Status: Preserved
Address: 109 North Main Street, Memphis
Built: 1924
Architectural Style: Commercial with Italian Renaissance details
Original Function/Purpose: Hotel
History: Located only six blocks from the Peabody Hotel, the Hotel Claridge, designed by Jones and Furbringer, was the tallest hotel in Memphis at the time of its construction. It was for a time an important part of the Memphis social scene, hosting balls, banquets, proms and class reunions that featured Elvis Presley, Liberace and other noted entertainers. It closed in 1969 “because of poor business” and the contents of the city’s first air-conditioned hotel were auctioned, including 8,000 yards of carpeting, tableware to serve nearly 800 persons, and more than 2,000 chairs. Among the more unusual contents were “a dusty violin once used to serenade Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett when they were guests at the original Bell Tavern on Front Street more than 125 years ago” and two muzzle-loading rifles. The building was originally scheduled to be demolished to make way for a high-rise motel-office building. However, after a decade’s delay, the building was extensively renovated in 1980 and again in 2004. It is now the Claridge House Condominiums.
City Council District: 6
Super District: 8
County Commission District: 8