The basement of the Universal Life Insurance building, a Memphis landmark at Danny Thomas Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, is still defined by the intersection of overhead ventilation shafts and pipes.

2. Events - Thursday, March 1, 2018

Memphis Heritage hosts Preservation Posse: After Hours at the Universal Life Insurance Building Thursday, March 1, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (doors at 5:30 p.m.) at 480 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Universal Life Insurance Building led by Jimmie Tucker of Self + Tucker Architects, and learn about the history and future of this adaptive reuse project from the experts making it happen. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Visit memphisheritage.org for details and tickets.

3. Events - Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Chandler Reports’ Real Estate Review seminar will be held Thursday, March 1, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Goldsmith Room at Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road. A panel of local real estate experts will provide insights on current market trends and topics, plus an outlook for the rest of 2018. Tickets are $10 for Chandler Reports subscribers and $15 for nonsubscribers and include refreshments and a post-seminar toast to celebrate Chandler Reports’ 50th anniversary. For more information or to reserve a seat, email wendy@chandlerreports.com or call 901-528-5273.

4. Sweet Potato Baby Café Eyes Downtown Location - Saturday, October 28, 2017

Popular local catering company Sweet Potato Baby has filed a permit for a brick-and-mortar location within the Universal Life Building, which is currently going through a $6.2 million renovation.

The $300,000 permit to build out a Sweet Potato Baby Café at 480 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. lists Universal Life Building co-owner Jimmie Tucker of Self+Tucker Architects as the architect and Jeremiah Watson with Innovative Engineering Services as the engineer.

5. Sweet Potato Baby Café Files Permit for Downtown Location - Thursday, October 26, 2017

Popular local catering company Sweet Potato Baby has filed a permit for a brick-and-mortar location within the Universal Life Building, which is currently going through a $6.2 million renovation.

The $300,000 permit to build out a Sweet Potato Baby Café at 480 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. lists Universal Life Building co-owner Jimmie Tucker of Self+Tucker Architects as the architect and Jeremiah Watson with Innovative Engineering Services as the engineer.

6. South City Redevelopment Activity Heating Up - Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The up-and-coming South City neighborhood is enjoying a resurgence of redevelopment activity lately, with the restoration of several historic properties, new multifamily construction and talk of bringing in a grocery store. The city and the Downtown Memphis Commission have been instrumental in the renewed interest, with noteworthy projects including the Clayborn Temple, the Universal Life Building and the demolition of Foote Homes.

7. South City Redevelopment Heats Up With Renovations, New Construction - Saturday, August 19, 2017

The up-and-coming South City neighborhood is enjoying a resurgence of redevelopment activity lately, with the restoration of several historic properties, new multifamily construction and talk of bringing in a grocery store. The city and the Downtown Memphis Commission have been instrumental in the renewed interest, with noteworthy projects including the Clayborn Temple, the Universal Life Building and the demolition of Foote Homes.

8. CCDC Approves Grants for Downtown Apartments, Public Art Project - Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Wessman Development’s plans to convert a long-vacant historic building in Downtown Memphis into luxury apartments, a high-end basement bar and coffee shop took another step forward Wednesday, Feb. 15.

9. Panel OKs Downtown Project, Midtown Changes - Wednesday, February 15, 2017

The Center City Revenue Finance Corp. approved two Downtown projects and changes for Belz Enterprises mixed-use development at Union Avenue and McLean Boulevard in Midtown on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

10. Fenced Out - Saturday, January 30, 2016

There’s a major problem in Memphis when it comes to minorities: African-Americans make up 63 percent of the population but garner less than 1 percent of total business receipts within Memphis, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.

11. Memphians Chosen For DRA Leadership Institute - Saturday, October 31, 2015

The Delta Regional Authority has announced 52 fellows for its Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy, and a couple of Memphis players made the list.

The yearlong leadership development program kicked off with an orientation session in Memphis. Over the course of the program, participants will attend six sessions in Washington, D.C., and across the region to train in workforce training and education; small business and entrepreneurship; public health; transportation and infrastructure; and culture and tourism.

12. Memphians Chosen For DRA Leadership Institute - Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The Delta Regional Authority has announced 52 fellows for its Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy, and a couple of Memphis players made the list.

The yearlong leadership development program kicked off with an orientation session in Memphis. Over the course of the program, participants will attend six sessions in Washington, D.C., and across the region to train in workforce training and education; small business and entrepreneurship; public health; transportation and infrastructure; and culture and tourism.

13. New Life - Tuesday, September 29, 2015

A development 10 years in the making, the abandoned 33,000-square-foot Universal Life Insurance Co. building is within sight of its new lease on life through the support of public and private partnerships.

14. Tennessee Housing Agency Adopts Green-Building Standards - Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency wants to build healthy communities from the ground up.

Under new guidelines to be incorporated later this year, affordable housing developers seeking Low-Income Housing Tax Credits will have to qualify for full certification from Enterprise Green Communities. The certification was first introduced nationally in 2004, and the THDA board recently approved incorporation of the revamped 2015 criteria.

15. Self-Tucker Designs Green Center at T.O. Fuller - Saturday, June 20, 2015

T.O. Fuller State Park in Southwest Memphis was the first state park opened for African Americans east of the Mississippi River and just the second park of its type across the country.

The 1,138-acre park, originally built to house African Americans during the Great Depression, was designated Shelby County Negro Park in 1938. The name was changed to T.O. Fuller State Park in 1942 in honor of Dr. Thomas O. Fuller, a prominent African American educator who spent most of his life empowering and educating black Americans during the era of racial segregation by law.

16. Design Board OKs Universal Life Redevelopment - Saturday, June 6, 2015

Developers of the Universal Life building have cleared a key regulatory hurdle.

The Downtown Memphis Commission’s Design Review Board on Wednesday, June 3, approved architects Jimmie Tucker and Juan Self’s plans to redevelop the historic property at Danny Thomas Boulevard and Linden Avenue.

17. Design Review Board OKs Universal Life Redevelopment - Friday, June 5, 2015

Developers of the Universal Life building have cleared a key regulatory hurdle.

The Downtown Memphis Commission’s Design Review Board on Wednesday, June 3, approved architects Jimmie Tucker and Juan Self’s plans to redevelop the historic property at Danny Thomas Boulevard and Linden Avenue.

18. Universal Appeal - Thursday, May 7, 2015

Paige Marcantel, a licensed clinical social worker, served as a grief counselor for Baptist Memorial Hospital for several years before becoming a stay-at-home mom two years ago.

But when the opportunity to help local families dealing with child rearing issues and trauma arose – everything from disrespectful behavior to more serious issues like divorce, addiction and domestic violence – Marcantel couldn’t turn it down.

19. Universal Life Building Developers Secure Loan - Saturday, April 18, 2015

The Center City Development Corp. approved a $300,000 loan to help get the planned redevelopment of the Universal Life Building across the finish line.

20. Universal Life Building Developers Secure Loan - Thursday, April 16, 2015

The Center City Development Corp. approved a $300,000 loan to help get the planned redevelopment of the Universal Life Building across the finish line.

21. Heritage Trail Redevelopment Plan Resurfaces - Thursday, April 16, 2015

A long-delayed city plan to remake a large swath of Downtown’s southern end appears to be making a comeback.

Memphis Housing and Community Development director Robert Lipscomb said Tuesday that the city expects to receive good news on the Heritage Trail development plan sometime this year.

22. Universal Life Building Developers Acquire Key Public Financing - Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Developers of the Universal Life Building have received approval for two key pieces of financing and a commitment from the city of Memphis to lease about half of the building.

Self-Tucker Properties LLC won approval Tuesday, April 14, for a nine-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement from the Center City Revenue Finance Corp. to renovate the building for office use. Architects Jimmie Tucker and Juan Self, principals of Self-Tucker Architects, also gained approval for $2 million in Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds for the project.

23. Chisley Named CEO of Methodist North Hospital - Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Gyasi C. Chisley has joined Methodist North Hospital as CEO. In his new role, Chisley will lead thousands of associates and aligned and contracted medical staff. He says that as health care transitions from volume to value, his platform is to grow outpatient practices, physicians and services while creating a viable patient-centered environment.

24. Self-Tucker Focused on Designs to Inspire - Saturday, June 15, 2013

Self-Tucker Architects wants to lift the aspirations of the community through great architecture and design.

The firm is currently involved with a variety of high-profile projects across the area, including the National Civil Rights Museum and the new ground transportation center at Memphis International Airport, and past work includes the Stax Museum, Stax Music Academy and the FedExForum.

25. Self-Tucker Focused on Designs to Inspire - Saturday, June 15, 2013

Self-Tucker Architects wants to lift the aspirations of the community through great architecture and design.

The firm is currently involved with a variety of high-profile projects across the area, including the National Civil Rights Museum and the new ground transportation center at Memphis International Airport, and past work includes the Stax Museum, Stax Music Academy and the FedExForum.

26. ‘Lean and Mean’ - Saturday, June 15, 2013

Architectural firms that were thrown into a deep, dark hole following the Great Recession are finally starting to see light again.

The only worry is that the light at the end of the tunnel is another recession-driven train, threatening to again pummel the architectural community.

27. Reardon Cautions Downtowners About Heritage Trail - Thursday, February 14, 2013

The University of Memphis professor spearheading the opposition of demolishing the city’s last remaining public housing project in the Vance Avenue neighborhood says that while the Heritage Trail Community Redevelopment Plan appears to be on “indefinite hold,” it is not dead, and Downtowners should beware.

28. Green Building, Design Slowly Take Hold in Memphis Area - Monday, June 25, 2012

When residential and commercial construction hit new boom times – whenever that might be – the rebirth will take place in a new era with new rules.

“People are becoming more environmentally aware, and that’s going to change the market,” said Don Glays, executive director of the Memphis Area Home Builders Association. “There are a lot of advantages to buying green, and people are starting to understand that.”

29. Homes Part of North Memphis Revitalization - Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Usually Self + Tucker Architects do the design work and planning for someone else who is the developer.

But in an open lot on the north side of Chelsea Avenue at Leath Street, seven single- family homes to come in the next year will be the architecture firm’s first steps into developing.

30. Experience Keeps Self-Tucker in Game - Monday, October 31, 2011

In the wake of the Great Recession, one local architecture firm is maintaining its focus of designing a better Memphis.

Self-Tucker Architects was founded in 1995 by Juan Self and Jimmie Tucker. Overtime, the firm at 505 Tennessee St. has grown to a staff of 20, including eight registered architects.

31. Architect Honored for Remarkable Achievements - Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Before St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital became the sprawling complex of medical buildings in Uptown Memphis, the original facility was more modest, but no less important to the city’s landscape.

32. Economies of Scale - Friday, August 21, 2009

The dynamics of a bleak economy render a simple equation when applied to the architecture and design industry.

If financing is tight, then fewer construction projects are started. If fewer construction projects are started, then the need for architectural firms to create blueprints and design buildings also diminishes. And if there’s a decreased need for architectural firms, then some companies are forced to cut staff and many more to implement hiring freezes.

33. City Program Seeks Minority Developers - Monday, February 23, 2009

Creating more minority developers means getting them to see blight differently.

That’s what the director of a two-year old effort by the city of Memphis to build diversity in the development community said last week about the effort.

34. BankTennessee Promotes Wilson To Senior VP of Marketing - Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Julia Wilson has been promoted to senior vice president of marketing at BankTennessee. Wilson has been with the company since 1995. She has received several awards, including a Golden Pyramid from the Promotional Products Association International and an ADDY Award from the Memphis Advertising Federation.

35. Tucker's Nonprofit Work Mirrors Architectural Career - Friday, October 6, 2006

Riding a bike or pushing a metal grocery cart, Jimmie Tucker delivered copies of the Memphis Press-Scimitar to about 100 South Memphians every afternoon from 1965 to 1968.

A sixth grader who enjoyed drawing and listening to Memphis soul music from the local recording mecca, Stax Records, Tucker learned the aesthetic nuances of his neighborhood as he made his way down cracked sidewalks on his daily route.

36. Fox Named Senior Lending Officer with MATCU - Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Anthony Fox has been named senior business lending officer at Memphis Area Teachers' Credit Union. He previously was operations manager of sales and service for the FedEx Employees Credit Association. Before working at FedEx, he was a branch manager and commercial lender at Munford Union Bank.

37. SoFo Project Highlights New Development Hotspot - Monday, November 21, 2005

The four-story, $3.9 million hotel being planned for a long-abandoned Downtown neighborhood will be a one-of-a-kind piece of real estate once it's finished.

It's the first major project in Downtown's South Forum, or SoFo, area, so wracked over the years by urban blight that it's now mostly occupied by vacant, weed-choked lots and dilapidated buildings, some that are barely standing. The hotel, an 81-room Microtel Inn & Suites, will be built on 1.4 acres along Second Street.

38. CCC Initiative Seeks to Train New Developers - Monday, October 17, 2005

Sometimes it seems there's no limit to the imagination of Downtown developers, especially since the urban renewal that has already swept through much of the area is now moving to the fringes of Downtown, where vacant land, underutilized buildings and historic structures all could use a new beginning.

39. Archived Article: Trends - Monday, December 6, 2004
By Andy Meek

Architects, Builders Seeing More Green

ANDY MEEK

The Daily News

The work of Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects on St. Georges Collierville campus is proof that, in the future, the Metro Memphis landscape will likely be awash in...

40. Archived Article: Small Biz - Wednesday, November 24, 2004
By Andy Meek

Self Tucker Embraces Diversity, Individuality

ANDY MEEK

The Daily News

You dont have to look far to see the influence of Self Tucker Architects Inc. on Memphiss architectural landscape.

Several of the citys most prominent...

41. Archived Article: Newsmakers - Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Goldsmith Honored Posthumously with Lion Heart Award

Goldsmith Honored Posthumously by Youth Villages The late Elias J. E.J. Goldsmith was honored with Youth Villages 5K Lion Heart Award. Goldsmith, who served Goldsmiths stores, his family busine...

42. Archived Article: Gov Focus - Friday, February 27, 2004
Gov

City Seeks Diversity in Downtown Development

LANCE ALLAN

The Daily News

Downtown Memphis is a hotbed for development just ask anyone visiting the city who hasnt been around in a few years. More than $2 billion in projects are under w...

43. Archived Article: Comm Focus - Friday, August 15, 2003
08-15-03 Community

New visitors center could revitalize Whitehaven

By LANCE ALLAN

The Daily News

A community landmark planned to increase awareness of Memphis tourism industry might also provide an important kick-start for the Whitehaven...

44. Archived Article: Real Briefs - Tuesday, September 17, 2002
The Greater Memphis Chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association chapter meeting is 11:30 a

The Greater Memphis Chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association chapter meeting is 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Holiday In...

45. Archived Article: Gov't (lead) - Friday, August 27, 1999
CCC resolves matter CCC resolves matter with former president By KATHLEEN BURT The Daily News The Ed Armentrout matter is closed. That was the official announcement at Thursday's Center City Commission meeting. A check in the amount of $7,405 - the ...

46. Archived Article: Back - Wednesday, June 26, 1996
Leadership Memphis announces 1997 class Leadership Memphis announces 1997 class Top business executives, administrators, civic volunteers and ministers are among the 55 leaders in the public and private sectors who have been selected to participate ...