(02-28-2014 12:37 PM)Tiger46 Wrote: That could turn out to be nice. I always liked that building and The Sterrick Building.
When we first moved to Fort Worth there weren't any places to live downtown. It started with one building being renovated and now there are dozens and of high rise mix use developments to live, some renovated and some new.
Wife and I often think about selling the house/yard for one of these when we retire.
When my daughter was single she wanted to live downtown Memphis since that's where she works, but getting married and having a baby changed that outlook.
My father was the second person to sign a lease in the 100 N. Main. He had a law practice there for forty years. I also had an office there for about 15 years. It was wonderful in its heydey with the swimming pool and revolving restaurant and the "club" on top, and the restaurant on the 4th floor. It was new and beautiful with all the marble and hustle and bustle of being across the street from the courthouse, full of lawyers and business people.
Over the years, it got outclassed by more modern buildings and took the cheap way of renovation. The management was just a caretaker and none of the owners sank money into it. Decade by decade it lost more tenants,and it lost its restaurant and banks. The second tower that was originally planned to be built next to it on the parking lot to the south never materialized. Today, it is mostly empty and forlorn.
I hope they can resurrect it, but it will be quite a task. The problem with an older building like the 100 N. Main is that the ceilings are low and the mechanical plants are outdated. The parking garage is horrible with the posts so close together.
I have been told by an architect that there is not proper steel reinforcement in the building, which is rather thin and tall, to withstand an earthquake. This problem is compounded by the fact that it is the tallest building in Memphis and it is perched on an 8-story garage on the unstable Mississippi bluff.
It also sits on the site of a former slave auction house, and I had some rather haunting experiences there when I worked very late at night.
But 46, there are plenty of awesome places to live downtown. That is where I would like to move one day. Gated parking and being up off the street with the security that provides are great amenities.
There is SO much to do downtown, and riding your bike is a great way to get around. The neighborhoods downtown are real neighborhoods where people know and care for each other. You can still have a yard or a patio downtown. And there are plenty of families with children and babies downtown.