Status: Endangered
Address: 8 North Third Street (now 8 North B.B. King Boulevard; northeast corner of Madison Avenue and B.B. King Boulevard), Memphis
Built: Completed in 1929
Architectural Style: Commercial Gothic
Original Function/Purpose: Commerce
History: This 29-story Gothic-style tower housed more than 2000 occupants and had its own barber shop, beauty parlor, bank and pharmacy. Known for a time as the Queen of Memphis, it was the tallest building in the city until 1962. It was designed by Texas architect Wyatt C. Hedrick and financed by his father-in-law and oil-man Ross E. Sterling as a real estate venture; the building’s name is a clever combination of their two last names. The National Register nomination for this building comments on “its sensitive design combining great mass with human scale and elegant ornamentation” and its “dominating presence on the Memphis skyline.”
City Council District: 6
Super District: 8
County Commission District: 8