Historic Tax Credits for TN being considered

Think TN Brewery & the beautiful buildings in our historic downtown -- places near and along our Riverfront that make it special and definitely Memphis.

Legislation has been introduced to create state historic preservation tax credits to encourage restoration and reuse of these and other important places across TN. If approved by the State Legislature, TN would become the 36th state to provide tax credits as an incentive to save historic buildings.

To learn more about the legislation - House Bill 1474 & Senate Bill 1723, click HERE.

For names & email address of your legislators, click HERE.

A Tribute to Pete Seeger (1919 - 2014)

We'd like to share The Waterfront Center's Tribute to Pete Seeger with you:

The waterfront community was saddened to learn of the death of legendary folksinger, Pete Seeger -- a great proponent of clean water, maritime and environmental education, and -- waterfronts. Pete was remarkable in so many ways, not the least of which, he actually answered your letters - himself! When we decided we wanted to give an award for citizen efforts, we wrote to see if he would let us name the award in his honor. He modestly replied, "no" but that we could call it the Clearwater Award to recognize the importance of grassroots, volunteer efforts by individuals and organizations to better the urban waterfront environment in their communities and protect natural resources, especially water. Through the Clearwater Award, the Center will continue to honor the work of Pete Seeger and his colleagues.

Below is a list of Clearwater winners 1994-2013 and the trailer from a movie about Pete Seeger's life. For those from Memphis, you'll be proud to see two recipients of the prestigious Clearwater award from your city.

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"Nashville following Memphis's Example" - TN's largest cities focus on creation of parks and green spaces downtown along their waterfronts

site of former Thermal Transfer Plant, Nashville 

The Commercial Appeal article was a jolt - but it sure felt good for Memphis to be singled out as progressive and pointed to as the state leader. Sometimes in Memphis we forget that we already have an almost connected system of parks and greenways along our waterfront, something other cities are in the process of creating.

For most of their histories, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville turned their riverfronts entirely over to commerce, industry or highways that left the water largely inaccessible to the public. Nashville took its first steps toward altering that in the early 1980s, when it opened Riverfront Park, terraced down to the Cumberland River from the foot of Broadway. Now that 6-acre Riverfront Park on the west bank (downtown side) is being extended to include the former Thermal Transfer Plant, a trash-burning generator of steam and electricity torn down in the 1990s. The site, now surrounded by a chain-link fence, will be transformed into a 3.5-acre amphitheater bowl with seating for 6,500, a large green space, more greenways, and a promenade.

On the east bank, there will be a new 5-acre park between the Cumberland and LP Field that will include green space, pedestrian and bike paths and a new landing for paddlers and boaters. It will connect with the recently finished Cumberland Park play area to the south, which is also the current start of the Cumberland greenway. 

The east and west banks of the Cumberland River are connected by the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge. 

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said the $35 million to $40 million in projects, which includes an amphitheater, “will make the river truly the center of our city and an already thriving downtown even more compelling than it already is."

 Operations and maintenance of the waterfront parks and greenways will be handled by the Metro Parks and Recreation Department.  

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TN Brewery - Can it be Rescued?

Built in 1890 on the edge of the Riverbluff (495 TN Str.) and sadly long vacant, the TN Brewery needs rescuing. Owners who bought the building in 1999 are considering demolition if a purchaser is not found.

Memphis Heritage has started a community conversation about the Brewery's future and set up a Facebook Page to share information and ideas for rehabilitation.

Click HERE to see Walter Arnold's breathtakingly beautiful photographs of the riverbluff landmark.

Click HERE to join the conversation on Facebook and to share your input.