Walking in Memphis…With the National Park Service

Unlike the pouring rain in the lyrics of the famous song, staff members of the Tennessee Historical Commission and the National Park Service saw only blue skies and sunshine over the course of two beautiful spring days in March. Federal Programs staff members Holly Barnett (Deputy SHPO & Assistant Director of Federal Programs), Justin Heskew (Historic Preservation Supervisor and Historic Tax Credit Reviewer), and Lane Tillner (Technical Preservation Coordinator) met with Jennifer Balson-Alvarez (National Park Service - Technical Preservation Services) to conduct site visits at buildings in Memphis that are undergoing rehabilitation and participating in the Federal Historic Tax Credit incentives program. Meeting the owners, architects, interested parties, and developers for each building, the site visits allowed the SHPO and NPS staff the opportunity to experience the building first-hand, which aids in the review processes later on. Not limited to just one building type, the group visited five buildings that represent a range of architectural styles, original functions, historical significance, and character. 

This whirlwind trip began in Downtown Memphis with the Sterick Building, a twenty-nine-story [CD1] skyscraper. Built in 1929, this Commercial Gothic style office building was once deemed as one of the “Seven Wonders of Memphis,” as it stood for decades as Memphis’s tallest building. Its strong vertical emphasis, massive scale, ornamentation, and tiered setbacks provide the building with a commanding presence. The building played host to a number of enterprises over the years including various medical, legal, and dental practices, offices for federal government organizations, and general business practices.

From there, the group made their way to the Lowenstein House on Jefferson Avenue. Neighboring the nearby National Register-listed Victorian Village Historic District, the 1890 Lowenstein House is individually listed on the National Register and is a Victorian styling residence that features a mixture of Queen Anne and Italian Villa styles. In addition to the residence’s architectural significance, the Lowenstein House is historically significant because of its connection to prominent Memphis entrepreneur, Elias Lowenstein (the house’s namesake), and its use as a home for young professional women after World War II, as more young, unmarried women entered the workforce and needed accommodations.

The first day of site visits concluded with the beautiful Clayborn Temple. With a cornerstone dated 1891, the Romanesque Revival church is best known for its role in Memphis’s Civil Rights activities in the 1960s, specifically in 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the first speech of the Sanitation Workers’ Strike. The church’s construction from limestone blocks ensured that the building is easily distinguished from other nineteenth-century churches in Memphis. The strikingly unique nave of Clayborn Temple features eight vaults radiating from a small central dome of the suspended ceiling. Clayborn Temple stands as a rare example of the Romanesque Revival style not just in Memphis but across the state in general.

Day two of site visits began with the thirty-eight-story 100 North Main Building. The International style building was completed in 1964 and captured the title of Memphis’s tallest building, which was previously held by the Sterick Building. Clad in vertical tiers of cast concrete, the building provided commercial storefronts, office and tenant spaces, and exclusive spa and club spaces on the upper floors. Some members of the group climbed all thirty-eight stories to one of the building’s most significant features: a formerly rotating, rooftop restaurant and lounge.

The Memphis site visit ended with the ten-story, 1925 Dermon Building. Constructed of a cast-in-place, steel reinforced concrete frame, the commercial building features brown brick and multi-colored glazed architectural terra cotta exterior and interior ornamentation. Listed individually in the National Register, in addition to its architectural significance, the Dermon Building is also significant for its association with prominent Memphis builder Dave Dermon, with the building serving as the offices for the Dermon Company.

The two-day trip packed in many buildings, many flights of stairs, and an exploration of the varied architectural styles of Memphis. Our office looks forward to seeing each of these rehabilitations successfully coming to fruition.