It seems a good time to remember what downtown looked like in 1977 when it was decided to create a downtown development agency. It was in truth a desperation move.The Peabody Hotel was boarded up, the Memphis Chamber of Commerce closed its office and its “Believe in Memphis” campaign had fallen flat, Beale Street was barricaded, businesses were moving east like Okies escaping the Dust Bowl, and confidence in the future of downtown was as low as the Arkansas floodplain.
Something had to be done, and City of Memphis and Shelby County Government joined together to establish a public agency singularly focused on downtown – the Memphis and Shelby County Center City Commission.
It was arguably one of the most important of several developments to reboot Memphis and its flagging self-image. There was also the creation of Memphis in May and Leadership Memphis, a new company called Federal Express erected its first drop box, Memphis magazine started publication, and voters had approved the restructure of Shelby County Government, which shifted its traditional rural orientation to an ambition to become a modern urban-oriented government.
We’re The Government and We’re Here to Help You
In its early years, the Center City Commission was a persistent and valuable cheerleader, advocate, and beggar for downtown, and under the leadership of executive director John Dudas, it developed an agenda and culture that was broadly supported by political and business leaders, and once Lucia Gilliland became chairman, she led the development of an ambition to aim higher and dream bigger.
This year, the agency celebrates its 40th anniversary, and with the resignation of its executive director, Memphis City Council Chair Berlin Boyd and Philip Spinosa want to inject the legislative body into another issue that needs delicacy more than political interference.
We’ve already seen the results of their leadership on greensward parking at Overton Park and Beale Street. This time around, they suggested that they will sponsor a resolution creating a committee to study both the Downtown Memphis Commission and Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) with an eye toward restructuring or abolishing them.
Inconvenient Truths
Let’s take the RDC first.
Here’s the thing: Memphis City Council can’t abolish or restructure it. It’s a private, independent nonprofit organization. Yes, it has a contract with city government for maintenance of the riverfront and its parks, but only its board can change or end it.
As for the DMC, City Council seems to have forgotten that it’s a city and county board, and it would take both governments to restructure or abolish it. City government could probably pull out of the agency and leave it as a county-only agency, but that could put at risk the tax freezes that waive both governments’ property taxes.
Then again, if the DMC is abolished, we assume that City Council is prepared to assume a responsibility that was shifted to the DMC years ago. Faced with capital needs of more than $100 million in improvements in the downtown infrastructure – sidewalks and alleys; construction of new curbs, gutters, sidewalks and ADA compliant access ramps at street corners; and new lighting, street trees, tree grates, and benches – City of Memphis told the DMC that it wasn’t going to fund the 80-block improvements, and instead, the DMC was told to figure it out for itself.
Put In A Thumb and Pulled Out A Plum
Politicians have a habit of seeing agencies like the DMC as political plums and that the thumbs in them should be their own. Unfortunately, it is an attitude that has reared its head periodically in the modern history of Memphis and resulted in the blowing up of effective national best practices in the form of the Park Commission and the Planning Commission. Largely, they were victims of City Council members who coveted their powers and believed they could be converted into political advantage – not to mention political donations.
It is a strange phenomenon, because these kinds of commissions would seem to represent the best of democracy, that is, committed citizens who love their city enough to serve without pay or privilege on a public board as representatives of their city government. It’s made even stranger by the fact that City Council has to approve every member of every city board or commission.
And yet, Mr. Boyd said that the DMC amounts to the Council “giving away our authority” to people who aren’t obligated to do what the Council wants. There is of course a City Council member – the capable Edmund Ford Jr. – on the DMC board, but apparently, Mr. Boyd is more interested in a rubber stamp board that genuflects to whatever he wants.
This is not to say that after four decades, the departure of its president makes for a perfect time to reassess where the DMC is, where it wants to go, and how it can do it better. But we are saying that such a process should be conducted by the board members of Downtown Memphis Commission itself, who have access to the resources of the International Downtown Association and other professional downtown groups.
Déjà vu All Over Again
If the past is best predicter of the future, it’s a good time to remember how the politicization of the Center City Commission almost fatally wounded it at the turn of the new century. When it was established back in 1977, the agency was billed as one of the community’s first public-private partnerships with the emphasis on the latter – private. The philosophy was that the agency would work best if it emulated business by exercising entrepreneurship, engaging in risk-taking, operating on sound business principles, and acting with urgency and efficiency.
The downtown redevelopment agency was supposed to be even more private sector-oriented, but after spawning the idea of a downtown development agency, the Memphis Chamber of Commerce closed its doors and was essentially bankrupt. Without that strong business partner, City of Memphis moved ahead alone, and after a period of reluctance, Shelby County Government joined in.
Sadly, the moment for transformational change had passed, but despite that, the Center City Commission had the strong support of individual business leaders and a determined staff and board, and in those early years, both city and county governments provided money for its budget (they have not done this for at least 20 years) and $1 million a year each in capital funding for downtown projects.
Unfortunately, about two decades after it was created, politicians thought that if they could get control of the agency, they could dole out favors themselves in the form of contracts, tax freezes, and grants. It began a Gold Rush to the Center City Commission, and before it was over, 10 of the 20 board members were politicians or bureaucrats.
As a result, not only was the original private sector approach undermined but the agency itself was weakened, and the political nature of the agency made it harder to recruit the kind of blue-ribbon members that characterized the Center City Commission in its early years.
Determining The DMC DNA
Today, the number of politicos has been reduced to six members. There are two state legislators on the Downtown Memphis Commission board (down from four – legislators when the agency needed passage of a state law), one City Council member and one member of the County Board of Commissioners (down from two apiece), and representatives of both city and county mayors.
That is not to say that the Center City Commission and its successor organization have always been the kind of visionary, take-no-prisoners dealmakers for downtown. In truth, in its 40 years, the agency has only lived up to its founding aspirations for about half of the time, and for about half, it has run in place and seemed to go along to get along.
The good news is that the Paul Morris era shook up things and gave downtown someone who didn’t mind ruffling feathers if necessary to fight for downtown. He laid a strong foundation for the DMC, and whatever is to come has that to build on.
The strategic priorities for downtown established in the early years of the Center City Commission was for it to be the regional center for finance, culture, government, and commerce. Both Shelby County and City of Memphis agreed to the priorities and for a time, they fought any threat to these foundational priorities.
But after about 15 years, everyone took their eyes off the ball. No one at the Center City Commission would fight decision after decision as major law offices, major banks, and companies moved eastward. That changed under Mr. Morris’ leadership and whatever the future of the Downtown Memphis Commission holds, it must make this aggressive advocacy part of its DNA.
Miles To Go…
There is much that remains for the DMC to do, and it deserves the chance to evaluate itself and present how it plans to set a strong course for the future. Only in our own hyperbole about the “downtown renaissance” is the Memphis downtown keeping pace with the vibrant downtowns of other cities. Vibrancy largely remains event-driven or isolated to islands of activity while much of Main Street is moribund and the riverfront demands serious and concerted attention.
The Downtown Memphis Commission should set vibrancy as the key measurement of downtown progress, and at the same time, it should turn its full attention from projects to place. It should focus on creating the connective tissue that leads residents first and visitors second to explore and enjoy downtown, moving seamlessly from one distinctive place to another. It should continue to support initiatives like the Fourth Bluff to encourage us to take a new look and create new ideas for improving downtown, especially Main Street from City Hall to Union Avenue.
Hopefully, Downtown Memphis Commission will have the opportunity conduct its own self-assessment and develop a comprehensive plan for downtown that concentrates on creating the kind of foundational and aesthetic elements that emphasize connectivity, vibrancy, and ubiquitous quality on which successful downtowns are built.
Honoring Its Mission
Meanwhile, the Downtown Memphis Commission should be given the chance to assess its structure, its philosophy, its principles, and its priorities.
Too often, the board may get the media coverage, but there are four other organizations under the DMC umbrella: Center City Development Corporation, Center City Revenue Finance Corporation, Downtown Parking Authority, and Design Review Board.
Communications, collaboration and coordination could be stronger because there are times when the DMC agencies are siloed and unconnected to a single over-arching objective. It seems a good time for the board to lead a process that brings all of the various entities into a single process to develop mutual principles, values, and priorities, creating an organization firing on all cylinders in pursuit of objectives that they all share.
All that said, if we’re picking the group best equipped and with the most public confidence to consider what should be done to make downtown more successful, we pick the Downtown Memphis Commission every day, particularly when the alternative is Memphis City Council.
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The truth is that downtown Memphis looks pretty much the same as it did in 1977. The skyline has hardly changed except for the Pyramid and former Morgan Keegan building. We have two totally empty and deteriorating skyscrapers in the Sterick and 100 Nirth Main. It’s still pretty empty and devoid of street life. Downtown is emblematic of a city in decline. Embarrassing.
What I find to be poorly done is the whole riverfront area. So much wasted potential there. But then you need a vibrant downtown behind that and we just do not have that.
Agree about the Sterick building and 100 North Main. They are both fire traps and just beyond rehabilitation. What ever happened for the plans to build the One Beale tower?
Do you think the rest of us are so dumb we don’t know that these comments are from the same person? He often loves to have a conversation with himself.
I have been trying to get information regarding One Beale and the trail goes cold. It would be useful if DMC posted periodic updates regarding this, as well as empty Sterrick and 100 N. Main. They should not ignore the big elephant in the room as all three hold significance to the downtown skyline. Maybe they have done so and I just have not found it yet.
Don’t get me wrong, much has happened in the past couple of years in the downtown area that, while overdue, is not to be taken for granted.Somewhat fragile since we all know things can always go the other way.
I have to go back to the beginning of this post, to glimpse into the past. Forty years ago , people probably couldn’t have imagined downtown to be what it is today. I only wish the momentum to pick up significantly at this point.
The downtown skyline of Memphis is totally underwhelming.
Blessed with a beautiful natural setting on a bluff above Ole Man River. However the man made part is dated and just plain ugly.
Anonymous, do you prefer the downtown of 1977 or 2017?$
Anonymous: Do you talk to yourself when you’re alone?
One Beale won’t happen. No real demand and developers (Carlisle) won’t risk speculative big bucks in downtown Memphis. Soon the city is going to have to take some type anti-blight, public safety action against the owners of 100 N Main and Sterrick.
“Only in our own hyperbole about the “downtown renaissance” is the Memphis downtown keeping pace with the vibrant downtowns of other cities. Vibrancy largely remains event-driven or isolated to islands of activity while much of Main Street is moribund and the riverfront demands serious and concerted attention.”
Didn’t downtown still have Goldsmiths, Lowensteins and Gerbers back in 1977? I think so. It would sure have been more active along Main St then than it is today with broken trolleys, empty storefronts and not much more than a big Bass Pro Shop way up Main.
Granted, it’s very unfortunate the Sterick and 100 N Main are in the shape they are but to say Downtown was more vibrant in 1977 than now is just trolling. Again, like the article says- Beale was boarded up, Peabody was boarded up, there was no nightlife or many people living there. I understand the Sterick is a very complicated issue due to ownership/size of the building and hopefully 100 N Main has something done eventually. Is no one going to mention the Tennessee Brewery or Chisca renovations? Complete eyesores that have been success stories. Or all the redevelopment of S Main which has created an entirely new district of nightlife/retail in the past 15 years? Of course not, because it’s easy to point out negatives.
Thank you Dan, which is why it is more important now than ever to put focus on the positives. The redevelopment/revitalization of downtown is why we have chosen to live in the 38103 zip code area of Memphis.
We moved from Nashville seven months ago.
I recollect those 3 department stores were still downtown until the early 80’s but I could be wrong. Main St and downtown really hit hard times after that and is still pretty bad to this day.
Both Boyd and Spinosa owe their council seat to Fred Smith and the Chamber of Commerce.
“Spinosa said FedEx vice president Richard Smith is his campaign’s finance chairman.” – Commercial Appeal
From Spinosa’s official bio: “Councilman Spinosa is a lifelong Memphian and a believer of hard work and positivity” “Serving as an exemplary example to the rest of the city, he is active in the community by volunteering his time”
So he believes in “positivity” and he’s an “exemplary example to the rest of the city” So clearly he’s a policy wonk and an intellectual.
Fred Smith is a Trump man and he controls Memphis and the Chamber. A majority black city is run by a old white male land owner who supports policies that harm the majority. So it’s the same as 100 years ago.
The DMC and RDC are more proof that nothing ever really has a chance at getting done well in Memphis. All of these groups and efforts over 40 years and very little has happened. Politicos of the very worst kind.
I work at City Hall and can tell you it’s just really bad even during the week. Very little to go out of the office for at lunch. The north end of Main Street from City Hall to Union especially is rundown and derelict and just a disgrace to the city.
Not surprising. Bad police and a poorly run criminal justice system and DA in Memphis.
“…over 40 years very little has happened.”
Let’s think about that a bit. Here’s a (very short) list:
AutoZone Park
FedEx Forum
South Main Arts District
Re-opening the Peabody
The Madison
New restaurants including McEwan’s, Felicia Suzanne’s, Aldo’s, Majestic Grille, Belle.
Converting vacant buildings for housing throughout downtown such as the Commerce Title building, the Chisca Hotel, the Lincoln America Tower, and the Lowenstein building.
Converting vacant buildings for new boutique hotels such as the Napoleon.
New performance venues such as the Halloran Center.
Entertainment venues such as Ghost River brewing, Loflin Yard, and Old Dominick’s.
Almost all of these investments were aided by the persistent, patient work of the Downtown Memphis Commission.
Yes, the department stores, shoe stores, fur stores, dress shops, and hat shops are gone from downtown Memphis, just as they are from almost every other downtown in America. Multiple factors aided that transition including our local preference for travel by automobile, the national expansion of the suburbs and the resulting migration of retail, a desire to flee school desegregation, and yes, the panic that followed the subsequent civil disturbances associated with Dr. King’s assassination.
At this point the evolution of American downtowns, including our own, we must all accept that downtowns will never again be the retail centers that they once were. In fact, retail in general is shrinking, thanks largely to our own preference for the convenience of online commerce. Likewise, with no viable transit system on which to rely, Memphians’ dependence on auto travel has driven many formerly downtown employers to seek suburban sites that offer “free” parking for employees. (As an aside, consider how inconvenient is can be for those employees to find a place for lunch.)
Admittedly, much remains to be done in order to achieve a greater degree of downtown vibrancy. However, if those Memphians who decry the current state of downtown would, instead of yearning for an impossible return to imagined past glories, regularly visit, experience, and support the downtown we have, their mere presence would add vibrancy, and would spur the additional investment they seem to want.
In other words, as a city planner friend once said, “To get the city you want, you have to begin by using the city you have.”
Ray, unfortunately there are few reasons Memphians need or want to go downtown. The developments you mention are small potatoes when you compare our downtown to what’s happening and continuing to happen in other cities. Forgive me for bringing up the dreaded comparison of Nashville, but their downtown is just 100% more developed and vibrant than ours. There are literally dozens of huge new hotels, restaurants, condos and the crowds there are huge any day of the week. There were 240,000 people in downtown Nashville for July 4th with the largest fireworks display in the country. Same thing happens at New Years. Their Music City Center has sparked a lot of this driving big time visitor traffic and a active street life. Retail is returning too with the H&M department store just announced as one of the anchor tenants for the 5th & Broad development where the old convention center was located. Memphis downtown can’t even come close.
Well who can compete with Nashville at the moment outside of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami?
In the southeast no city besides Miami can. So it’s not just Memphis.
Anon 1: You’re quite correct. Memphis is not Nashville. If you prefer it, I invite you to move there, pronto.
However, for those of us who do love Memphis, there are indeed reasons to go downtown. Apparently, given the steady expansion of apartment developments both large and small, a growing number of young adults think so too. (I know, I know…”Nashville has more, and better”.)
Perhaps, instead of focusing on what we are not, we should decide to be the best Memphis we can be for the people who already live here, and want to. A psychologist friend once told me that the surest way to make yourself unhappy is to compare yourself with someone else. Apparently, many Memphians seem to enjoy being unhappy. How unfortunate that they are unwilling to contribute to making Memphis better.
Go to a ball game sometime. It might cheer you up.
Reminds me of this.
https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2017/01/26/why-louisville-should-stop-comparing-itself-to.html
Great article! And some lessons for us to learn.
https://fox13memphis.relaymedia.com/amp/top-stories/vandals-damage-100-north-main-building/507221123
Ah, a Fox watcher. Well, that explains everything.
Well-said, Ray. Very well-said.
Question. What exactly are the main reasons that downtown has not developed as much as it might have? The north end seems especially in need of help. Bass Pro is mostly cut off from most streets.
Maybe it is time to change a few things. Perhaps, you need real activity on Main Street mall. Open it up to street traffic. Bring Memphis in May back downtown into the streets. Use Mud Island as a venue for concerts and charge at the entrance. Instead of concentrating all your “upscale” grocery stores out in East Memphis/Germantown, perhaps bring one into the Medical District.
Your transit system could be re-designed. Instead of concentrating your bus transfer points close to the airport, one should have been north/northeast of there close to Poplar @ Highland for a more North/South East/West orientation in the city.
Perhaps Beale needs more than just music and alcohol. Good restaurants, ice cream shops, things to round out a visit to a tourist attraction.
I know that there is a push to develop the Pinch but be careful. Too much bad design has occurred across most of the country. Keep it real and make it Memphis.
Tons of things that can be done and I sure that the locals have a lot more suggestions/improvements.
Good points Outsider. Agreed about Beale Street. Right now it’s not family friendly. Better quality music bars and good restaurants are badly needed. Right now it just doesn’t seem very authentic.
Something needs to be done about North Main before tackling the empty lots of the Pinch area. This will take decades and St Jude alone won’t be the magic answer. Bass Pro attracts shoppers but I doubt many visit the rest of downtown. They just get on the interstate and head east or back to Arkansas.
Pet friendly gathering spots like Loflin Yard. I personally would prefer a cat cafe. South “Mane” Cat Cafe or “Cat Square” feline film festival.
Just dreaming out loud…
I don’t how many “external” visitors that Bass attracts but have you’ll ever considered have some type of tourist bus/trolley that would stop at the Bass store? Perhaps if visitors spend a certain amount of money they could ride for free to all the downtown attractions? Sorta of a get on and get off at any stop along the way. But make it a circulator, so that the tourists would know that it would circle back to Bass. In some ways, Bass could act as a paid parking lot for visitors.
Also, if you really want to jump-start the Pinch, build a walk-way across those tracks and put some restaurants over there. Surely, there could be a decent Bar-B-Q restaurant that would open up there. A mix of designs, (historical and modern), would make the Pinch more interesting to visit. Could Memphis relocate one of its many museums to that area?
By the way, some of us on the East side can not wait to play U of M in basketball again……..
If you consider downtown from a tourism, dining, spectator sports, or even residential inventory perspective, downtown is probably as strong or stronger than its even been in the past 40 years.
But…there are major issues in other aspects related to downtown that have remained unresolved for many years, despite isolated success stories. My priorities would be:
1. End-to-end connectivity, usefulness, and integration of the riverfront (plus Mud Island) into the modern urban lifestyle (as well as connectivity to the rest of downtown).
2. Adaptive re-use of the “big empties” (namely Sterick and 100 N. Main) in a fashion that hopefully brings more office jobs back downtown, among other potential re-uses.
3. A larger-scale convention hotel to attract bigger events (perhaps at One Beale, perhaps elsewhere).
4. Stable, long-term, forward-thinking management for Beale Street so that it remains a culturally relevant and economically viable tourism magnet for years to come.
I believe that a strong civic push behind these four priorities would strengthen downtown and would spur the market to fill the remaining holes (Pinch, etc.) in the area in a useful, complementary fashion.
The “big empties” Sterick & 100 N Main, are both going to be far too expensive to rehab, especially 100 N Main with its hellish parking garage that is so small and tight. Both buildings are ultimately doomed for the wrecking ball and should be demolished ASAP as they are municipal blight and public safety issues. The city government needs to take action on both right away before they either burn or fall down.
I can only imagine how much asbestos is in those big buildings. No easy solution for sure…
Neither of the buildings is really a valuable asset given their current state of vacant and deteriorating. The cost of asbestos removal alone would almost equal their current value. Bankrupt liens are still in place for both. Unfortunately too even vacant lots downtown are relatively cheap especially on the north end of downtown. Terrible to see them both dark and boarded up at street level.