Pyramid --

* Building Changes Approved; Work Out for Bid

* Signs Head Back to Drawing Board

It's a bit confusing, because there were two applications by Bass Pro before the Downtown Memphis Commission Design Review Board (DRB)  -- One for changes to the outside of the Pyramid building itself and a second application for signs.

The outcome:

1. Exterior building changes (excluding the flag at the Pyramid's pinnacle) approved. Bass Pro putting the work out for bid.
2. Sign application to be modified based on comments and concerns and resubmitted, along with information about flag, for review Mon. Mar. 18 at 9 am.

Putting a big box store into an urban setting is not easy, and this is a first for Bass Pro and for downtown Memphis. At the DRB meeting, everyone seemed to want to collaborate to support the financial success of Bass Pro and the urban quality and livability of adjoining sections of downtown.

Before the meeting, Bass Pro had made some changes to address concerns:




* A modified map with 30 proposed signs was shown. The 6-story, digital screened, pylon sign, proposed for Riverside Drive at Jefferson, had been eliminated. (image at left, click to enlarge)








* The log cabin-style main entrance had fewer logs and more glass, an effort to fit better with the sleek Pyramid. (image at left, click to enlarge)



Concerns that the Pyramid will not have an east entrance door to Front Street and the Pinch District had been voiced, but Bass Pro said that the store's interior layout did not permit an entrance on that side of the building. That decision could strike a long-term blow against refurbishing the Pinch District as a pedestrian commercial area with connections to St. Jude Hospital.

The revised Sign Map indicated 30 locations for signs. Many of the comments centered on the Pyramid building itself and the proposed fish logo signs.

Comments were thoughtful and thought provoking. Click
Channel 3,  Channel 13,  Commercial Appeal,  Daily News.

Bass Pro has headed back to the drawing board. A new sign application will be submitted to Design Review Board for consideration at their Mar. 18 meeting.
Update (3/13):  Mar. 18 DRB meeting postponed to allow Bass Pro to fully consider comments and consider design options.