I drove by the Chisca this afternoon and I didn't see anything going on as far as construction. Either I caught them at a bad time on a Friday afternoon (which isn't uncommon for a lot of construction workers to cut out at around 2 or 3 on a Friday), or they're currently between phases. The interior demo phase and toxic cleanup could be complete and they're currently bidding the next phase of the project. I haven't heard anything about them delaying work due to financial problems. The Chisca project was proposed, approved, and then work started so fast...that's usually a good sign that the developers have their finances in order rather than taking 18 months to get everything straight.

Preservationists say 'tentative agreement' may save Nineteenth Century Club in Memphis
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...eement-may-in/
http://media.commercialappeal.com/me...ntury_t607.jpg

The entire article is behind the paywall.

According to an article in the Commercial Appeal, the University Of Memphis is preparing to start construction of its Community Health Building on the Park Ave. campus. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...llion-project/
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Info & rendering from http://www.memphis.edu/chbuilding/about.php

University Of Memphis
http://www.memphis.edu/chbuilding/images/gen_panel.jpg

Looks like it going to become an upscale restaurant. Good choice and continued addition to a thriving midtown.

Home2 Suites by Hilton Opens in Southaven
Memphis Daily News

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news...uthaven/#80670
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Home2 Suites by Hilton® Opens Third Property in Mississippi
Home 2 Media Center

http://home2mediacenter.com/index.cf...m/detail/25612

Credit: Home2 Suites by Hilton
http://home2mediacenter.com/assets/H...aven_MS_FP.jpg

For sure, it's too bad that a large portion of the interior was already stripped of its original wood and other ornate furnishings, but overall this is super. We didn't need another historic Union Avenue mansion being torn down. This restaurant just transformed from being one that people wouldn't go to because of what it would have replaced to being one that people will go out of their way to eat at because of what it saved.

Have you guys heard any updates regarding the Horizon building downtown? I haven't heard much about it since this March 2010 article in the Flyer: http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/...nt?oid=1981013

http://i41.tinypic.com/rm32b8.jpg

I've never been a fan of the building's design--I wouldn't be sad to see it torn down, but really I'd welcome any change. It's an eyesore to that part of downtown.

Johnny posted an article a good while back, but I'm sure he remembers what all the article said. I think there's a holdup between one of the banks involved and a contractor, all the while the current owner is trying to sell the property...something like that anyways.

Last I heard it was tied up in court between 4 different parties who want their piece of the pie. That's why no movement until settled. I believe a lot of that Memphis Flyer article was a bunch of trash journalism. It had neighbors saying they should tear it down because they didn't like it looking over their properties & made rumors that it had mold by way of not having all of it windows which was not true. I was literally down there in the months before the article was written and it had all of its windows & doors. Crews actually returned there a couple of times to finish some of the outside painting, etc. I don't have a critical opinion on it other than it should be painted other colors to better fit its rustic surroundings. The architecture is fine in my opinion. It's just a front-facing condo stack with incredible views. The Downtown Memphis facebook profile recently posted this picture showing the view from one of its top balconies:

Downtown Memphis @facebook.com
Downtown Memphis @facebook.com
https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho...64860054_n.jpg
Downtown Memphis @facebook.com

Thanks for the insight, guys. Hopefully we will see some activity around the complex soon. I'm sure they wouldn't have a hard time filling the units--that view is stunning!

maybe the 19th will become the "new" pauline's of midtown. i have had some great food at the old pauline's on pauline. great bourbon chrushes to start, 3 or 4 appetizers for the table, great conversation, great soup (cream based and it contained saffron, but they never would give the ingredients), then, most of the time, at least one of us would get crab oscar w/ white asparagus. it was wonderful. beef rib loin w/ a stuffing we asked them to use that was my grandmother's. they even served it a few times to others. that brings back wonderful times in memphis. the parking might be too difficult, however, on union. no drive-up valet service, i wouldn't think.

regarding the horizon, i have a completely different opinion about the building. i don't find it disgusting at all. the brick is red. if the painted areas are bothering so many, get a can or two or paint, and have at. the foresight of harold collins is apparently wrapped around this building, just as it was the pyramid---his solution for that structure was to knock it down. yet, all over the u.s. you hear nice remarks made about the identity characteristics it gives the skyline,and heaven knows it needs much more. many of us walk around telling the "poor me" stories about how poor memphis is, yet just about every building proposed from rental, to condo, to private home, and hotels are generally slated as high end luxury. surely, there are enough business leaders and city leaders who are able to finish up this project, rent in out, as most markets are now seizing rental vacuums and doing well. the downtown as an alleged occupancy rate of 93%, while many cities have around 16-22% in most highrise markets, w/ the exception of new york. wasn't the barry holmes highrise built w/in the last 10 years, 14 stories, and meets the needs of several downtown families? are the 6 crescent buildings, which are five stories, and planned to possibly add additional buildings ridiculed about its color and standard materials? finally, why is the horizon building not as exciting on the river bank in its location, as other buildings that are father away from the river view?

i keep forgetting this question, but does anyone know if the sheraton has plans to increase the size of the newly acquired marriott, as they had made some statements about two years ago about adding a 10 story addition? is that going to happen, and has a hotel announcement been made regarding the sign posted across from the pyramid?

Email I received from Crosstown Collaborative:

Not sure why the MBJ continues to headline "build" instead of "renovate", etc., but here's an updated article with a rendering of a made-over 813 Ridge Lake Blvd.

National Bankers Trust to build new East Memphis HQ
Memphis Biz Journals

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/n...build-new.html

National Bankers Trust
http://media.bizj.us/view/img/111536...tal-center.jpg

w/ the better part of 2013 behind us, and remembering the statements made by mayor wharton in mid january, 2013, are any rough drafts of a convention center floatng about the city for preview? i heard that there was a pretty sound desire to build a large hotel in the union avenue area, and a possibility of constructing a convention center along side danny thomas olvd. any one who knows any thing about this? and, is there any real progress to redevelop the elvis priestly area?

Hino Motors’ plant expansion huge economic development win for Marion area
Memphis Biz Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/p...sion-huge.html
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Hino Motors Manufacturing - Marion, AR
http://www.siteselection.com/feature.../southcentral/
http://www.siteselection.com/feature...ges/pg267a.jpg

In addition to Hino's major expansion in Marion, I also came across this website touting the area. With Port Of West Memphis expansion, new rail yard facility, infrastructure & interstate highway upgrades & major industrial manufacturing investment/ development, I do believe the days of sleepy eastern Arkansas' Memphis region being overlooked are quickly coming to an end. Although, this maybe old news to some, it certainly became higher profile with the announcement & state approval of Big River Steel's $1.1 Billion development in Osceola.

Marion, Ark. Poised to Become the South’s Next Automotive Cluster
Southern Auto Corridor

http://www.southernautocorridor.com/...2/Default.aspx

www.southernautocorridor.com
http://www.southernautocorridor.com/...ies/Marion.jpg

Large size pic (map): http://www.southernautocorridor.com/...arionLARGE.jpg

We'll see. Beebe hasn't landed a car manufacturing deal yet and the Hino site is just trying to get back up to the original promised size to get the state incentive goodie bad. Hino was in large part the work of Huckabee.

A third bridge either north around Turrell to North Memphis/Millington to I69/ten 385 or a Southern bridge to I- 69 in Tunica would help traffic and pollution tremendously.

We've been needing dual-mode bridges at both of those points, question is which one gets built first. Personally, I think it should be the north Shelby County proposal (V1-7 proposal) since there is no interstate in Arkansas across from Mississippi and they already have the Hwy. 49 bridge at Helena-West Helena, AR & Lula, MS just south of Tunica. A bridge from Millington to Turrell would also connect I-69/269 to not just I-55, but the future I-555 spur (current U.S. Hwy. 63) to Jonesboro. Not to mention, provide service for the new railyard facilities in Crittenden County which could in turn still benefit Port Of West Memphis as it expands. And, yes, traffic & pollution are another benefit to that proposal. Maybe another intermodal bridge would still be needed earlier than another interstate/ highway bridge from Mississippi, but I'm not really sure of the rail network or its demand when considering a north Shelby County route versus a Tunica Resorts-Robinsonville route. I also notice the Tunica route proposal doesn't follow the future I-69 corridor which shadows or uses Hwy. 79 through Arkansas to Shreveport, LA. After the I-69 segment in Mississippi you don't reach another until north of Houston, TX.

Here's the link to my post that included the proposal map: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...&postcount=668

Arkansas is slowly doing the piecemeal approach to I-69.

Here's an interior rendering of the Sears Crosstown project that I haven't seen before:

Sears Crosstown future tenants want to move in by 2016

http://i40.tinypic.com/126ckdw.jpg

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...nt-to-move-in/

I really hope the city can find the $15 million to contribute to see that this project gets off the ground.