National Register of Historic Places

South Main Street Historic District

Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee
Listed
September 1, 1982
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
82004054

About this property

The South Main Street Historic District in Memphis, Tennessee, is located south of the city's central business district encompassing over 100 mostly commercial buildings spread across 11 blocks. The area was constructed between 1900 and 1930 in a wide range of early-twentieth-century architectural styles including Beaux Arts, Georgian Revival, Art Deco and Chicago Commercial. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 as an area of Memphis representing the impact of the railroad on the city during the a period of railroad-led prosperity that ended with the Great Depression. The district includes the Lorraine Motel, constructed in 1925, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. The South Main Arts District is a smaller area within the historic district. The district is also a City of Memphis local historic district or Historic Overlay District.

Location

Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee
35.13580, -90.05824

Categories

COMMERCETRANSPORTATIONBLACKARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about South Main Street Historic District

This page lists South Main Street Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

South Main Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Civil War
0.1 mi
South Bluffs Warehouse Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Tennessee Brewery
Pre Contact
0.2 mi
Austin, John Alexander, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
South Main Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Memphis Raid by Forrest
1864Civil War
0.9 mi
Naval Battle of Memphis
1862Civil War
0.9 mi
Second Battle of Memphis (Forrest's Raid)
1864Civil War
1.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was South Main Street Historic District listed on the National Register?

South Main Street Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 1, 1982.

What type of historic resource is South Main Street Historic District?

South Main Street Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for South Main Street Historic District?

The period of significance for South Main Street Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near South Main Street Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near South Main Street Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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