Status: Preserved

Address: 1508 Madison Avenue, Memphis

Built: 1923

Architectural Style: Block Style Italian Renaissance Revival

Original Function/Purpose: Residential

Date Listed on the National Register: March 6,2024

National Register Reference Number Link: 100010039

History: The Cherokee Arms was designed by Atlanta, Georgia architect G. Lloyd Preacher in association with local architect Charles Deas. The three-story building has ten efficiency apartments on each floor, and “retains the majority of its materials, design, and workmanship.” Built of reinforced concrete, it was said to be the third fire-proof building in the city. Judging from its residents’ occupations as given in the city directories, it was filled from its early years with “a mix of middle-class single and married professionals and widows.” At one point it came into the hands of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary which used it as a student residence. The building is noteworthy for many reasons, including its retention of “significant materials, design and evidence of workmanship” as well as “its contribution to the community development of the city.”

City Council District: 6

Super District: 8

County Commission District: 8