South Main gets the idea of public spaces right

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Help Save the "Queen"

The Delta Queen may have steamed out of Memphis for the last time. But there's an effort to change that and you can help.Read more »

Riverfront Decision Great News – Cars “out;” People “in”

The University of Memphis, Riverfront Development Corporation, and Hyde Foundation will rip-out the old post office parking lot and landscape the riverside of the soon-to-be downtown law school as a park and plaza. The plan is also to improve Confederate Park and connect the two spaces with a pedestrian bridge over Court Ave. It’s an important step in reconnecting Memphis with the river and the local trails and greenways movement to connect neighborhoods and cultural institutions county-wide.

Friends for Our Riverfront is a big supporter of the project. It’s something we’ve been advocating for a long time.


"The area on the river side of the Post Office/Law School has the position and prominence to become a great public balcony. With landscaping and publicly accessible food concessions, it could be a great asset for the city and for the law school."
-- Project for Public Spaces report on the Memphis Riverfront, p. 19.

Click here to see the full Project for Public Spaces report.
Click here for more ideas about revitalizing the public spaces on the bluff.

An Active, Vibrant Harbor - Yes!! And that includes boat ramps and docks

There’s been some squabbling lately about who owns the boat ramp under the Auction Street Bridge and water-cooler-style
conversations about whether it’s been closed because of disrepair, Bass Pro, national security, or liability issues. It all seems a bit snarky.

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Read-up on our 1st Library

We asked if you had stories about our landmark library, and a “friend” sent this anecdote connecting the library, the Cossitt family, and two LaGranges – one in TN and the other in IL.Read more »

1937 Flood

Local historian Jimmy Ogle sent this photo of high water at Beale Street during the1937 flood. Click here to see the photo of the river gauge at Beale Street.

Commissioner Ritz Comments on Bass Pro/Pyramid Deal

County Commissioner Mike Ritz sees flaws in the Bass Pro/Pyramid Deal and sent the following article. FfOR has not been involved in the City's search for ways to reuse the Pyramid and has not taken a position on the current Bass Pro/Pyramid Plan. We are posting Mr. Ritz's comments for educational purposes.

For information about Commissioner Ritz’s background and experience, click here.

The Bass Pro Deal Is Deficient
by Mike Ritz

The current proposal for Bass Pro to control and become the primary tenant of the Pyramid has many deficiencies. These deficiencies have been known and identified for months and have been ignored or glossed over by the City staff and others working on this matter.

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