“One Beale will be an iconic building for the city of Memphis, one that reflects where our city has been and where we are going. People and cities define themselves by their buildings, and One Beale will reshape the Memphis urban experience.”

 – Gene Carlisle (1942-2015) | Chairman & Founder, Carlisle Corporation

Surrounded by the rusty remnants of industry, the Ellis Machine Shop was filled with energy for the first time in years during the long-awaited One Beale announcement by Carlisle Corporation this week. Construction will begin in early 2019 on this Downtown property’s next chapter – a 227-room Hyatt Centric hotel (one of fewer than 30 worldwide) including 15,000 square feet of event space, alongside multifamily housing, restaurants, retail, and parking.

A conversation at a Chairman’s Circle meeting between members Chance Carlisle of Carlisle Corp. and Steve Guinn of Highwoods Properties led to another element for this premiere piece of riverfront real estate – up to 400,000 square feet of Class A office space, to be constructed and managed by Highwoods once an anchor tenant is secured.The historic Ellis property was the final piece of the One Beale project started by the late Gene Carlisle in 2004. Initially slated for demolition, the original buildings will be repurposed with support from Memphis Heritage. This development will bring 1400+ construction jobs and 400+ new jobs once complete (estimated late 2020). Located in the heart of historic Downtown Memphis, One Beale will be transformative for the city once complete.

It’s also going to have some great neighbors – ARRIVE Hotels & Restaurants started renovations this week on a 1916 warehouse in the South Main Arts District formerly owned by the Memphis College of Art.

  • 5.5 Riverfront Acres
  • 227 Hyatt Centric Rooms
  • 425 New Parking Spots
  • $225 million Total Value
  • 1400+ Construction Jobs
  • 400+ New Jobs Once Complete

Memphis will join Palm Springs, Austin, Wilmington (NC), and Phoenix as one of only five ARRIVE neighborhood hotels nationwide. The 62-room hotel will include two full-service restaurants and 1,000+ square feet of meeting space.

Canopy by Hilton is also moving into Downtown Memphis to finally fill the space left by the former Benchmark Hotel across from The Peabody and AutoZone Park. Like ARRIVE and Hyatt Centric, Canopy locations are designed specifically around the cities and neighborhoods they occupy. 170 rooms are anticipated for the Canopy Memphis property.

These unique brands are catching onto what we’ve always known about our city – the soul of Memphis makes it a destination like no other. Follow along with us and with our friends at the Downtown Memphis Commission and the Memphis River Parks Partnership to keep up with more of the latest as our scenery continues to change.This post is part of a Chamber series explaining the pieces, players, and processes behind growth in this city. It’s an exciting time to be in Memphis – click here to read more and join the conversation.