Home sweet home--Downtown Memphis pics

[sleepy]

95 degress and a broken-down bus, home sweet home! I promise, this 1972 bus is the newest thing in the thread:

Now, on to buildings and stuff:

Yum yum, red hots at 2 AM! Instead of popcorn they sell tamales. The Old Daisy Theater on Beale:

Exchange Building Apts on left, Goodwyn Apts in center with construction chute, 10 Main Apts on right, and low-rise apts around Court Square:

Top of the Exchange Building Apts:

Porter Building condos. The Porter Building was built in 1895--the 1st steel frame skyscraper south of the Ohio River:

Entrance to the Porter:

Gayoso House apts:

Pembroke Square, apts and retail:

Peabody Place offices:

Sterrick Building--vacant:

Lincoln-American Tower--being converted to apts with Oct. 06 opening:

Ten Main Apts:

Court Square law offices:

Kress Building being converted to a Springhill Suites Hotel. The Madison Hotel is on the left:

Claridge House condos:

[monsoon]

Thanks for the tour. Memphis has some beautiful old buildings. I especially like the court square law office.

[Southron]

Love these pics, sleepy. Memphis is full of gems. I really wish I could find a place around here that sells hot tamales at 2 a.m.

[sleepy]

Thanks for the tour.  Memphis has some beautiful old buildings.  I especially like the court square law office.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Memphis has powerful citizens groups that have a bulldog tenacity when it comes to historical preservation. According to memphisheritage.org, the city ranks 6th in the US in the number of buildings on the historic register. I'm not saying that Memphis has more historical buildings than all but 5 cities--it certainly doesn't-- just that vast swaths of innercity neighborhoods have received some degree of legal protection. In 1974, these groups stopped Interstate 40 from plowing through the innercity.

Love these pics, sleepy.  Memphis is full of gems.  I really wish I could find a place around here that sells hot tamales at 2 a.m.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tamales have an interesting southern history. Now, I'm only familiar with the Memphis aspect of it, but it might be true of the rest of the south. Many black restaurants and BBQ joints in Memphis and the adjoining MS Delta area sell tamales. Reason? Starting in about the 1920's, Mexicans were brought up to pick cotton on a seasonal basis. Of course, they worked alongside African-Americans, so tamales eventually entered mainstream southern culture.

I'm not sure where you live, Alabama? In Memphis if someone really wants a late-night tamale fix, they can just drive to the black part of town and they're sold on streetcorners on weekends. I suspect you might find the same thing in Birmingham or Montgomery.

[M. Brown]

NiCe pics dude.

[Southron]

Tamales have an interesting southern history.  Now, I'm only familiar with the Memphis aspect of it, but it might be true of the rest of the south.  Many black restaurants and BBQ joints in Memphis and the adjoining MS Delta area sell tamales.  Reason?  Starting in about the 1920's, Mexicans were brought up to pick cotton on a seasonal basis.  Of course, they worked alongside African-Americans, so tamales eventually entered mainstream southern culture.

I'm not sure where you live, Alabama?  In Memphis if someone really wants a late-night tamale fix, they can just drive to the black part of town and they're sold on streetcorners on weekends.  I suspect you might find the same thing in Birmingham or Montgomery.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, I'm back in Alabama now. Tamales have been a tradition for generations in rural southeast Alabama. When I was growing up, my grandmother would fix tamales for our extended family several times each year. I enjoyed turning the crank on her ancient meat grinder each time.

Little old ladies in my hometown still make big batches of hot tamales once per month, taking orders by the dozen from local families. Delta-style tamale street vendors are rare, though.

[NCB]

Great pics man, i love cities that still have their original buildings and dont destroy them in favor of new modern style buildings. Being from New Orleans I see that alot.

Memphis is a great city with great history...and it has some GREAT BBQ

[I-275westcoastflorida]

Great pics all i know of memphis is they have great BBQ places.