20 story BMH demolition - Memphis

[BrandonTO416]

On the page there is a video link for the news story. They are making way for a new bio-tech research center.

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.as...13&nav=4XzRVdnP

You've seen a massive building in downtown Memphis sitting empty for some time.

But now, that's about to change.

Demolition crews will start work this morning tearing down the historic Baptist Memorial Hospital

Crews will begin working today at Baptist Memorial Hospital tearing down the first walls in a series of steps to demolish the building.

When the historic hospital closed in 2000 it's future was unclear.

Just a few months later, plans for the future were announced and the land was donated by Baptist to the Memphis Biotech Foundation and the University of Tennessee.

Following the demolition plans for a biotech research center are set for the grounds.

The center is expected to rival any other in the country.

Scientists at the U-T Baptist Research Park will develop life saving technologies and market their findings world-wide.

A news conference is set up for 10:30 this morning.

That's when we'll get a chance to see the first walls west of the Baptist Tower coming down

We will also get a timeline for the rest of the demolition project which we will of course, pass along to you on Action News 5 at Noon, Five and Six.

[satalac]

i was hoping for implosion

[brewerw]

Sry Heckles bout what i said.

[mjtinmemphis]

This is great news for Memphis. At the same time I hate to see the old buildings go down, but hey Memphians like to see progress and they are doing what they know is best for the city.

[DallasTexan]

Does anyone have a picture? Is the building architectually significant?

[it's just dave]

Significant? Yeah, sort of. Think Baptist Hospital Nashville. Make it 20 stories tall. I remember the first time I saw it 25 years ago...very large, very impressive.

Architecturally significant? There'll be pictures. It's time has come.

[DallasTexan]

I went to Emporis and looked at some pictures -- the building is pure funk. I'll miss it, but hey, it's progress... Urgh, I still cringe when I say that.

[sleepy]

Here's a pic from the late 80's. It's the large 4-wing building in the center. At one time it was the largest private hospital in the United States and has been vacant for the last 2-3 years (they moved to East Memphis). I was born in that hospital and Elvis died there.

Also, the large building immediately to the right was a 20 story Holiday Inn which will also be demolished.

Here's a pic taken last spring. Basically everything on the left is coming down:

[rbhriuthbu1234]

I was in that holiday in, it was a year ago and we had flash lights scary stuff, it was cool some of the rooms at the top were awesome but we were walking in the halls and looking in the abondoned rooms you could tell homeless people had been there, anyway that day someone had pushed something off the building it landed in the streets but we were leaving and we I saw a 90's-95 red suv and they were pulling out to, they obviosly did it but we were leaving and the streets were blocked. there' a pool at the top.

[bobliocatt]

Any renderings of what's replacing it?