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Sterick Building in Downtown Memphis


northernbizzkit1

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Hey, this is my first post! First of all, I love both Nashville and Memphis, but being the Germantownie, I gotta keep my heart in Memphis (I still have some Brentwood/Franklin in my soul)...Anyway, my big question is if anyone knows about some development to come to the Sterick Building in Memphis or in the old Hotel Chisca in the South Main district. A friend of mine had actually said that Hilton hotels was refurbishing the Hotel Chisca to be a historic hotel that would compete with the Peabody...that would be a most welcome addition to Memphis! In another forum I saw a blip about redevelopment of the Sterick Building, but I wanted to see if anyone else had heard of it. I personally think that an all-out luxury hotel to rival the newly appointed 5-star Hermitage in Nashville would actually be an option for Memphis. The Madison and Peabody are nearing full occupancy nightly, so why not toss in the Chisca and a Ritz-esque hotel to the market. The NBA all-star game is coming to Memphis in a few years, we've had Tyson-Lewis, and who knows what will come. Memphis needs more rooms!

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I havent heard any official statments about it, but right now they need to

A. Re-paint it, cuz its colors look like crap

B. Tear it down

C. Renovate it

its been an empty shell for like 20 years + I believe

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know! It is such an eyesore for Redbirds games. If it were to be torn down, I think a massive tower should fit in

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I know! It is such an eyesore for Redbirds games. If it were to be torn down, I think a massive tower should fit in

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here's the only thing that www.downtownmemphis.com has to say about the old Chisca Hotel:

"Residential, commercial, and hotel development encompassing four square blocks from Linden to Vance between Main and Second."

It's listed as being in the "design/planning" phase. Translation: we're looking for the money.

The property is owned by the Church of God in Christ--headquartered in Memphis--and I imagine they're sitting on it waiting for the best deal.

Pic of the Chisca Hotel from www.downtownmemphis.com:

chisca.jpg

About the Sterrick Building. Agreed they should repaint it back to its original colors. For those not old enough, the building was white with the "trimwork", i.e., the portions pictured below as tannish-brown including the rooftop, done in forest green. It was lovely.

As far as being an eyesore when viewed from AutoZone Park, IMHO, it's clearly the best looking building in the following pic (courtesy of MCC from SSC). And, no, even if they did tear it down, a massive office tower would not replace it. Who would be the tenants? To the left is the First Horizon headquarters. That's a top 50 bank, and they're satisfied with their little 25 story headquarters building. AutoZone is delighted as well with its 5 story downtown headquarters, and FedEx and International Paper couldn't be happier in their suburban office parks.

There's no office market downtown.

34355252.jpg

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Hey, this is my first post!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Forgot to say, welcome to the board.

If you live in Memphis, how bout some pics? Midtown, downtown, anything. I'm a native but moved away decades ago.

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Forgot to say, welcome to the board.

If you live in Memphis, how bout some pics?  Midtown, downtown, anything.  I'm a native but moved away decades ago.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure thing! I'll post some up in a day or two. I actually plan on heading downtown--I haven't been in a few months. The latest rule of thumb is that if you haven't been down there in a few months, you need to go. It is changing quickly. I can provide some good Germantown pics anytime, though!

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Sure thing! I'll post some up in a day or two. I actually plan on heading downtown--I haven't been in a few months. The latest rule of thumb is that if you haven't been down there in a few months, you need to go. It is changing quickly. I can provide some good Germantown pics anytime, though!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Haven't been downtown in a few months? Nowadays when I head down south to Memphis I'm strictly a tourist, and downtown/midtown is about it for me.

Pics of some of the new condo developments--GE7, Hotline condos, etc., is what we need. Anything else is good too.

I could tell a yo mama joke, but actually . . . . I'm so old I remember when Germantown Parkway (Road back then) was a two-laner out in the country--1982--and when Poplar was two-lane from Memphis to Germantown.

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Haven't been downtown in a few months?  Nowadays when I head down south to Memphis I'm strictly a tourist, and downtown/midtown is about it for me.

Pics of some of the new condo developments--GE7, Hotline condos, etc., is what we need.  Anything else is good too.

I could tell a yo mama joke, but actually . . . . I'm so old I remember when Germantown Parkway (Road back then) was a two-laner out in the country--1982--and when Poplar was two-lane from Memphis to Germantown.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

im 18, I live in Indiana now, but i lived in Memphis for 17 years.... i remember when germantown was a 2 lane road too! haha. our family moved to Cordova in 1987

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If its structurally sound, nobody should be considering destroying the Sterick Building. Its absolutely beautiful, even in its decayed state and definately an iconic tower in the Memphis skyline.

However, its so large, that it would probably require city incentives to renovate into some sort of mixed use building featuring condos, hotel rooms, offices and street level retail. How the view towards offering public money for downtown development in Memphis?

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If its structurally sound, nobody should be considering destroying the Sterick Building.  Its absolutely beautiful, even in its decayed state and definately an iconic tower in the Memphis skyline.

However, its so large, that it would probably require city incentives to renovate into some sort of mixed use building featuring condos, hotel rooms, offices and street level retail.  How the view towards offering public money for downtown development in Memphis?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as I know, it's structurally sound. I'm not sure how large it is in terms of square footage, but I believe it's only 29 stories or so. The Exchange Building, which I believe is about 20 stories, was converted to residential about 15 yr. ago.

The "view towards offering public money for downtown development" is probably negative among the public, which doesn't stop the local politicans from shoveling money downtown anyway. According to www.downtownmemphis.com, in the past year there have been, or are ongoing, over $500,000,000 in public projects. Of this, $250,000,000 went to FedEx Forum and about $50,000,000 went to a streetcar extension.

The big breaks for downtown residential come in the form of tax breaks---no property taxes for up to ten years on apartments---or I should say that the property tax is frozen on the value of the property prior to development.

The public doesn't care much for this either, as the city is laying off employees, and property taxes in general are going up.

The builders downtown--in many cases the same ones as in the suburbs--generally get the run of the place though--just like they do in the suburbs. I doubt though that the city could go so far as to give builders money to redevelop the Sterrick Building. Maybe they could get some grants through HUD for affordable housing---that's partially how the 29 story MainVue apartments are being funded.

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I'm a Memphian with a contact inside the Center City Commission, the entity with overseeing the redevelopment of Downtown. Here's what I know about each project:

Chisca Hotel: Being redeveloped as "Chisca Plaza". It will include the rebirth of the Hotel Chisca (managed by a major, upscale chain) and will compete with the Peabody and the Madison. The old "Chisca Motorcoach Inn", the tacky 60s-era edition on the west side of the building, is being torn down. In it's place, a residential/retail component will be built. Also, the property will include a parking garage. Yes, it is being developed by COGIC in conjunction with a company in Florida. They are in the design/finance stage.

Sterick Building: As of late last year, a MAJOR retailer was looking at buying and renovating the building. This department store would occupy the bottom 2 or 3 floors and they were trying to partner with a hotel chain to occupy the upper floors. If the hotel component does not happen, their second option is either condo or apartment use. I'm assuming the retailer is Saks. The reason? The CEO of Saks is from Memphis and is very involved in the CCC. Also, now that downtown Memphis has become a magnet for young professionals, who earn well-above average salaries, there is a need for such a retailer as Saks or one of its companies. Plus, with St. Jude undergoing a $1 billion expansion, and Memphis quickly becoming a Bio-Tech hub, there will be lots of money in that area. Look for the CCC to start branding that area as "Mid-Second", the newest "neighborhood" in downtown Memphis.

Welcome to the forum!

Hey, this is my first post! First of all, I love both Nashville and Memphis, but being the Germantownie, I gotta keep my heart in Memphis (I still have some Brentwood/Franklin in my soul)...Anyway, my big question is if anyone knows about some development to come to the Sterick Building in Memphis or in the old Hotel Chisca in the South Main district. A friend of mine had actually said that Hilton hotels was refurbishing the Hotel Chisca to be a historic hotel that would compete with the Peabody...that would be a most welcome addition to Memphis! In another forum I saw a blip about redevelopment of the Sterick Building, but I wanted to see if anyone else had heard of it. I personally think that an all-out luxury hotel to rival the newly appointed 5-star Hermitage in Nashville would actually be an option for Memphis. The Madison and Peabody are nearing full occupancy nightly, so why not toss in the Chisca and a Ritz-esque hotel to the market. The NBA all-star game is coming to Memphis in a few years, we've had Tyson-Lewis, and who knows what will come. Memphis needs more rooms!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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I'm a Memphian with a contact inside the Center City Commission, the entity with overseeing the redevelopment of Downtown. Here's what I know about each project:

Chisca Hotel: Being redeveloped as "Chisca Plaza". It will include the rebirth of the Hotel Chisca (managed by a major, upscale chain) and will compete with the Peabody and the Madison. The old "Chisca Motorcoach Inn", the tacky 60s-era edition on the west side of the building, is being torn down. In it's place, a residential/retail component will be built. Also, the property will include a parking garage. Yes, it is being developed by COGIC in conjunction with a company in Florida. They are in the design/finance stage.

Sterick Building: As of late last year, a MAJOR retailer was looking at buying and renovating the building. This department store would occupy the bottom 2 or 3 floors and they were trying to partner with a hotel chain to occupy the upper floors. If the hotel component does not happen, their second option is either condo or apartment use. I'm assuming the retailer is Saks. The reason? The CEO of Saks is from Memphis and is very involved in the CCC. Also, now that downtown Memphis has become a magnet for young professionals, who earn well-above average salaries, there is a need for such a retailer as Saks or one of its companies. Plus, with St. Jude undergoing a $1 billion expansion, and Memphis quickly becoming a Bio-Tech hub, there will be lots of money in that area. Look for the CCC to start branding that area as "Mid-Second", the newest "neighborhood" in downtown Memphis.

Welcome to the forum!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That'd be wonderful! I was going to say Parisian for a Saks store in Memphis, but the thing is, Parisian is being sold off. That'd be great for downtown. I agree in that money is heading to the downtown market, so what is better than a luxury retailer like Saks? I know the Greenhills Mall in Nashville was in talks for a luxury dept. store like Nordstrom, Saks, or Barneys...I think the latter is highly unlikely. Anyway, now it is going to be a competition between Nashville and Memphis to see who has the swankiest department store. My grandpa was close to the mother of one of the South Main retailers, and she (the retailer) said that Hilton was going to manage the Hotel Chisca. The reason that makes me think this is true is that Hilton has a corporate center here in town, and they seem interested in the downtown market (Of course, the Embassy Suites that was supposed to be across from Peabody Place is taking quite some time :)). Anyway, it is great to hear about the new venues heading downtown. The Sterick is just too notable to tear down. It's great to see that it is heading to better times! I will be interested to see what hotel (if any) comes to occupy the upper floors. As far as the Hotel Chisca...I'm just glad that there is another luxury hotel entering the market. I've always thought that the Peabody should have some more competition. Thanks again for the great news!

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Hey, this is my first post! First of all, I love both Nashville and Memphis, but being the Germantownie, I gotta keep my heart in Memphis (I still have some Brentwood/Franklin in my soul)...Anyway, my big question is if anyone knows about some development to come to the Sterick Building in Memphis or in the old Hotel Chisca in the South Main district. A friend of mine had actually said that Hilton hotels was refurbishing the Hotel Chisca to be a historic hotel that would compete with the Peabody...that would be a most welcome addition to Memphis! In another forum I saw a blip about redevelopment of the Sterick Building, but I wanted to see if anyone else had heard of it. I personally think that an all-out luxury hotel to rival the newly appointed 5-star Hermitage in Nashville would actually be an option for Memphis. The Madison and Peabody are nearing full occupancy nightly, so why not toss in the Chisca and a Ritz-esque hotel to the market. The NBA all-star game is coming to Memphis in a few years, we've had Tyson-Lewis, and who knows what will come. Memphis needs more rooms!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For the Sterick, how about a Four Seasons-like development. Condos and hotel.

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I'm a Memphian with a contact inside the Center City Commission, the entity with overseeing the redevelopment of Downtown. Here's what I know about each project:

Chisca Hotel: Being redeveloped as "Chisca Plaza". It will include the rebirth of the Hotel Chisca (managed by a major, upscale chain) and will compete with the Peabody and the Madison. The old "Chisca Motorcoach Inn", the tacky 60s-era edition on the west side of the building, is being torn down. In it's place, a residential/retail component will be built. Also, the property will include a parking garage. Yes, it is being developed by COGIC in conjunction with a company in Florida. They are in the design/finance stage.

Sterick Building: As of late last year, a MAJOR retailer was looking at buying and renovating the building. This department store would occupy the bottom 2 or 3 floors and they were trying to partner with a hotel chain to occupy the upper floors. If the hotel component does not happen, their second option is either condo or apartment use. I'm assuming the retailer is Saks. The reason? The CEO of Saks is from Memphis and is very involved in the CCC. Also, now that downtown Memphis has become a magnet for young professionals, who earn well-above average salaries, there is a need for such a retailer as Saks or one of its companies. Plus, with St. Jude undergoing a $1 billion expansion, and Memphis quickly becoming a Bio-Tech hub, there will be lots of money in that area. Look for the CCC to start branding that area as "Mid-Second", the newest "neighborhood" in downtown Memphis.

Welcome to the forum!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hope those plans come to fruition. I have to wonder whether they would be affected, however, by the Westin and No. 1 Beale projects. Hopefully not. I think the Sterick is prime for a multi-use renovation. You know units with a view of AZP would sell out.

Oh yeah, if the project is true, Brad Martin RULES.

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It would be a crime to tear that down, plus very expensive! For a 29 story, 350 foot building it would cost around $10 to $15 million dollars to raze it! PLEASE MEMPHIS DO NOT TEAR IT DOWN! Nashville regrets tearing down the Sudekem Building. It was a 14 story art deco building that was razed to build the 24 story Cumberland Aparments. :(

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I'm a Memphian with a contact inside the Center City Commission, the entity with overseeing the redevelopment of Downtown. Here's what I know about each project:

Chisca Hotel: Being redeveloped as "Chisca Plaza". It will include the rebirth of the Hotel Chisca (managed by a major, upscale chain) and will compete with the Peabody and the Madison. The old "Chisca Motorcoach Inn", the tacky 60s-era edition on the west side of the building, is being torn down. In it's place, a residential/retail component will be built. Also, the property will include a parking garage. Yes, it is being developed by COGIC in conjunction with a company in Florida. They are in the design/finance stage.

Sterick Building: As of late last year, a MAJOR retailer was looking at buying and renovating the building. This department store would occupy the bottom 2 or 3 floors and they were trying to partner with a hotel chain to occupy the upper floors. If the hotel component does not happen, their second option is either condo or apartment use. I'm assuming the retailer is Saks. The reason? The CEO of Saks is from Memphis and is very involved in the CCC. Also, now that downtown Memphis has become a magnet for young professionals, who earn well-above average salaries, there is a need for such a retailer as Saks or one of its companies. Plus, with St. Jude undergoing a $1 billion expansion, and Memphis quickly becoming a Bio-Tech hub, there will be lots of money in that area. Look for the CCC to start branding that area as "Mid-Second", the newest "neighborhood" in downtown Memphis.

Welcome to the forum!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How reliable is your source in the CCC? You're not pulling my leg now are you? :lol:

I know there have been plans afoot for years to redevelop the Chisca. In fact, the "plan" is listed as in the "planning" stage on the CCC website. Does your post indicate that the "plan" is now moving to some sort of actual development/construction/announcement stage?

Same questions with the Sterick--will there actually be a bona-fide announcement sometime in the near future? I'm sure any number of people--from retailers to residential developers--have looked at it, but are there indications of some proposal actually being made shortly? While Harbortown and South Bluffs contain some of the most expensive housing in the city, I'm not so sure that it would be enough for a Saks.

Also, do you know anything about Court Square Center--the project involving the Columbian Mutual Tower and the Rhodes Building? It was announced a good year ago, and nothing seems to have been done.

Questions, questions.

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  • 1 year later...

Yeah, this is my first post too. I live in Jackson, and every time I travel to Memphis, I have to look at the Sterick Building. I just learned on this past Wednesday(May 10) that the building used to be white (see what you can learn from the people walking the streets?). I agree that it should be repaited back to it's original colors, especially since it is now on the historic register. I had heard that someone was looking to move into the building, but they had a problem with the floor to ceiling height and the city of Memphis or something of that nature. I have always thought that this building would make a great apartment complex and even a pretty good five -star hotel. I wish I had the money to fix it. I love looking at it during a redbirds game, and if they had it opened, it would make a good nosebleed section to watch the game.

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Here's a website with pictures, taken recently, from INSIDE the Sterick Building:

http://www.uer.ca/locations/show.asp?locid=22590

Apparently, some dudes snuck into the building and actually camped there overnight. There doesn't appear to be much sign of massive deterioration. The worst problems are the cheesy '70s decor and the dead animals.

As I've stated before, I think the Sterick Builidng would make a fabulous luxury hotel, or a combination hotel/condo. Restored, it would would be one of the city's architectural gems and a real source of pride. There are only a few cities in the U.S. that have a building that tall and that old, and almost none in the South.

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^that website is awesome. I've been waiting to see what Memphis looks like from the top of Sterick.

ya i concur. I really enjoyed that site. Ive been staring at these abandoned buildings for about an hour. I find it really interesting the animals that died inside of the building. How many of them just decomposed, form a pile of dust around the white calcified bones. really neat if you ask me :)

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Yeah, this is my first post too. I live in Jackson, and every time I travel to Memphis, I have to look at the Sterick Building. I just learned on this past Wednesday(May 10) that the building used to be white (see what you can learn from the people walking the streets?). I agree that it should be repaited back to it's original colors, especially since it is now on the historic register. I had heard that someone was looking to move into the building, but they had a problem with the floor to ceiling height and the city of Memphis or something of that nature. I have always thought that this building would make a great apartment complex and even a pretty good five -star hotel. I wish I had the money to fix it. I love looking at it during a redbirds game, and if they had it opened, it would make a good nosebleed section to watch the game.

Welcome to the forum!!!! I'm glad to see another non-Memphis West Tennessean posting on the board! I hope you will post more in the future, esp. on Jackson. It would be great to have another source and local view from the city and region.

Back to the Sterick: The pics off that website are awesome. It looks like overall all its in decent enough shape for having sat for so many years, but it will still take a major effort and capital investment to refurb the building and do it right. I hope someone will one day be able to do it, its too great of a structure to let decay to the point where it has to come down.

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I really do hope that the refurbishing of both building comes to fruition, especially the Sterick. Either way, a department store and a hotel or a department store and condos would be absolutely wonderful. The building has a classic style of skyscraper architecture that is never built today. It would be an absolute tragedy to see it come down.

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After seeing those pictures, I like the idea of retail, a hotel, 2 story penthouses, and apartments. Its in pretty good shape compared to Sears Crosstown. Plus its probably quieter living in a skyscraper, rather than living on or near street level like the tenants in the Echelon.

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