Status: Preserved
Address: 525 North Main Street, Memphis
Built: 1937
Architectural Style: Moderne-style façade
Original Function/Purpose: Transportation
History: Business magnate Frederick Smith Sr., father of Federal Express founder Fred Smith, established a Memphis-based national office for the Dixie Greyhound and Toddle House corporate offices. The Dixie Greyhound Bus Lines Complex was the centerpiece of two highly successful business ventures by Smith. The growing need for public transportation helped his one-route-a-day busing service transform into a highly lucrative business. When Smith’s businesses were sold, his son Frederick Jr. used the profits as start-up capital in the early 1970s to begin a new Memphis-based transportation company called Federal Express which revolutionized the pack delivery service. The firm Downtown Mini-Storage LLC purchased the property from the City of Memphis in February 2016 for use as a warehouse. In 2021 the owner said he planned to relocate the storage operation and renovate the complex, possibly into artists’ studios.
City Council District: 7
Super District: 8
County Commission District: 8
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