Status: Preserved
Location: Front Street between Gayoso and Monroe Avenues, and a short section of Union Avenue, in Memphis
Built: 1928-48
Architectural Style: Many Nineteenth Century Commercial vernacular
Original Function/Purpose: Commercial
History: Most of the buildings of Cotton Row were constructed to meet the needs of buying and selling cotton. The Row was designed to be utilitarian instead of elaborately decorative. For example, large doors were constructed on the ground floor so cotton bales could be moved in and out easily. In its prime, the Row was full of seed and hardware stores, farming supplies, and silo companies. (Cotton Row and the nearby Cobblestone Landing were treated in 1979 as two disconnected areas both contributing to the Cotton Row Historic District. In 2011 the Memphis Landing was detached from Cotton Row and recognized independently.) Cotton Row Historic District is one of the National Register-listed districts recognized (and protected) by the City of Memphis as a local historic district or Historic Overlay District.
Maps:
City Council District: 6
Super District: 8
County Commission District: 8