Tennessee Historic Project
Potential Projects
Projects that could happen if the Tennessee Historic Rehabilitation Investment Incentive Passes
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Clayborn Temple in Memphis, Tennessee
For most of its existence, this historic church – first serving a white congregation, then an African-American congregation – was a symbol of the community it served. “This was the largest church building south of the Ohio River when it opened in 1892,” explains Rob Thompson, Executive Director and President of the Clayborn Reborn, the nonprofit group charged with Clayborn Temple’s restoration as a major community institution.
Source: Memphis, The City Magazine, June 20, 2017
Staar Theatre in Pulaski, Tennessee
Antoinette Hall, also known as the Pulaski Opera House, was built in 1868 and is one of few remaining second story opera houses still intact in the United States, as well as one of the oldest.
Since 2008, local non-profit Southern Tennessee Area Arts Repertory (STAAR) has owned the property and worked to raise awareness for the historic structure. However, STAAR currently lacks the necessary funds to rehabilitate and restore the building to commerce.
100 North Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee
100 North Main is a building on the National Register that opened in 1965. At 37 floors and 436,000 square feet, it is a commanding presence in Memphis. However, it has been empty, blighted and an eyesore to the community for five years. Although several developers have had an interest in restoring/adapting it, the cost of rehabilitating the building to bring it to code is challenging.
Consulting with HRI Properties in New Orleans, Memphis architect Joey Hagan was told that without state tax credits, the project is not economically feasible.
The taxes generated from the renovation and operation of this building, which could house a 600 room hotel, a 172 room hotel and 215 apartments or other combinations of hotel, residential, office and retail uses, would generate state tax revenues for decades to come and return this vacant building to a revenue-generating commercial structure.
Guthrie Building in Gallatin, Tennessee
Located on the corner of the Courthouse Square, this building has been one of the most prominent buildings in Gallatin.
Although renovations have been designed and explored several times, the rehabilitation project is not economically feasible. A state historic rehabilitation program would provide the necessary incentive to finally revitalize this building, which could serve as a catalytic project in the area.
Shamrock Hotel in Gainesboro, Tennessee
Built in the late 1920s, this historic structure operated as the Shamrock Hotel until the 1950s. This building could serve as a catalytic project in the revitalization of Main Street Gainesboro.
A Tale of Two Cities:
Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia
Bristol is a town divided into two states. On one side, you have Bristol, VA, which has benefited from at least 6 historic rehabilitation projects; on the other side, you have Bristol, TN, an underdeveloped community with enormous development potential and only 2 historic rehabilitation projects.
The Reynold’s Arcade/Executive Plaza, an abandoned building in Bristol, VA, was originally built as an office building in 1926. Now with new ownership and help from the VA state historic tax credit program, the building is being converted into a 65-key boutique hotel. The project would not have been possible without the federal and state historic tax programs. This historic rehabilitation not only brings vitality to a formerly condemned building, but also creates jobs and serves to revitalize the community of Bristol, VA.