I visited Beale Street in depth Monday and Tuesday again after many years and came away impressed. I liked the closed off street and the various bars and restaurants. I am not much of a gambler, but all downtown Memphis needs to really take off IMO is a casino or two. Maybe one day the necessary legislation will pass to permit it.

Tiger1983 Wrote:I visited Beale Street in depth Monday and Tuesday again after many years and came away impressed. I liked the closed off street and the various bars and restaurants. I am not much of a gambler, but all downtown Memphis needs to really take off IMO is a casino or two. Maybe one day the necessary legislation will pass to permit it.

There are a couple of things I'd like to see downtown. My only problem with a casino is not the gambling (Face it folks, it's here, there're no moral victories in keeping the problems of gambling in Memphis but keeping the financial benefits in MS -- which is the way it has been since gambling sprouted in Tunica). It's that casinos tend to keep customers in, at the expense of foot traffic. If there's a way to have a better flow of foot traffic in and out of casinos, it could be good.

I'd like to see the major performing arts groups clustered together downtown.

I'd like to see a cultural district emerge in South Main surrounding the civil rights museum, with ancillary museums/galleries focused on events and people such as apartheid/Mandella, Gandhi, and ethnic genocide that continues to persist around the world. That would really enhance the impact of the museum, by exchanging information on strategies, and continuing to expose atrocities that occur not only in America, but around the world. The mission isn't complete here, and, sadly, in many countries it has barely begun.

I'd like Cotton Row (Front St.) to turn into an educational/cultural boulevard on the west and street-level retail on the east, and for the educational component to spread north, interrupted only by the Pyramid, until it meets Mud Island/Uptown. Create a University Harbor of some kind, anchored by the law school, but also encompassing schools and institutes on environmental studies (Wolf River is just right there, and there are issues with sedimentary stability during an earthquake on Mud Island), engineering (practically apply environmental knowledge with the productive intent of engineers), architecture, etc. They could be downtown campuses of existing colleges, or what. and incorporate juco education, trade schools as well as high school/charter schools in the mix.

Don't know what to see in the Pyramid, but I'd like more than just a single-tenant retailer there. Combine entertainment, education, and retail there and I think that's an ideal mix. There are dozens of parcels of land that would be better for BPS, including the former Mall of Memphis site.

Pyramid is a ready made casino. Too bad we can't seem to get anything done at all with it. And it's been a few years now...

I have no problems with casinos in Memphis. All the religious zealots who object to it have no moral argument to prevent it, imo. The damage is here, so preventing casinos in Memphis makes no legitimate moral stand against gaming. We are suffering the effects without the benefits. That's irresponsible and immoral. Get in the game and try to retrieve some benefit to balance out the detriments that it creates. Right now, Memphis has the worst of both worlds. All thanks to the religious lobbies who allied themselves with Missisippi gaming to prevent Tennessee from getting into the game. Some moral stand (insert sarcasm). And I do not include all religious people in either of the above categories I referenced (zealots or lobbies). Only those who through their actions and support cut off their nose to spite their face.

The Pyramid is a ready made soundstage. The city should give it to PBS providing they make it a production facility. With a facility donation of that scale, PBS could easily get funding from the Gates foundation to make the building into the flagship production facility of PBS. All kinds of programs would emminate from here and produced in The PBS Pyramid in Memphis would show on every one. This is easy if they would just do it.

Don't we need a wax museum on Beale Street? :bean:

Claw Wrote:The Pyramid is a ready made soundstage. The city should give it to PBS providing they make it a production facility. With a facility donation of that scale, PBS could easily get funding from the Gates foundation to make the building into the flagship production facility of PBS. All kinds of programs would emminate from here and produced in The PBS Pyramid in Memphis would show on every one. This is easy if they would just do it.

PBS > BPS

Yet, why not make it a multi-tenant soundstage that can attract for-profits as well as PBS? I would only support having PBS as a tenant if they move their hq here.