Downtown Memphis News & Developments (CBD, South Main, Riverfront, Medical District, The Edge, Uptown)

[James Owen]

Here is a look at the two new buildings being planned on St. Jude's campus:

(Image courtesy of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)

https://www.stjude.org/media-resources/news-releases/2022-medicine-science-news/st-jude-announces-expansion-of-strategic-plan-targeting-pediatric-catastrophic-diseases.html

The new towers will be located just west of the Chili's Care Center (Note: This is just a rough estimate of the size of the site for those buildings):

 

[MDC26]

2 hours ago, VSRJ said:

St. Jude increases 5-year spending by $1.4B, 900 more jobs, two skyscrapers

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/07/13/st-jude-expands-strategic-plan-campus.html

 

That's awesome.  I think there are 5 planned towers in Intrator's Pinch project.  With those and the St Jude Towers, the Pinch will have a nice skyline.   The increase in employees is nice too, and should help well with the Pinch residential units being fully utilized and should make the area really active and interconnected.  

Here's the DM article on the story:

https://dailymemphian.com/section/business/article/29764/memphis-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital-commits-nearly-13-billion

Edited July 13, 2022 by MDC26

[bnacincy]

St. Jude and Le Bonheur should team up to make Memphis a research hub for childhood disease.......that could be real growth engine for the city.

[MDC26]

22 hours ago, bnacincy said:

St. Jude and Le Bonheur should team up to make Memphis a research hub for childhood disease.......that could be real growth engine for the city.

They both do research as it is.  I'm not sure how teaming up would help grow things.  St. Jude does their own research on campus.  Le Bonheur has a 300,000 sqft research institute affiliated with UTHSC.  They are both doing their own research in their respective fields.  It's already a hub, they would just have to invest money into it to make it bigger.  St Jude is doing just that.  

[MDC26]

New Apartment project in the Edge on Monroe.  Will  have 105 furnished micro-units.  Unfortunately will tear down two buildings.  The Holliday Flowers building, and  the one behind it that faces Lauderdale.  

https://dailymemphian.com/section/business/article/29946/downtown-memphis-edge-district-apartment-complex

 

 

[James Owen]

1 hour ago, MDC26 said:

New Apartment project in the Edge on Monroe.  Will  have 105 furnished micro-units.  Unfortunately will tear down two buildings.  The Holliday Flowers building, and  the one behind it that faces Lauderdale.  

https://dailymemphian.com/section/business/article/29946/downtown-memphis-edge-district-apartment-complex

 

 

The warehouse on the corner of Monroe and Lauderdale is NOT a part of those plans (As you can see in that rendering on the left).

[VSRJ]

The design is pretty meh. I wish there was some street activation on the ground level.

[Memphis4ever]

2 hours ago, VSRJ said:

The design is pretty meh. I wish there was some street activation on the ground level.

Those are my thoughts kinda like life a bridge the arches are loosing me especially since they are so low it makes them look uninviting for people 

[MDC26]

13 hours ago, James Owen said:

The warehouse on the corner of Monroe and Lauderdale is NOT a part of those plans (As you can see in that rendering on the left).

Not the one right beside it, but the long skinny one behind it.  Looks like this on Lauderdale:

[MDC26]

11 hours ago, VSRJ said:

The design is pretty meh. I wish there was some street activation on the ground level.

Yeah, it looks like its all parking at the ground level. Obviously, its better use than the current surface parking lot, but I hate to lose a couple 100+ year old buildings.  The building at 16 S Lauderdale has really nice detail on it, and would look really sharp if it were fixed up.  The Holliday building has been remodeled and looks nice.  

[James Owen]

An update on the redevelopment of the former Office Depot site in the Medical District, which now has a name:

Vic on Union development at former Office Depot site moves forward

By Neil Strebig, Daily Memphian

https://dailymemphian.com/section/business/article/30022/memphis-shelby-county-board-of-adjustment-approves-vic-on-union

(Image courtesy of Steinberg Dickey Collaborative)

Quote

According to site plans, the 327-unit apartment complex will feature a pool courtyard in the center of the building and amenity space including a pet park in the rear of the building near the intersections of Beale and Manassas streets. The proposed parking garage will be adjacent to the apartment complex on the eastern portion of the property along Walnut Street. The front of the building along Union Avenue will have a plaza, coffee shop and transit station.

[The Guardian of Memphis]

On 7/26/2022 at 11:31 PM, VSRJ said:

The design is pretty meh. I wish there was some street activation on the ground level.

I agree, looks institutional, but definitely not cookie cutter.

Like with anything in Memphis, I'd like to see more height, but aesthetically it would take away from the character of the neighborhood.

On 7/27/2022 at 5:13 PM, James Owen said:

An update on the redevelopment of the former Office Depot site in the Medical District, which now has a name:

Vic on Union development at former Office Depot site moves forward

By Neil Strebig, Daily Memphian

https://dailymemphian.com/section/business/article/30022/memphis-shelby-county-board-of-adjustment-approves-vic-on-union

(Image courtesy of Steinberg Dickey Collaborative)

This is great infill - street level activation...across from the park, and not too far from the Orleans development.

[East Side Urbanite]

Neil Strebig is doing a strong job reporting on growth/development with The Daily Memphian.  He and I had a very nice email exchange recently.

[The Guardian of Memphis]

6 hours ago, East Side Urbanite said:

Neil Strebig is doing a strong job reporting on growth/development with The Daily Memphian.  He and I had a very nice email exchange recently.

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.

[James Owen]

The owners of the Dermon Building downtown have scrapped their plans to convert it into a hotel, and will now put apartments there instead.

Historic Dermon Building renovation includes apartments, outdoor pool, dog park

By Neil Strebig, The Daily Memphian

https://dailymemphian.com/section/business/article/30137/memphis-downtown-dermon-building-renovation-pilot-apartments-pool-dog-park-mixed-use-ground-floor

Quote

The 10-story, 90,000-square-foot building at 46 B.B. King Blvd. will be renovated into 103 residential units with 2,000 square feet of flexible, mixed-use space on the ground floor, according to the PILOT application.

The renovations will also include an outdoor pool area for residents and a dog park.

The company also owns the adjacent parking lots along Court Avenue. 

The developers plan to use those adjacent lots for parking and are working on a potential agreement with the Hotel Indigo owners for use of the hotel’s parking garage.

 

[VSRJ]

Interesting, I wonder what led to the switch. Nonetheless, I'm glad it's seeing new life.

[MDC26]

1 hour ago, James Owen said:

The owners of the Dermon Building downtown have scrapped their plans to convert it into a hotel, and will now put apartments there instead.

Historic Dermon Building renovation includes apartments, outdoor pool, dog park

By Neil Strebig, The Daily Memphian

https://dailymemphian.com/section/business/article/30137/memphis-downtown-dermon-building-renovation-pilot-apartments-pool-dog-park-mixed-use-ground-floor

 

This should have been the plan from the beginning. I never liked the hotel plan and thought that it should have been apartments from the start. I really like this building with the glazed terra cotta designs. It deserves to be active and vibrant again. 

[The Guardian of Memphis]

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. 

[MDC26]

2 hours ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

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’m sure they’ll build a wall or fence around the pool. Even though there are plans, the Dermon and 100 N Main are still empty. It will be really nice, if/when these projects are completed in the next 2-3 years. Besides the Sterick, Jefferson Plaza is still empty too.  It got bought last year (by a Texas firm I think), but they have released no plans. Hopefully someone will be ready to take on the Sterick when the lease runs out in a little under 3 years. 

[James Owen]

4 hours ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

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. 

The better option would've been to put the pool on the roof like The Commonwealth on Madison has set up.

I've never been a fan of surface parking lots as they're the result of very lax regulations from back in the day.

[The Guardian of Memphis]

20 hours ago, MDC26 said:

I’m sure they’ll build a wall or fence around the pool. Even though there are plans, the Dermon and 100 N Main are still empty. It will be really nice, if/when these projects are completed in the next 2-3 years. Besides the Sterick, Jefferson Plaza is still empty too.  It got bought last year (by a Texas firm I think), but they have released no plans. Hopefully someone will be ready to take on the Sterick when the lease runs out in a little under 3 years. 

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?

 

Edited August 5, 2022 by The Guardian of Memphis

[JTM1]

On 8/4/2022 at 6:12 PM, The Guardian of Memphis said:

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 hope they will come up with a structure for the surface parking lot and put the pool in between it and the Dermon building.  I've been told to look for some  news on the Sterick building later this year. 

[MDC26]

4 hours ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

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?

 

Yes, I believe Townhouse bought Jefferson Plaza after buying 100 N Main, as it was going to be part of their plans. In March ‘21 they sold it to Trident Capital of Houston.  I think it would be a good office building (close to courthouse) if completely redone on the inside, but office demand has plummeted. No clue who owns the dirt lot between Jefferson Plaza and 44 N 2nd. It used to be a parking garage. I agree, a 3 story platform, with condo/apartment high rise coming from the platform would look great. 

[James Owen]

2 hours ago, MDC26 said:

Yes, I believe Townhouse bought Jefferson Plaza after buying 100 N Main, as it was going to be part of their plans. In March ‘21 they sold it to Trident Capital of Houston.  I think it would be a good office building (close to courthouse) if completely redone on the inside, but office demand has plummeted. No clue who owns the dirt lot between Jefferson Plaza and 44 N 2nd. It used to be a parking garage. I agree, a 3 story platform, with condo/apartment high rise coming from the platform would look great. 

There was an attempt made a decade ago to not only renovate Jefferson Plaza, but to build a new parking structure next door along Second Street. https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2013/jan/7/battling-blight/

(Image courtesy of Adam Airman)

Sadly, those plans fell through, and the demolished garage has been a vacant lot ever since. Would've been nice to put something there to connect with all the adjacent structures on that block including the near-completed Aloft Hotel (former Tenoke Building).

[The Guardian of Memphis]

22 hours ago, JTM1 said:

I hope they will come up with a structure for the surface parking lot and put the pool in between it and the Dermon building.  I've been told to look for some  news on the Sterick building later this year. 

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:

20 hours ago, MDC26 said:

Yes, I believe Townhouse bought Jefferson Plaza after buying 100 N Main, as it was going to be part of their plans. In March ‘21 they sold it to Trident Capital of Houston.  I think it would be a good office building (close to courthouse) if completely redone on the inside, but office demand has plummeted. No clue who owns the dirt lot between Jefferson Plaza and 44 N 2nd. It used to be a parking garage. I agree, a 3 story platform, with condo/apartment high rise coming from the platform would look great. 

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.

18 hours ago, James Owen said:

There was an attempt made a decade ago to not only renovate Jefferson Plaza, but to build a new parking structure next door along Second Street. https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2013/jan/7/battling-blight/

(Image courtesy of Adam Airman)

Sadly, those plans fell through, and the demolished garage has been a vacant lot ever since. Would've been nice to put something there to connect with all the adjacent structures on that block including the near-completed Aloft Hotel (former Tenoke Building).

Wow, never saw that before. Well, glad it fell through. It's too low.  

Edited August 6, 2022 by The Guardian of Memphis