How the former tallest building in the South became an abandoned landmark

When the Sterick Buiding opened in 1930, at 365 feet it was the tallest building in the South – earning its nickname, the “Queen of Memphis.”

Adorned with pink marble from Italy and black marble from Belgium, it was an extravagant sight. The structure was home to its own bank, pharmacy, barber shop, beauty parlor and stockbrokers’ offices.

The Sterick Building reigned over the Memphis skyline until the 1960s. When more modern office buildings were developed, it lost its tenants. Despite a remodel and being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it became abandoned in the 1980s.

– Jacqueline Gualtieri, The Memphis 100