General Memphis Photos, Past and Present

[ricky_the_great]

Great pictures PH, what a great day you had at your disposal in Memphis. Beautiful blue skies and sunlight.

Man, what makes the Sterrick such a great skyscraper? What do you call those decorative detail-thingies adorning its flanks? I wonder why the architect/developer went to the trouble and expense of creating all those sculptural motifs and embellishments? Didn't they know about the practicality/cheap-assness of modernist glass curtain-walls and unadorned, exposed concrete?

The "Cotton States" building is another beauty, I'm glad to see it gaining a new lease on life.

What's the history on that Byzantine/stone-clad corner building? You mention that it's residential, is it a conversion or new construction?

when skyscrapers were first built, they were built to show off. the commanded respect and thus got cool details that made them nice.

in the 50's-60's when international style came about, developers didnt want their buildings to stand out. to show off and thus the ugly box was born. in recent years(since the 1980's roughly) buildings have been getting more and more detail again.

[Rardy]

What's the history on that Byzantine/stone-clad corner building? You mention that it's residential, is it a conversion or new construction?

I believe that's the Tennessee Club which is law offices.

[Rardy]

East Memphis construction & projects

Thought I'd throw in a few pics from Memphis' other skyline

Dirt work for an 8-story office building, S. Shady Grove @ Briarcrest

Upscale houses across the street

The Grandview, a new condo tower

The Grandview site

Future bank headquarters, Poplar @ I-240

Future Olive Garden, Poplar @ I-240

Poplar @ I-240 -- the new mixed-used development with Target will be in the trees beyond the freeway

Another bank headquarters, Poplar @ Estate

Condo project, White Station @ Sanderlin

The Oak Hall Building, formerly office, becoming upscale condos, Perkins @ Poplar

The flagship Macy's for the state of Tennessee 50 yards away

Formerly a church, becoming an 11-story mixed-use project, Highland Strip

Formerly a church site, no idea what is planned (???)

Sorry for the poor quality of the pics - I was attempting to drive at the same time!

[richyb83]

Wow yall, very impressive tour of urban Memphis! Thanks for all those photo's. I really like the parkway set-up near the bluff. Mud Island with the river model is so cool. The CBD has some classic older buildings. Thanks for showing the other skyline, I have never been on that side of the city.

[DoctorGonzo]

I think those pictures prove that the further East you go, the more horribly generic and uninspiring the architecture becomes.

[Clobber]

I believe that's the Tennessee Club which is law offices.

Burch Porter & Johnson. There's an addition to it on the north side that looks pretty cheap.

The Cotton States Bldg is locally known as the Exchange building; I've never heard of the other name. It's been apts for I'd say for more than five years (maybe 10).

[bluff2085]

Formerly a church, becoming an 11-story mixed-use project, Highland Strip

What?...I guess I'm thinking of another project on Highland that got scaled down to 6 floors...

Edited December 10, 2006 by bluff2085

[NCB]

I drove through Memphis recently on my way up to Chicago, and I managed to snap a few photos on the way through:

I was extremely suprised to see this billboard just a few miles outside of downtown Memphis!

The Memphis-Arkansas Bridge across the Mississippi River

And a shot of the Memphis skyline from the bridge

[Rardy]

I think those pictures prove that the further East you go, the more horribly generic and uninspiring the architecture becomes.

Lol...yeah, that Oak Hall Building is in dire need of an update. And some of those highrises around U of M are very generic and Soviet looking.

I actually like some of the office buildings further out east. Some of those low-rises around Poplar/Ridgeway Trace and International Place are classy, IMO. Of course they can't compete with DT, but it's still nice to have a modern area in addition to a historic district.

Parts of E. Memphis are really starting to show their age, but it seems like developers are willing to rehab instead of abandoning - Oak Hall for example. That's great news, and abnormal for Memphis.

[Fellowmann20]

Nice pics everyone! The Goodwyn Building looks like it is coming along very well. I wonder when they will start to build the Grandview.

Hey Rardy, did you take those pictures on Saturday? Because in some of the pics, especially the Macys pic, I can see the smoke from the fire at the old defense depot.

Edited December 11, 2006 by Fellowmann20

[Rardy]

Nice pics everyone!

Hey Rardy, did you take those pictures on Saturday? Because in some of the pics, especially the Macys pic, I can see the smoke from the fire at the old defense depot.

lol...yeah! i tried to avoid the smoke, but it looked so cool in the Macy's shot i left it in.

[watnow1425]

Nice pics NCB

Now here we have a picture of court square.

[Fellowmann20]

Nice pics watnow! I really like the 2nd one.

[bluff2085]

These pics are awesome. The Goodwyn is coming along nicely, too. Here's the website -- thegoodwyn.com

[Rardy]

These pics are awesome. The Goodwyn is coming along nicely, too. Here's the website -- thegoodwyn.com

that's a cool tour. the goodwyn is a nice building!

[Fellowmann20]

3,100 square feet for each unit is pretty nice too.

[idlewild]

Yeah the Goodwyn is beautiful

[waccamatt]

You can't tell from this shot, but we have bluffs on the Memphis side that prevent the city from flooding.

Is that why it is instantly rural on the Arkansas side?

[watnow1425]

Is that why it is instantly rural on the Arkansas side?

The bluffs on our side protects us from floods. Arkansas is totally flat across from Memphis so nothing would stop a major flood. So they built huge levees or hills that you can see when you are about to enter West Memphis. Nobody has decided to take their chances here by building in a flood plain and that is why its rural on the Arkasas side.

[TennBear]

Is that why it is instantly rural on the Arkansas side?

Waccamatt, The Arkansas side is very flat and the levees are several miles back. Once in the spring of 73 prior to Mud Island being built up as a residential area and there was a downtown airport on it, the airport was flooded over and people in boats were fishing above the runway. The Arkansas side was totally flooded out and only the tops of trees, the rail lines, and highways showed above the water. Riverside Drive, which is about a third of the way up the Bluff had sand bags on it. That if the only time that I ever remember sandbags in the city at all. It often floods on the Arkansas side in the spring from the spring run off. It only rises slightly above the river on that side and there is nothing to hold back the river until the water hits the levies. Besides, I always thought it was neat that there was cotton growing right across the river and it is interesting that the city just rises out of no where. Drive across the river and come back on I-40. It is a neat view of the city.

Another place to visit that I don't know that anyone has mentioned is the Ornimental Metal Museum. There are several reasons. 1) the museum is interesting, 2) it allows you to see what the bluffs looked like prior to having them cut back to allow the wagons to go up and down to the river, 3) it lets you see the port which is in a dammed section of the river between the city and President's Island, and 4) there are Indian Mounds just outside of the entrance to the museum. Don't be thrown off by the brickwork. That was from when they were excavated.

[Rardy]

Another place to visit that I don't know that anyone has mentioned is the Ornimental Metal Museum. There are several reasons. 1) the museum is interesting, 2) it allows you to see what the bluffs looked like prior to having them cut back to allow the wagons to go up and down to the river, 3) it lets you see the port which is in a dammed section of the river between the city and President's Island, and 4) there are Indian Mounds just outside of the entrance to the museum. Don't be thrown off by the brickwork. That was from when they were excavated.

The Ornamental Metal Museum is incredible. It's well worth the visit.

BUT TennBear - there's a dammed section of the river you can see? Wow...that might warrant a visit back out there...

[Rardy]

k...if i'm the LAST one to notice this, my apologies. but has anyone else noticed that the Morgan Keegan is a more modern version of the Lincoln American? They're very similar...

[bluff2085]

Yeah Morgan Keegan is a good example of the postmodern stuff that started in the 80s, with modern buildings paying homage to older structures by incorporating elements of an older building's design into the newer building. Memphis needs more pomo buildings. We've got a lot of reference material.

Edited December 23, 2006 by bluff2085

[DoctorGonzo]

Yeah Morgan Keegan is a good example of the postmodern stuff that started in the 80s, with modern buildings paying homage to older structures by incorporating elements of an older building's design into the newer building. Memphis needs more pomo buildings. We've got a lot of reference material.

Pomo buildings look like cheap knock-offs.

[Rural King]

^ They can definitely look cheap if not designed and built to high standards, but if done right they can be nice structures that add alot to the urban character of a city, esp. a city with an older urban character to its downtown like Memphis. IMO at least.