The Forgotten Queen of the South - a photo on Flickriver

Sterick Building diptych
Downtown Memphis, TN
05-30-25

One of the most satisfying aspects of traveling to new places I've never seen is when I come across a place, either natural or architectural, as with this building, where I've never heard or known about the historical or cultural impact on the world. I love knowing about and learning about new things and places.

I spied this art deco building from across town, and knew it was going to be a perfect subject for a photograph or two. At 29 stories, the building's golden facade really made an impression. I wondered what company owned it, and also wondered if I would be able to go inside, since it seemed to be from the late 1920s, when many fledgling skyscrapers were built. For comparison, NYC's Chrysler Building is from 1928. The Empire State Building is from 1931. And the Los Angeles City Hall is from 1928.

This is the Sterick Building in downtown Memphis, at 3rd and Madsion, from 1929. It was at the time the tallest building in the South. Here's some info from Memphis Magazine:

"The 1920s were the golden age of Memphis commercial architecture. Try to picture this city’s skyline without the landmarks constructed during that decade: The Peabody, Hotel Chisca, Claridge Hotel, Wm. Len Hotel, Ellis Auditorium, Farns-worth Building, Columbian Mutual / Lincoln American Tower, new Cotton Exchange, Shrine Building, Elks Club, and Orpheum Theatre. Overshadowing all these was the Sterick Building, at the northeast corner of Third and Madison. Construction began in November 1928 on the largest office complex in Memphis, a 340,000-square-foot tower with almost 900 offices..."

As I approached this wonder, actually built in the Commercial Gothic style, I noticed all the windows on the ground floor except for one corner were boarded up. For most of it's history, a lot of the building was only partially occupied, even though it boasted "the fastest elevators in America" and was state of the art for the time. Beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 and extending into the Great Depression, the building changed owners, and couldn't find tenants. Decade after decade found the building continually on the auction block, and numerous owners claimed title.

The 1960s were the best times, when nearly 100% of the building was occupied. However, newer office buildings attracted tenants, and by the 1970s, even with quite a few renovation projects, the building fell into disrepair. By 1991 there were only two tenants, one of them was Memphis Heritage, which aimed to renovate the dilapidated historic skyscraper, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

In 2023 another new owner made plans to renovate anew, but I found no sign of renovation. A very interesting tale.

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Taken in: United States / Tennessee / Memphis (show map)

Taken on: May 30, 2025

Tags:

Architecture

Memphis

building

Sterick Building

skyscraper

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Sets appears in: • Memphis TN 05.30-31.25

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Camera: Canon EOS R5, f/7.0, 1/256 sec, 24mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS R5
Aperture:	f/7.0
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/256)
Focal Length:	24mm
ISO:	100
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 26.9 (20250623.m.3121 9421737) (Windows)
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