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Case Study: 925 East McLemore Avenue
Full Demolition
The tapestry of American music would not be as rich without the distinctive sound of Memphis soul. And Stax Records, located at 926 East McLemore Avenue, was the center of Memphis soul. With a slate of world-renowned musical artists—including Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Rufus Thomas and Carla Thomas, and Otis Redding—Stax Records took songwriters from the surrounding neighborhood and gave them a place to express their creativity. In later years, Stax diversified their albums by releasing material from comedienne Moms Mabley, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and a young comedian by the name of Richard Pryor. But the Stax heyday of the 1960’s and early ‘70’s quickly faded, leading to hard times for the label for decades. Then, in 2003, a rebirth came with the opening of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.
Bearing witness to all of this was the property at 925 East McLemore Avenue, directly across the street from Stax. In 1965, the Satellite Snack Bar opened at this location to feed the musicians—such as Wilson Pickett, Isaac Hayes, and Sam & Dave—who were recording albums at Stax in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. But like its counterpart, hard times hit the Satellite Snack Bar, and the business eventually closed its doors.
By the time the Stax Museum opened in 2003, its fellow witness to history across the street was in terrible condition. In 2019, under the Neighborhood Preservation Act, the City of Memphis alleged that the property at 925 East McLemore had become a public nuisance. After providing the owner with multiple opportunities to abate the nuisance over the course of years, the Shelby County Environmental Court signed an order establishing non-compliance and authorizing the appointment of a receiver. The receivership appointment motion, dated July 12, 2022, noted that “the Property remains in the same badly blighted, neglected, dangerous, and vacant condition it has been in for many years….” Tennessee Receivership Group was appointed as Receiver for the property on July 28, 2022—and that’s when things began to happen.
The property at 925 East McLemore Avenue had a front row seat to the birth of some of the biggest soul hits of the 1960's and 1970's.
The structure on the property was unsalvageable and underwent demolition in September 2022. A blighted nuisance for years became a clean, vacant lot within months of receivership appointment—a lot with an excellent view of the Stax Museum. And much like Stax Records and the rest of Soulsville, 925 East McLemore is in the midst of a rebirth. The property sold to a new owner in June 2023, and the Shelby County Commission has demarcated the Soulsville area as a tourism development zone, eligible for tax incremental financing.
The property is now poised to bear witness to the new history being written across the street and throughout Memphis.
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