Lincoln American Tower
Encyclopedia
The Lincoln American Tower is a 22 story building located at the corner of North Main and Court streets in Memphis
, Tennessee
. It is also a historical landmark, one of the first steel frame skyscrapers built in Memphis. The tower underwent a six year refurbishing project starting in 2002, and despite a fire in 2006, is now open and accepting tenants.
The building currently features 31 residential apartments, 3 floors of commercial offices, and New York-based Ceriello Fine Foods on the ground floor.
's raid in the Second Battle of Memphis
.
In 1924, the president of the Memphis branch of the Columbia Mutual Insurance Company (later renamed to the Lincoln American Insurance Company), Lloyd Binford
, had the gleaming white tower built overlooking Court Square. Binford later made an infamous name for himself across the country as head of the Memphis Censor Board, which he ran from his own offices on the top floor of the building.
The Lincoln American Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
On October 6, 2006, the building was damaged by fire after embers from a major fire at the nearby First United Methodist Church were carried several blocks by strong winds. The result lit the top few floors of the building on fire, including the roof, and filled much of downtown Memphis with smoke. The nearby Court Annex building was destroyed in the same fire.
Despite the fire, the renovation of the building continued, and the first tenants in 2008 were the Plough Foundation, who leased 4358 square feet (404.9 m²) of space in the building.
, at one-third scale.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It is also a historical landmark, one of the first steel frame skyscrapers built in Memphis. The tower underwent a six year refurbishing project starting in 2002, and despite a fire in 2006, is now open and accepting tenants.
The building currently features 31 residential apartments, 3 floors of commercial offices, and New York-based Ceriello Fine Foods on the ground floor.
History
The site itself has a unique history, as it is located near the location of Irving Block Prison, which was on the north side of Court Square, which was used by the Union Army to house Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War. Freeing prisoners from Irving Block Prison was one of the three major objectives of Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford ForrestNathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
's raid in the Second Battle of Memphis
Second Battle of Memphis
The Second Battle of Memphis was a battle of the American Civil War occurring on August 21, 1864, in Shelby County, Tennessee.At 4:00 a.m. on August 21, 1864, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest made a daring raid on Union-held Memphis, Tennessee, but it was not an attempt to capture the city, which...
.
In 1924, the president of the Memphis branch of the Columbia Mutual Insurance Company (later renamed to the Lincoln American Insurance Company), Lloyd Binford
Lloyd Binford
Lloyd Tilgham Binford was an American insurance executive and film censor who was the head of the Memphis Censor Board for 28 years. The son of an infantry colonel, Binford left high school at 16 for a job as a railway postal clerk...
, had the gleaming white tower built overlooking Court Square. Binford later made an infamous name for himself across the country as head of the Memphis Censor Board, which he ran from his own offices on the top floor of the building.
The Lincoln American Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
On October 6, 2006, the building was damaged by fire after embers from a major fire at the nearby First United Methodist Church were carried several blocks by strong winds. The result lit the top few floors of the building on fire, including the roof, and filled much of downtown Memphis with smoke. The nearby Court Annex building was destroyed in the same fire.
Despite the fire, the renovation of the building continued, and the first tenants in 2008 were the Plough Foundation, who leased 4358 square feet (404.9 m²) of space in the building.
Design
The tower is a replica of New York's Woolworth BuildingWoolworth Building
The Woolworth Building is one of the oldest skyscrapers in New York City. More than a century after the start of its construction, it remains, at 57 stories, one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City...
, at one-third scale.