It's been a hot minute since our last Mane Street Memphis.
There have been some notable changes Downtown and throughout Shelby County. The AutoZone Skybridge, overlooking Front Street , has been officially completed.
Longshot is taking its leave , and the new-look Brooks Museum is moving along to phase two. On June 27, Memphis-based Grinder Taber Grinder filed a new construction permit with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development for the second phase of the Brooks Museum project at 55 S. Front St. The permit application mentions the second phase will consist of the primary three-story, 175,324-square-foot building structure along with the exterior and interior finishes. The estimated cost of the project is $79,741,804.
The construction permit and near $80 million construction price tag for the Brooks Museum building was filed a day before a Shelby County chancellor denied a request to pause construction at the site .
The decision from Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson comes after nearly a year of civil disputes between Friends for Our Riverfront, ancestors to Memphis' founders, and Brooks Museum leadership and supporters. The new Brooks Museum location is expected to open in 2026, the project's ceremonial groundbreaking took place in June 2023.
Poplar Towers gets new owners
On June 25, Memphis-based Gregory Realty GP announced it had purchased the 11-story Poplar Towers office building at 6263 Poplar Ave. in East Memphis.
Gregory Realtors CEO Hulet Gregory said the property is primed for future rent growth and already has a strong tenant base.
"This investment aligns with our strategy to enhance our portfolio's value and ensure long-term stability," he said. "We are actively seeking opportunities to further grow our portfolio and capitalize on the dynamic real estate market in Memphis."
Currently, the 101,00-square-foot Poplar Towers has 40 tenants. Memphis-based Marathon Management, a subsidiary of Gregory Realty, will operate as the property management firm for the property, according to a news release. The office tower was built in 1973.
Brian Califf of NAI Saig Company represented the buyer, and Landon Williams and Katie Hargett of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller for this real estate transaction.
Midtown Whataburger drive-thru denied
On June 13, the Memphis and Shelby County Land Use Control Board rejected a request to add a drive-thru at the proposed Whataburger site at 1925 Union Ave.
The Texas-based restaurant chain submitted plans in April to add a drive-thru to the proposed 3,305-square-foot Whataburger site . The Whataburger addition was previously announced in February 2023. The restaurant site will have an outdoor patio area and is part of a mixed-use development from Cordova-based EP3 Developers LLC at the former Memphis Police Department precinct on Union Avenue.
The $20 million mixed-use site includes 10 townhomes and a five-story, 120-room hotel. Demolition on the site began in May 2022. In August 2023, the Memphis and Shelby County Board of Adjustment approved construction for the 10 townhomes at the rear of the property along Barksdale Street.
In February 2022, the mixed-use site was approved by the LUCB and City Council on the conditions that no drive-thru restaurant shall be permitted without approval from both entities.
The Cheesecake Factory files WARN notice for Wolfchase Galleria location
The end of an era continues for The Cheesecake Factory at 2760 N. Germantown Parkway. On June 25, The Cheesecake Factory Inc. filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development for the restaurant's permanent closure on July 14, 2024. The closure impacts 154 employees.
On June 17, the national restaurant franchise announced it would be closing its Wolfchase Galleria location .
The restaurant opened in September 2015 and is the only The Cheesecake Factory in West Tennessee.
MEMPHIS BUSINESS NEWS: Why Greater Memphis Chamber believes Elon Musk's xAI will change city's future trajectory
EDGE board approves 21-acre solar panel farm
On June 24, the Economic Development Growth Engine for Memphis and Shelby County (EDGE) board approved plans for a 21-acre solar panel system along Paul R. Lowry Road, adjacent to the T.E. Maxson Wastewater Treatment facility.
The $25 million solar panel farm will supply energy to the wastewater treatment plant and is expected to open in 2026, City of Memphis Director of Public Works Robert Knecht said. Knecht added that the new facility will help reduce the city's carbon footprint and help reduce sewer and waste fees from commercial, industrial and residential.
The solar panel farm will generate nine megawatts of direct current and 7.5 megawatts of alternating current. This will help offset power usage and peak demand from T.E. Maxson, he said. T.E. Maxson is one of Memphis Light, Gas and Water's (MLGW) largest power consumers.
The site is located across from the former Electrolux site and future site of xAI's supercomputer . During the June 25 meeting, Knecht mentioned the possibility of a greywater facility and how this solar panel farm could offset some greywater production undefined for a greywater facility. MLGW has discussed a possible water reclamation facility to help with the energy and water consumption demands the xAI facility will add to the region .
Memphis-based Barnhart Crane & Rigging acquires NCSG Crane
On June 6, Memphis-based Barnhart Crane and Rigging Co. announced it had acquired Canada-based NCSG Crane. It is the company's first international acquisition and its fourth acquisition in 2024. ( Barnhart Crane has acquired seven companies since May 2023. )
“The acquisition of NCSG literally takes Barnhart into new territory,” Barnhart CEO Alan Barnhart said. “The decision to become an international company was not made lightly, but NCSG’s preeminence, reputation, and dominant market share ensure Barnhart’s position as one of the leading crane, rigging, and logistics companies in North America.”
NCSG was founded in 1987 as Northern Crane Services and is headquartered in Acheson, Alberta, in Canada. The company has approximately 400 employees and eight branches throughout the western Canadian provinces.
These are the Barnhart Crane and Rigging Co. acquisitions since May 2023:
- Baxter Crane and Rigging | Tupelo, Mississippi
- CR Holland Crane Service | Forest City, Iowa
- White Crane Co. | West Columbia, South Carolina
- Bollmeier Crane | Madison, Illinois
- Taylor Crane Rental | St. Louis, Missouri
- Armstrong Crane & Rigging Co. | New Brighton, Minnesota
- NCSG Crane | Canada.
Neil Strebig is a journalist with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at neil.strebig@commercialappeal.com , 901-426-0679 or via X: @neilStrebig .
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Poplar Towers gets new owners; Barnhart Crane goes international | Mane Street Memphis
Most Popular
Comments / 0