Photograph by Phillip Van Zandt Photography
If the Riverfront Development Corporation is ever going to have its chance to say, “I told you so,” this is it.
After 15 years of blistering criticism and dogged resistance, its track record appears to be on an upswing.
Its predictions for Beale Street Landing are coming to pass with multiple riverboats docking there; RiverFIT, the Grizzlies Riverfront Fitness Trail and Pop-Up Park; and now, it has a meritorious idea for water taxis plying the waterways as the realization of a 30-year-old dream.
The RDC has been a magnet for a barrage of complaints about its planning, design decisions, and implementation, which were intensified by its past image as a closed shop. Then again, some baffling design and architectural decisions at Beale Street Landing also fueled complaints (including our own).
That said, it seems to finally have some bragging rights and its new Chairman, Terry Lynch, has brought a more optimistic, open, and strategic attitude to the nonprofit organization’s work, particular in its goals for the future and its strategic plan. As a result, he seems to have bought the organization some breathing room for awhile.
Sense of Arrival
We have made no secret of our support for Beale Street Landing, and despite our complaints about design and connectivity miscues, the Memphis riverfront is much better with it than without it. Finally, there is a sense of arrival, not to mention a place to buy food and drink right on the riverfront and soak in excellent views of our singular most important natural resource, the Mississippi River.
While the news media were largely positioning the project as extravagant at $42 million, other cities across the United States were spending as much on their waterfronts as we spent on FedExForum (or about six times more than Beale Street Landing cost). It seemed to us that it was a false economy if we are content to let our riverfront languish with a lack the vitality that drives so many successful cities and to look for a bargain project when it comes to the most-visited attraction in our region – the riverfront in downtown Memphis – that more than anything else has become the symbol of Memphis branding.
Some time back, a news outlet stated that “the RDC proposed Beale Street Landing as a riverboat docking service where passengers can grab a bite to eat and hang out…a destination for riverboats on the Mississippi.” That was far from the truth.
Beale Street Landing was conceived first and foremost as a place for Memphians and for the people on the shore, a place where they could experience the river and where downtown would connect with the water that fundamentally defined its history and its character.
More Than Lagniappe
The opportunity to provide a better dock than tying up riverboats to trees in waterfront parks was a benefit, but it was lagniappe. Beale Street Landing was more than anything a place-making project to enhance and celebrate Memphis’s relationship to the river.
That said, the lagniappe is paying big dividends. It attracted the headquarters of American Queen and despite prognostications that the river cruise business was dead, it’s thriving and Beale Street Landing is becoming a required stop on their trips.
It’s a really special day when the American Queen docks at Beale Street Landing. But the best news of all is that the American Queen Steamboat Company, which was loaned $9 million by City of Memphis to locate its headquarters in Memphis, is filling up its cruises up and down the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
That points to the best news of all. City of Memphis negotiated a deal in which it gets money even if the riverboats are docking somewhere else. The company is paying back the loan over 10 years with an $89 docking fee for each passenger whether it comes to Memphis at all (it will become $15 after the loan is paid off).
Trump Cards
So, in the debate about whether the loan was a good idea or not, the City of Memphis and the RDC are winning that argument, and as a result, the American Queen Steamboat is the first bragging point for Beale Street Landing, the RDC’s signature riverfront project derided as a “boat dock” by its most vociferous critics.
That said, it added a trump card recently with the announcement that Viking Cruises – famous for its highly regarded European cruises – will dock some of its six, new 336-passenger boats now under construction at Beale Street Landing. But that’s not all. Beginning this spring, American Cruise Line’s 150-passenger American Eagle will begin docking at Beale Street Landing, joining the Queen of the Mississippi of the same cruise line.
In other words, it was only a few years ago that critics were contending that RDC predictions of Beale Street Landing becoming a dock for riverboats was merely political justification and there would never be a riverboat docking there. Actually, they were right. There won’t be one riverboat docking there. There will be four riverboats in two years.
And for those who champion a historical perspective for all things connected to the riverfront, it would seem that the return of the riverboats would be reason enough to celebrate, but so far, that’s not been the case.
New Activity on the Riverfront
If that were not enough, in recent weeks, the RDC announced that water taxis could be operational on the waterfront within 18 months (six of the months will be used for a feasibility study by Tennessee Department of Transportation). A federal grant of $800,000 covers most of the cost of buying the taxis and preparing facilities for their docking (the city’s match is $200,000).
The concept is for the taxis to connect three places – Beale Street Landing, Mud Island River Park, and Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid. Eventually, plans are for it to include Uptown West and Wolf River Greenway, and if we’re lucky, perhaps, it will even find a way to connect with the Harahan Bridge on the Arkansas side, giving passengers the opportunity to walk, job, or bike back, or find a way to event connect with the National Ornamental Metal Museum and its own distinctive views of the river (if Homeland Security will cooperate).
Although some of the RDC’s most reliable critics are already attacking the idea, the RDC deserves praise for thinking about place more than projects. For that reason, we find it exciting and timely. With a riverfront whose vibrancy is limited today by legal questions about the promenade’s public use provisions, it seems like a worthy idea to animate the riverfront by bringing life to the water itself.
It’s often said that the only way to understand a waterfront city is to experience it from the water, and the taxis would do that without the considerable investment in time and money required to experience the riverfront from the deck of one of the local riverboats that run daily.
Activating Memphis’s First Amenity
The first idea for a water taxi on the riverfront was made about 30 years ago by Memphis conservationist and preservationist Susan Jones as part of the Partners for Livable Places’ Economics of Amenity initiative undertaken by Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris. Mrs. Jones envisioned a riverfront where taxis brought new life to it as it shuttle visitors and residents.
Her idea was even more ambitious, calling for water taxis to connect the downtown riverfront with Meeman-Shelby Forest in North Shelby County. Perhaps, if the taxis are as successful as we expect, particularly with the millions of visitors attracted to Bass Pro Shops (whose average stores attract 1.8 people a year and The Pyramid is far from an average store), someday they will venture as far north as Shelby Forest.
City officials and quasi-government agencies like the RDC are subject to withering criticisms and we see it here whenever a new project or program is launched, but when city projections are met and the RDC’s promises are delivered, there aren’t enough of us willing to say we were wrong.
We admit our bias – that we always supported Beale Street Landing – but it seems to us that this is one time when all the critics should be willing to say they were wrong. While Beale Street Landing is still not what it can be, it is on the right track and with a little more attention to details and aesthetics, which we believe will come in time, we think it can achieve even more.
Water taxis are a ridiculous idea. Where on earth would they go…..West Memphis, Mud Island? Also, much of the year the river is hard to navigate. Same thing applies to the pedestrian/bike lanes over the railroad bridge…a bridge to absolutely nowhere and I fear that bridge will present serious safety issues. We will soon have a big ole Bass Pro Shop at the Pyramid, no good way to reach it by bus or trolley (if they can ever get them working again) surrounded by an empty Pinch district. And to top it off, no more Sunset Symphony! Things are not ideal on our riverfront. As always Memohis leaders seem to have no strategy for this part of town.
I’m also troubled by much of the riverfront news. The symphony does seem to be in big trouble, both inancially and with leadership. With the music director choosing to leave Memphis and the plan to stop the Sunset Symphony even worse times loom. I’m hoping they will not replace it with some sort of hip hop music which I fully expect. I see that Nashville is nearing completion of a large riverfront amphitheater which will be used for their symphony, concerts, July 4 and New Year’s Eve special events as well as for musicals and plays.
Crosser: We suspect that Memphis in May is interested in creating a new event that makes money. Sadly, the Sunset Symphony didn’t any longer. MIMIF talked some time back about a river-oriented event and perhaps that will be something they look at again.
Anonymous: The taxis can go up and down the river so it’s hard for us to see what’s ridiculous about them. To your main point, however, it seems like Memphis leaders DO have a strategy for this part of town. You just don’t happen to like any of it.
For the BSL photo, please give photo credit: Phillip Van Zandt Photography. Thanks!
Phillip: We gladly will do so. It’s a gorgeous photo.
The Viking cruise line is important for another reason. The sleek modern boats that they tend to use will help fight the idea that a Mississippi riverboat cruise is something that is inherently unhip. Young people will be attracted to the idea of sailing the Mississippi without vestiges of the Old South and all of the negative baggage connected to it.
Two other design related points – I am personally disappointed that One Beales design has changed to become a box with very little place making design interest. The old design added a modern flair to our skyline. The new design, well not so much.
Its also worth pointing out that the new artist renderings of One Beale delete the ugly orange box sitting on top of Beale Street Landing. Yes, when people visualize Beale Street Landing in its most perfect forum it does not include the Orange Box.
The riverfront looks better but most all of downtown Memphis is still pretty bleak.
These river cruises are highly seasonal, very expensive and tend to attract a much older clientele. Most of them don’t have a lot of shore time in Memphis. Those that do will move at a slow pace and won’t be able to do a lot here. It’s doubtful Memphis can ever be a real point of origination or disembarking on such trips, mostly they spend just a few hours here. Most voyages start and end from distant points like NOLA or Cincy or St Louis. And come to think of it our airport would not have many nonstop flights to feed riverboat cruise passengers.
That’s why we think the taxis have such potential. If they are easily accessible to take visitors to Mud Island or Pyramid, we can make it easy for them. It’s daunting for some of them now to look up the hill on Beale Street and decide to start walking.
“the RDC deserves praise for thinking about place more than projects” ? Mud Island, Bass Pro and the Harahan Bridge are projects … and, ” a riverfront whose vibrancy is limited today by legal questions about the promenade’s public use” Well, that I guess that will be debated, again.
I truly hope that it works out. I hate to be a pessimist as that is not my nature but I can recall when Mud Island was new and cool … and the monorail to it not only workt but there was talk of lengthening it to run downtown.
Instead of water taxis, the city needs to get the trolleys and buses working properly and offer frequent, reliable service. The trolleys and their problems are another embarrassing failure for the transit authority.
Water taxis may sound cool, but it’s highly doubtful they would be used enough to justify their start. We need to get basic surface transit right.
What’s stupid is the use of public funds for nonsensical projects like the Harahan Bridge ($15 million) “Bridge to Nowhere”. I’d put the idea of water taxis in the same category.
Speaking of the riverfront, I saw the pictures of the Bass Pro Shop signs going up on the Pyramid. I’ll reserve final judgement until all 3 sides are illuminated at night, but this retail chain store’s imprint on the Memohis skyline and riverfront is just plain ole tacky!
What’s a nonsensical project for some is an exercise in placemaking and city-building to others.
As for the signs on The Pyramid, they won’t be on three sides. And don’t businesses have imprints on skylines all over the world with their signs?
We drove in yesterday across the I40 bridge and the signs on the pyramid look horrible. It’s far too commercial and not in keeping with the skyline and riverfront. It’s a big disappointment, but I guess better than another empty building.
We give Bass Pro Shops credit for responding to public concerns. It’s the only sign in the chain that won’t have its normal colors on it. They also reduced the size of the sign and the number of sides of The Pyramid it’s on and the changes met approval of Design Review Commission.
Since Tokyo is one of our favorite cities, we guess we are more tolerant of signage. Then again, 10 years ago, we blogged that The Pyramid should be razed. That didn’t happen, and given that this usage will attract several million people to downtown, we are willing to be tolerant.
The Bass Pro sign is more tolerable than I had anticipated, after seeing it in person. The troubling aspect for me is the lack of a pedestrian bridge from the Pyramid to the Pinch; in fact they took the effort to dismantle the bridge that had existed for unclear reasons.
Chatul: They say the pedestrian bridge was taken down because of the reconfiguration of the inside of The Pyramid to make room for the hotel. The plan is to build a new bridge, so the sooner the Pinch District project gets under way, the better.
The Bass Pro Shop will likely do OK for the first year or so. After then….I’d say all best are off. As for the 100 room hotel, I doubt many would seek out a hotel in a retail store. The observation deck might be cool too, but there isn’t really that much to view. I keep remember all the hoopla when Mud Island was new and shiny with monorail etc., but it never became an attraction. Today Mud a Island is desolate. At the end of the day, this will still be just a huge box retail sporting goods store, in a rather isolated part of downtown, surrounded by the emptiness of the pinch district.
Osceola J:
As we wrote, if it’s only average, it brings 1.8 million people to downtown and 40% of them are driving in from more than 50 miles. We’ll see how it goes.
The difference in The Pyramid and Mud Island is that the former is not depending on city government to fund its upkeep. We wonder about the observation deck, but having seen that view a few times over the years after climbing all those steps, it is impressive and looking up river is a different perspective altogether. Over the years, feasibility study after feasibility study showed that going to the top was the cash cow, but we’ll see.
The good news is that Bass Pro spins off enough revenue to pay for the infrastructure for the redevelopment of the Pinch District, so hopefully, it won’t be empty for long.
We’re anxious to see what the room rate is for the hotel, and what the occupancies are.
We just cannot let our symphony die. In spite of its serious problems and financial condition, it is just too valuable to let go. The loss of the one great Memphis tradition of the Sunset Symphony breaks my heart. I wish Fred Smith would follow the lead of Mrs. Martha Ingram who donated $30 million to help Nashville Symphony a few years ago
Agreed about the symphony. Fred Smith could easily increase his local charitable donations. Compared to other billionaires, Fred gives away very little — especially so in Memphis.
Fred Smith is an ex-marine, right wing Republican. Don’t expect any arts donations. Grandiose WW2 monuments in DC are more his style.
Pete Taylor is right about Fred Smith. He has little interest in Memphis except to make sure the Airport Authority does everything he wants.
FedEx is a major contributor to the arts in Memphis, and Fred Smith is a donor to many local organizations. Then again, it’s his money and he doesn’t owe anybody else an explanation of his personal priorities.
I would be careful making assumptions that people on the right aren’t interested in supporting the arts. I do agree, however, that the MSO would benefit from a Memphis version of Martha Rivers Ingram.
Actually, the water taxi concept was first introduced by Harland Bartholmew in 1923. Memphis was very proud then to have one of the first comprehensive plans (which devoted a whole chapter to to riverfront and civic design) and first zoning ordinances in the entire country much before the big “progressive” cities. The citizens and politicos celebrated their adoption and were surely impressed with the new uses proposed in the plan.
I too mourn the loss of the Sunset Symphony. I most enjoyed it when it was a free event open to all. I remember many years that we staked out our places the night before. It is a shame that it or any MIMF event has to be a money maker, but times change.
(Tom – wanted to paste a picture of 1923 Plan for Downtown, but I can’t seem to be able to paste it in here.)
Interesting related story in today’s Commercial Appeal about the planned efforts to clean up the riverfront. Pictures of large amounts of trash all along downtown shoreline. RDC should take lead in efforts to clean up this terrible eyesore year round.
Beale Street Landing serves many purposes and is a striking addition to the riverfront. But at its core, BSL was planned as a
River.
Boat.
Terminal.
So WHY,15 years and $43 million dollars later, do they have to put up a crude vinyl banner that reads “RIVERBOATS,” that’s partially hand-painted, to explain what the facility is for or how to get to the boats?
Gary: Too, too true. We have wished for some time that the RDC would get some help with design decisions – and decisions on aesthetics.
And the signage says it all. It looks like a class project.