out my computer, and now I can’t read the subscriber articles anymore. 

[Memphisborn]

10 hours ago, MDC26 said:

I’m not a subscriber. For some reason, my old office computer allowed me to read all DM articles. The IT people changed out my computer, and now I can’t read the subscriber articles anymore. 

Ok