Historic Memphis Buildings

This page pays homage to many of the city's fine historic buildings.  Some, like the theatres, churches, and department stores, have been covered on separate pages of this website.   In many cases, a notable business is associated with a particular building and those will also be covered here. 

What makes a building historic?  In a city that's not especially known for appreciating its past, simply surviving the demolition crew would seem to be the number one criteria.  In addition they must be largely unaltered, be associated with famous people or events, be the work of notable architects or craftsmen, be of a particular architectural style or have archeological value.   We were surprised to learn that Memphis is the #6 City in the nation for listings of properties on the National Register of Historic Places - behind Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, and New Orleans.  We were even more surprised to learn that almost all the buildings on this page are still around - although not necessarily thriving, or completely out of danger. 

Click on small photos to see large photos:  There are MANY photos.  Please wait two minutes to load before clicking.

The Ballard and Ballard building dates from 1924.  Fittingly, it was designed in the Egyptian Revival style - one of the few buildings in Memphis with Egyptian motifs.  Located in an industrial area this is one of the more interesting buildings in the city.  Ironically, no information can be found on "Oblisk Flour" - a name with Egyptian overtones.  The Ballard and Ballard building was added to the National Register in 1999.  The building still stands, although currently not in use.

The Memphis Business Men's Club was founded in 1899.  Their purpose was simply to promote the interests of Memphis.  Their building was designed by Shaw and Pfeil in 1919 and inspired by the designs of architect Louis Sullivan.  In 1913 the Business Men's Club changed their name to the Memphis Chamber of Commerce.   In 1980 the building was converted to office space.  The Chamber of Commerce moved to the Falls Building on Front Street. 

The various names of the Chamber of Commerce since 1838:  Memphis Businessmen’s Club (1838) . Memphis Businessmen's Club Chamber of Commerce (1916) .  Memphis Chamber of Commerce (1917) .  Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce (1975) .  The Chamber – Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce (1982)  .  Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce (2002)  .  Greater Memphis Chamber (2007).

The 18-Story Central Bank and Trust was built in 1911-12 and designed by James Gamble Rogers, who also designed Brooks Memorial Art Museum and the Shelby County Courthouse.  The building has been renovated into condos and is now named The Goodwyn Building.

* Memphis churches have their own comprehensive coverage on another section of this website >  Click here

Built in 1907, this structure housed the Commercial Appeal from 1907 to 1933.  It featured a famous electronic sign that kept Memphians up to date with the latest headlines.  WMC, one of Memphis' first commercial radio stations, was established on the top floor of the building in 1923 .  The Commercial Appeal moved to a new location in 1933, and the building became headquarters for the Welcome Wagon organization, which was founded in Memphis in 1928.

* Cossitt Library has its own comprehensive coverage on another section of this website >  Click here

The current Cotton Exchange building is located just one block from the Mississippi River on Memphis' Cotton Row.  The old Cotton Exchange building was built in 1883-85 and was located at Court and 2nd.  The architect was Mathias Harvey Baldwin who had previously built the great Lowenstein Building.  It was immediately considered a great commercial structure with its classically detailed facade that was very complex.  The interplay of curves and triangles gave an imposing look to the building.  What is not commonly known is that when this building opened in 1885, it had "Dual Names" - The Cotton and Merchants Exchange Building.  The Merchants Exchange was an early version of the Chamber of Commerce.  This beautiful building was demolished in 1910 to make way for the new skyscraper Exchange Building, where the Cotton Exchange would occupy space until their new Cotton Exchange Building was built in 1924-25 at the corner of Union and Front.   Today the Union-Front building has been renovated and the Memphis Cotton Museum occupies the lower floor and apartments occupy the upper floors.

This extremely rare set of illustrations (below) was printed in 1885 as a souvenir to celebrate the opening of the Cotton-Merchants Exchange Building.  The illustrations were tied together with ribbons and were meant to be hung vertically on a wall as decoration (See #1).  When folded they could have been sent by mail.  This predated the actual postcard by quite a few years.                                                                                                                                                  -  Collection of the Janet Hendricks Harden Family

The original building was built in 1876 as The Customs House.  It was one of the proudest structures in the city, with two large matching towers that stood out in the city's skyline from the river.  This was a grand building.  But in 1929 it was greatly enlarged when it became a post office.  The towers were both removed and wings were added at the north and south ends.  The entire building received a new outer wall of granite.  Not that this building was bad, it simply wasn't as notable as the old building.  In 2010, the building was totally renovated and became the University of Memphis, School of Law.

The Dermon Building was constructed in 1925 as a home for the Dave Dermon Company and Dave Dermon Insurance.  It was designed by Charles Pfeil and George Awsumb.  Although the building was sold in the 1930s and has changed owners frequently, it is still known as the Dermon Building - something rare in Memphis.  It's an impressive 10 story structure of dark brown brick with Renaissance details in yellow, green, and white terra cotta.  The front and side facades are much richer in ornamentation than the rear.  After the more elaborate Kress Building, the Dermon Building exhibits the most colorful use of glazed architectural terra cotta in Memphis.  The Dermon was added to the National Register in 1984.

This building dates from at least 1905 - a date that is verified with a listing in the Memphis Directories.  The structure remained the home of the Elks until 1926, when it was demolished - along with the entire block, to make room for the 12 story Elks Club Building-Hotel.  This new building became the Hotel DeVoy and later the better known Hotel King Cotton.   The DeVoy and the Hotel King Cotton are both covered on the "Hotel" section of this website.

Exchange Building  .  9 N. Second Street

The Equitable Building, which was located on the corner of Main and Jefferson, dates back to 1889-1890.  This have been verified with listings in the Memphis Directories.  The structure was built primarily as an office building and it housed the old Appeal Newspaper and for a few years became known as the "Appeal Building".  When Bry's Department Store bought the building in the early 1900s, it was updated and the roof architectural accents were removed.  They eventually almost doubled the size of the building by enlarging the building next door.  Lowenstein's purchased Bry's in 1956.  Bry's closed in 1962 or 64 and Lowenstein's demolished the building and built Lowenstein's Tower at 99 N. Main, in 1969.     Lowenstein's closed and liquidated in 1981.  The Renaissance Apartments tower and its parking garage occupy this site today. 

Featuring extra wide windows, the Falls Building was designed especially for cotton merchants.  It was built in 1902 and there was a nightclub called The Alaskan Roof Garden, because of the cool breeze on the roof.  This became Memphis' premier nightclub and W. C. Handy was the featured bandleader.  He introduced one of his most famous compositions, "St. Louis Blues" here in 1914.  In addition a group made the city's first radio transmission from the roof in 1913.  Today, the building is home to the Memphis Chamber of Commerce - now known as "Greater Memphis Chamber".

The 14 story Farnsworth Building at Main and Union is a notable Art Deco mid-rise co-designed by William Van Powell in 1927.   Powell went on to design Fairview Junior High - another Art Deco masterpiece.  Decorative detailing will become the signature of Powell's work.  In 1938 a ladies clothing store named "The Three Sisters" moved here and stayed a long time.  This building became known as the Three Sisters Building.  Much later  the Business Journal took over the building and added their sign on top.  They have since moved to Brinkley Plaza,, but their sign has remained.  The building was added to the National Register in 1983.

Goodwyn Institute Building  .  165 Madison

William Goodwyn was a successful Memphis cotton merchant. He bequeathed his entire fortune for a public library and an annual series of educational lectures. The Goodwyn Institute opened in 1907 and the beautiful 7-story Beaux-Arts building was notable for four large columns above the entrance and for lions heads in terra-cotta. The top floor held the library and the third floor was taken up by a 900 seat auditorium. It was a grand building.  The building was demolished in 1962 to make way for a bank.

For many years, the Memphis building was associated with Haverty's Furniture.  Haverty's was founded in 1885 in Atalnta, and the business expanded in 1889 and went into partnership with Rhodes, a partnership that would be dissolved and then re-instated several times over the next 10 years.  The Havety Building, in Richardson Romanesque style, was built in Memphis in 1891 during one of their expansions.    It was listed on the National Register in 1980.  It has now been renovated.   Haverty's Furniture is still in business.

* The distinctive Kress Building is covered on the Department Store section of this website >  Click here

For almost 120 years, the Loeb family has operated businesses in Memphis.  In 1887 Henry Loeb Sr. was in business making and selling hats and shirts.  And then he opened a laundry to launder the shirts.  This market was considerable and he found the business constantly growing.  By 1910 he had expanded the business into a 3-story plant on Madison Avenue.  And then he introduced horse-drawn delivery service.  When Henry Sr. died in 1936, his son William took over the family business, but only lived another five years.  The business then became a trust for his two sons - Henry and Bill, with Bill eventually buying out his brother.  Bill expanded the laundry operations, reaching the 500 employee mark in the 1960s and 70s.  He also founded a chain of 100 successful barbeque restaurants.   In the 1980s, Louis and Bob, the fourth generation of Loeb's took over the family business.

Marx-Bensdorf was established in 1868 and is the oldest real estate firm in Memphis.  For many years their main office was the classic Bensdorf building at 152 Madison.  It was build in 1905.  They moved to another classic building built in 1928 at 149 Monroe.  The Building on Monroe is now known as The Cadre Building and is an Events Rental Facility.   The secondary address for this building is 42 S. Second.  Recently, former soccer coach Seamus Loftus opened "The Brass Door" - an Irish pub and restaurant in the old building on Madison.   

Marx-Bensdo

The Tennessee Consistory #1, Scottish Rite Masonic Cathedral was built in 1909 at Dunlap and Union.  Either the original building was remodeled or rebuilt because the Masonic Cathedral still standing at this location is a different design - although it's similar and is still an impressive structure.

The McLellan Stores were a chain of five and dime stores founded by William McLellan in 1917.  The chain grew to 200 stores, but the Depression drove the company into bankruptcy.  They merged with McCrory Stores in 1958.  This building, next to the Farnsworth-Three Sisters-Business Journal building on the corner of Union, still exists (See photos below).  We do not know it's current occupant.

Piggly Wiggly was the first true self-service grocery store, founded in 1916 by Clarence Saunders.  Customers entered the store through turnstiles and walked through 4 aisles to view items sold in packages and organized into departments.  They selected their own merchandise in baskets or carts and moved to the cashier.  Packaging and brand recognition became important to companies.  The date the building was demolished is not known, but a marker identifies the spot in downtown Memphis.

The D. T. Porter Building was built in 1894 as the Continental National Bank Building and was the city's first skyscraper.  The architech was Jones, Hain and Kirby.  For many years it was the tallest building in the mid-south.  In addition it had Memphis' first elevator.  Folks came from miles around and paid 10 cents for an elevator ride to the roof the view.  D. T. Porter was a pharmacist who never opened a pharmacy in Memphis - but he prospered in the wholesale grocery business.  He was also responsible for adopting the water system that cleaned up the city and prevented further outbreaks of yellow fever.  He died in 1898 and left money for his family to use as a memorial.  In 1900, his family purchased this office building and renamed it in his honor.  The building was renovated in 1983 and is condominiums today.    It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Puck Building is located in the heart of the South Main Historic District.  Built in 1912, the building was designed by Jones and Furbringer and included Terra Cotta detailing.  The building originally housed the Puck Grocery and Warehouse and it still carries the "Mid Summers Night Dream" Puck Crest in mint condition at the roof line.  More recently the building was home to the Jay Etkins Gallery.  Today, it has been renovated and is currently for sale.  It was added to the National Register in 1999.

This is an outstanding commercial Romanesque building built in 1881.  It originally housed the Lemmon and Gale Wholesale Dry Goods and was known as the Queensware Building.  This was the largest such store in Memphis for many years.  After that, it seems that the Lawrence Furniture Company occupied the building forever.    In the 1900s, some very fine China was made by the major china houses of Europe and marketed as "Memphis Queensware".  Today, it is very collectible.   The Queensware building has recently been renovated for apartments and is now known as the Washburn Building.  Hard to believe that this buiilding is not on the National Register List???

Reichman-Crosby Building  .  60 S. Front Street - Between Union and Monroe

The Beaux Arts style Reichman-Crosby Building was constructed in 1875 and a new front facade was added about 1910.   It was added to the National Register in 1979.  The building has had numerous owners and  after being vacant for some time, the good news is that, "Memphis in May" has renovated part of the building at 56 S. Front and has recently moved in.

The Rex Cub, dating from 1861, was a social organization for Jewish men which eventually developed into the Ridgeway Country Club.  The Rex Club and the Y.M.H.A joined forces to build this structure in 1910.  The grand building had a banquet hall, ballroom, bowling alley, swimming pool, auditorium, seating 400, and a gym.  It was also apparently expensive to maintain because the organizations sold the building in 1920 to the O. K. Houck Foundation, who made some modifications to the building.  It was sold again in 1933 to UTMU, who acquired the building for use as their student center and renamed it University Center.  The structure was demolished in 1969 to build the UT General Education Building.  The 1910 postcard (below) might  be the architect's original plan for the building.  With its rounded corner entrance and arches in the front, It's far more beautiful than the final building. (We're still researching this one). 

The James S. Robinson Apothecary was one of the oldest pharmacies in Memphis.  It began doing business during the Civil War and remained in business through the early twentieth century.  Mr. Robinson came to Memphis from Pennsylvania and opened his first store in 1869.  During the yellow fever epidemics of the 1870s, he endeared himself to Memphians by keeping his drugstore open.  After his death in 1929, his daughter Mary continued the business.  It was sold in 1965 to pharmacists who eventually dropped the Robinson name.  The Robinson Apothecary Building is still standing.  It has been renovated into high-end business offices and the building is now named - The Apothecary.

The Scimitar building was built in 1902 by Napoleon Hill, the "Merchant Prince of Memphis", and was originally named the "Madison Avenue Building.  The architects were Chigazola and Hanker.  The Romanesque structure features a row of lions and fleur-de-lis running beneath the cornice.  The Memphis Press Scimitar called this building home for many years and that is the name that's closely associated with the building now.  It is also sometimes known as The Memphis Light, Gas, and Water Building.  The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.  The builder, Napoleon Hill was the richest man in the city and lived in a most impressive mansion across from the present day Sterick Building.

Architect G. M. Shaw designed this "Chicago School" style building for the S. C. Toof & Company in 1913.  The impressive building with Egyptian Revival influences, has terra cotta elements.  The Toof company is the oldest printing company in Memphis, and still in business as "Toof Commercial Printing".  The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.  In the mid 1990s there were plans to establish a minor league baseball museum in the vacant building, but as of 2008 the building is still vacant and boarded up.  This building is in danger!

The grand opening of Sears Crosstown was in 1927.  At that time it was the South's only Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog order plant.  There were 11 floors and 650,000 square feet of floor space.  It was also a Gothic architectural gem.  The building was expanded over the years, but in 1983 it closed, and the building has been vacant sine 1996.  Today there are broken windows and rusty fire escapes, but there is a bright future.  In 2007, the property was purchased and the new owner is expected to renovate the building as a retail facility.  Some of Memphis' most influential organizations, along with some high-profile real estate, construction and design professionals, are now banding together in an effort to reclaim the former glory of the Sears Crosstown facility.  They plan to convert the 1.5 million square foot building into a multi-tenant commercial property with 850,000 leasable square feet.  The mammoth structure's new life is foreseen as a "vertical urban village" .  To see how really forgotten the building really is, check the last row of photos below. 

This building was originally built in 1924 and housed the Shelby County Criminal Courts and jail, until 1982.  It's built in a Renaissance style of design.  In the "old days" of 1933, the third floor of the jail was cleared for a single inmate - George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes.  In 1968, the third floor was cleared once again for James Earl Ray, the killer of Martin Luther King Jr.    After the courts and Jail moved in 1982, the building reopened as the Archives and Hall of Records building.

The Shelby County Courthouse was built between 1906-1909.  It was the first monumental architecture designed for local government by James Gamble Rodgers, and was meant to rival the buildings of the larger Northern cities.  The opulent building succeeded on all levels.  The neoclassical structure covers an entire city block and features 6 large seated figures - each carved from a single block of Tennessee marble by John Massey Rhind.  The figures represent Wisdom, Justice, Liberty, Authority, Peace and Prosperity.  It also features a portico supported by a row of 17 large Ionic columns.  Up until 1966 this building housed state and local courts in addition to the mayor's offices. The Shelby County Courthouse has been a popular building for several major  movies filmed in Memphis.

Shrine Building  .  66 Monroe

This remarkable little recording studio literally changed the world.  The first rock 'n roll single was recorded here in 1951 - and the studio launched the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and many others.  The studio was opened by Sam Phillips in 1950 and the original name was Memphis Recording Service.  Phillips launched his own record label in 1952, renamed the company Sun Studio and the rest is history.  By 1959 Phillips had moved on and the tiny studio lay vacant until 1987 when it was renovated as a tourist attraction.  In 2003 it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

This ornate castle-like structure was built between 1877-1890.  It was originally constructed for the Memphis Brewing Co in 1877.  In 1885 it was purchased by the Tennessee Brewing Co who took advantage of Memphis's pure artesian water which helped make their beer (Goldcrest) the largest seller in the South.  The brewery was enlarged in 1890 to it's present size.  It closed in 1954 and the building remained vacant for 50 years,  Now it's being renovated and will be incorporated into a 14 story condominium structure.  The building was added to the National Register in 1980.

* Memphis Theatres have their own comprehensive coverage on another section of this website >  Click here

Built in 1965, 100 N. Main, at 37 stories, is the tallest building in Memphis.  Designed by Robert L. Hall, it's a focal point of the city skyline.  It's tenant base consists primarily of attorneys, title companies, and various other professionals, but in January 2012, only 30% of the building was occupied.  For years, the building was crowned with an illuminated "UP Bank" sign.  The sign was dismantled in 2005 when Union Planters National Bank  was acquired by Regions Bank.  When the building opened, there was a revolving restaurant atop the main roof. This restaurant operated under several different owners, but is currently vacant. In their 1986 book architects Eugene J. Johnson and Robert D. Russell, Jr. called 100 N. Main "one of the least interesting" downtown structures.

Memphis was once the leader in the wholesale drug market and took great pride in being the home to Van Vleet-Mansfield Drug Co., one of the largest drug firms in the United States. Van Vleet-Mansfield Drug Co. was located in the heart of Downtown Memphis and covered nine different states.

Peter P. Van Vleet was born in Galesburg, Michigan in 1849. He left Michigan to begin traveling.  When his boat made a stop in Memphis, Van Vleet was fascinated by its charm and recognized the great potential of the city.  He decided to call it home. In 1884, after working as a drug clerk for fourteen years, Van Vleet established his own wholesale drug firm called Van Vleet & Co. After 10 prosperous years of business, he merged with three local wholesale drug companies, thus establishing the Van Vleet-Mansfield Drug Co., one of the largest and most progressive wholesale drug companies in the country.

Van Vleet-Mansfield Drug Co. built their new building on the corner of Second and Gayoso and moved in upon its completion in 1917.   For the last 30 years it has been home to The Fulmer Companies headquarters and distribution center. This historic building has been now been renovated into a mixed-use facility with 60 loft apartments and 15,000 sq ft of commercial space.

The YMCA was built in 1909.  President Howard Taft was a special guest at its dedication.  The impressive structure features open arches and a row of gargoyles.  It was recently renovated into the YMCA Lofts which occupy the top 4 floors.  The YMCA remains on the ground floor as a community building-exercise facility.  President Barack Obama made a low-key visit in 2008 when he stopped in for a midnight game of basketball after the debate in Oxford, Mississippi.

CREDITS: The "Historic-Memphis" Team would like to acknowledge and thank the following organizations for their contributions which helped make this page possible:  Memphis Public Library, Memphis University Library, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis Press Scimitar, Greater Memphis Chamber, Memphis Flyer, Vance Lauderdale Family Archives, Memphis Heritage, Memphis Historic Districts, FultonHistory.com, Tom Leatherwood Shelby County Register, Cinema Treasures, Joe Spake, Richard S. Brashier, Lee Askew, George Whitworth, and many other individuals whose assistance is acknowledged on individual photos.

If you have more information, memorabilia, new or vintage photos, please contact Gene Gill <gene.gill@verizon.net> , Dave French, or Maureen Thoni White