Sometimes the simplest concepts say more than an elaborate explanation can – even when the history it depicts is complex. A plaza dedicated to the 1,300 city sanitation workers who went on strike in 1968 formally opened Thursday on what had been a vacant lot just across Pontotoc from the south side of Clayborn Temple. And the occasion included more of the small moments that have made this week so compelling. Watching civil rights icon Rev. James Lawson walk around the plaza and discover it includes one of his quotes from the 1968 strike.

2. Land Use Board Turns Away Downtown Surfacing Parking Lot Proposal - Monday, June 13, 2016

City leaders adhering to the mission of density in urban development made their point at a June 9 board meeting of the Land Use Control Board.

The applicant sought approval to construct a block-wide surface parking lot along Pontotoc Avenue between South Front and Wagner streets. The parking lot would be built on vacant land where a warehouse used by Machine Works once stood.

3. Singing Mechanic’s Life Much Like the Songs He Sings - Saturday, September 20, 2014

The Singing Mechanic – “I’ve got that name. Nobody else can use it,” says Billy Devereaux – sits by his worn, 1,200-square-foot, two-room cottage and looks down at Boots, his Dutch Shepherd.

“He’s a possum killer and he runs security,” says Billy, 55, gazing across the swath of remote land separated by a long gravel trail from Smith Springs Road in Antioch.

4. French Quarter Suites Hotel Bought Back by Original Owner - Tuesday, December 8, 2009

2144 Madison Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
Sale Amounts: $1 Million; $300,000; $200,000

Sale Dates:Nov. 20, Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, 2009
Buyer:FQI LLC
Sellers:Lodgian Memphis Property Owner LLC, Horace and Ann Proctor, and Martha D. Sutton
Loan Amount:$1.3 million
Loan Date:Nov. 30, 2009
Maturity Date:Nov. 20, 2010
Lender:Triumph Bank

5. RiverCrest’s Unsold Units Fetch $1.1 Million - Friday, December 4, 2009

An entity called Front Street Partners LLC has paid $1.1 million for all nine of the unsold units of the RiverCrest Condominiums at 65 Pontotoc Ave. Downtown. The limited liability company, whose address is in Savannah, Tenn., in Hardin County, bought the condo units from Merchants and Farmers Bank.

6. Housing Divided - Monday, November 23, 2009

A couple of years ago, when Clay Thompson of Memphis decided it was time to stop renting, he set his sights on the Downtown condominium market. He was especially interested in the old warehouses in the South Main Historic Arts District that had been converted to condos.

7. Archived Article: Linden (lead) - Monday, March 19, 2001
After pooling resources from four local organizations, the newly formed Linden Neighborhood Collaborative, Inc Plan aims at Linden revitalization By JENNIFER MURLEY The Daily News As part of a dynamic new concept in neighborhood revitalization, the ...