MEMPHIS, Tenn. — If you don’t venture to downtown Memphis very much, you might forget that the tallest building in the Bluff City has been sitting empty and dilapidated for nearly a decade.
Those who get up close to the 100 North Main building will also discover that it’s an eyesore. Efforts to bring the tower out of mothballs have been discussed for years and now we finally have some sense of the timeline for bringing the building back to life.
A local redevelopment group, consisting of such familiar names as school board member Kevin Woods and former member Billy Orgel, shared more specifics of their plans yesterday with the Downtown Memphis Commission. The first phase of construction is expected to begin during the first quarter of 2024 – following extensive interior demolition work. A completion date for phase one is targeted for 2026 – with a price tag of about $261 million.
When all the work is done, 100 North Main will be home to new apartments and condominiums, a hotel, parking, and office space. But the question some might be asking is, will this really happen? Particularly as the economy remains somewhat stagnant? The answer is, only time will tell. The encouraging thing is, the developers are local – with both a personal and business stake in the economic success of Memphis and I, for one, am optimistic that the 57-year-old tower will again become a downtown showcase.