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Old 08-30-2008, 02:34 PM
 
5 posts, read 18,618 times
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While house shopping in MidTown, I came across what appeared to be a the home of a past major employer in Memphis. Who was there? When did they leave? Whats the 4-1-1? The building in question is located at the corner of Autumn & N. Cleveland St. It sits along the railway tracks near North Parkway.
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Old 08-30-2008, 03:14 PM
 
Location: Collierville, TN
190 posts, read 651,512 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KenAtlanta View Post
While house shopping in MidTown, I came across what appeared to be a the home of a past major employer in Memphis. Who was there? When did they leave? Whats the 4-1-1? The building in question is located at the corner of Autumn & N. Cleveland St. It sits along the railway tracks near North Parkway.
That may be the old Sears building.

http://www.laj-bus-assoc.com/posts/sears.jpg (broken link)
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Old 08-30-2008, 04:22 PM
 
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Yep, that's it. It's been vacant for years. You occasionally hear about plans to convert it to condos, mixed use, etc., but nothing really appears to be on the horizon. It may just sit there and become something like a Greek ruin or Aztec temple

Because of it's sheer size, doing anything with it would be a daunting task - both in scope and in the amount of investment required....and razing it would also be cost prohibitive. Add to that problem the fact that there simply isn't any demand for that kind of space in that part of town - either residential or commercial.
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Old 08-30-2008, 04:45 PM
 
Location: Collierville, TN
190 posts, read 651,512 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeCartpath View Post
Yep, that's it. It's been vacant for years. You occasionally hear about plans to convert it to condos, mixed use, etc., but nothing really appears to be on the horizon. It may just sit there and become something like a Greek ruin or Aztec temple

Because of it's sheer size, doing anything with it would be a daunting task - both in scope and in the amount of investment required....and razing it would also be cost prohibitive. Add to that problem the fact that there simply isn't any demand for that kind of space in that part of town - either residential or commercial.
Yea, and I guess Memphis does not need two Bass Pro shops.
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Old 08-30-2008, 04:47 PM
 
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Yup, thats the one! Its a beautiful art deco building! We have a 2mil sq ft old Sears Building in Atlanta. Currently the City of Atlanta owns the building but, it is on the verge of being sold to a private developer. http://www.tunspan.com/cutsheets/Urban%20Design%20and%20Town%20Planning/City%20Hall%20East.pdf (broken link)
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Old 04-05-2011, 11:08 AM
bjh
 
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I drove past this the other day. Was it retail or a distribution center?
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Old 04-05-2011, 11:49 AM
 
Location: Memphis,TN
628 posts, read 1,690,200 times
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Originally Posted by bjh View Post
I drove past this the other day. Was it retail or a distribution center?
Both.

Towering vision: Project would remake Sears Crosstown into Memphis arts village
The Commercial Appeal


"A coalition in art and real estate has quietly been laying the groundwork for more than a year to turn the Sears Crosstown building into an arts-centric urban village. The still-fluid plan is to establish an artists' residency program, studios, exhibition and performance space in parts of the 1.4 million-square-foot building at Watkins and North Parkway. The rough estimate to renovate is $200 million."

Towering vision: Project would remake Sears Crosstown into Memphis arts village » The Commercial Appeal

Photo by Alan Spearman

Planners hope to fill the Midtown landmark, built in 1927, with offices, stores, schools, apartments, condos, hotels and nonprofit organizations.

Photo by Alan Spearman

Crosstown Arts, a nonprofit group led by Christopher Miner (left), Doug Carpenter and Dr. Todd Richardson, is working with the owners of the Sears building to revitalize the structure as well as the surrounding neighborhood.
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Old 04-05-2011, 12:42 PM
 
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bulldoze it
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Old 04-05-2011, 01:54 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bjh View Post
I drove past this the other day. Was it retail or a distribution center?
Both. It had a large retail store in front. Catalog orders were filled in the back.
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Old 04-05-2011, 09:14 PM
 
Location: Brentwood, Tennessee
49,926 posts, read 60,205,513 times
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It was both, and it was everything. Built in the late '20s, this was a shining example of a major national retailer in the glory days of the full-service department store. I remember shopping there with my family as a child in the 1970s. It was called Sears Crosstown. I remember the parking garage and a tunnel to the store. Right inside was a candy counter where I begged my parents to buy chocolate-covered peanuts every time we went.
If you remember getting the Sears catalog and the wonderful toy section at Christmastime, then you understand the scope of the mail-order operations that took place there.
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