Memphis, explained
Mason Temple is a large Church of God in Christ (COGIC) sanctuary in south Memphis that serves as the denomination’s world headquarters. It is the building where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech on April 3, 1968, the night before he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel. What … Read more
Clayborn Temple is a Romanesque Revival church building in downtown Memphis, near Beale Street, that served as the organizing headquarters for the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike. It is where the “I AM A MAN” signs were produced and where marchers gathered before walking into the city, including the march led by Dr. Martin Luther … Read more
What is the Peabody Hotel? The Peabody Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown Memphis, at 149 Union Avenue, operating continuously (under different owners) since the 19th century in an earlier building and since 1925 in its current one. It is known locally and nationally as “The South’s Grand Hotel” and for a daily event … Read more
The Memphis Pyramid is a 321-foot stainless-steel pyramid on the Memphis riverfront, built in 1991 as a sports arena for the University of Memphis and, briefly, the Memphis Grizzlies. It sat empty for a decade after the teams moved out, and in 2015 the retailer Bass Pro Shops reopened it as a store, hotel and … Read more
Beale Street is a short commercial strip in downtown Memphis, roughly three blocks long, that grew into the city’s central Black business and music district from the late 1800s onward and is now run largely as an entertainment corridor of clubs, bars and music venues on land owned or controlled by the city of Memphis. … Read more
Graceland is the mansion Elvis Presley bought in 1957 in the Whitehaven area of Memphis, and it is now a house museum and entertainment complex open to the public. A visit covers the home itself, the graves of Presley and family members in the grounds, and a separate exhibition campus across the street covering his … Read more
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