Hotel Indigo

22 N BB King Blvd., Memphis, TN 38103 United States

Building Area (sf): 120,000

Completion: 2019

Architect of Record:

brg3s architects

Jason Jackson
Steve Berger

• Owner/Client:
• General Contractor: South Core
• Electrical:
• Engineering:
  MEP - HNA
  Structural - Davis Patrikios Criswell
  Landscaping - Ritchie Smith Associates
• Other:
  ArchInc - Historic Tax Credit/Preservation Consultant
• Photography:
  Chad Mellon
  

The renovation of a historic parking garage and hotel in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The exteriors were preserved for their architectural significance, while the interiors were renovated to add necessary amenities and resolve accessibility issues.

This historic garage and hotel has its roots set deep in Memphis, TN. Originally constructed in 1963, it was the first Holiday Inn to be established in an urban setting. The mid-century modern building is comprised of a three-story hotel nestled atop a seven-story parking garage, which initially served an adjacent office building. Its architectural significance comes from its structural configuration, the first to be constructed using single tee, pre-stressed concrete beams, allowing the parking garage to support the hotel above. The architect’s analysis of this building’s innovative history as a part of the original chain hotel and its structural significance, earned its place on the National Historic Registry (NHR).

After decline and disrepair throughout the 1990s and mid-2000s, the building was bought by a developer seeking to transform it into a boutique hotel. The structure’s placement on the NHR led to the preservation and celebration of both the architectural and community legacy of the building. The surrounding neighborhood, steeped in broadcasting history, was the home of both the first African-American- (WDIA) and woman-owned (WHER) radio stations in the country, which was inspiration for the hotel’s renovation.

The interiors of the hotel underwent the most significant transformation. Challenges were presented most notably in the aging mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems throughout the hotel. Low floor-to-ceiling heights of 8'6" required a complete mechanical reorganization in order to retrofit new systems seamlessly as well as maximize ceiling heights and natural lighting. ADA and Life Safety updates required the addition of vertical circulation and grade adjustments to the elevator. The addition of interior space into the parking structure required closing an entrance to the garage, transforming the space into a pedestrian plaza leading between the newly enclosed elevator lobby and ground floor retail.