Your Concourse
Crosstown Concourse is the product of nearly five generations of innovators, dreamers, and builders. It's the product of those who, in 1927, saw the unorthodox potential in a 12-acre parcel of land on the outskirts of Memphis, off a narrow road called Cleveland. It's the product of the generations who built its walls, populated its halls, and created communities – inside and out – with their labor and an unspoken creed: "Together, we are better." Today, it stands as a product of this generation's passion and determination to do the impossible, with the same guiding belief that we truly are better together.
Crosstown Concourse is proud to have achieved LEED Platinum status in Building Design & Construction, the highest possible certification. We've focused on creating a sustainable, healthy space for visitors and tenants alike. LEED-certified buildings are more cost-effective, more environmentally friendly, and healthier than any other building.
When the Sears, Roebuck & Co distribution center and retail store was constructed in 1927 less than two miles from downtown Memphis, its Crosstown location was considered to be suburban. Much has changed since Mayor Rowlett Paine cut the red ribbon and officially opened the facility over 87 years ago. Memphis now extends east far past the intersection of North Watkins and North Parkway, and Sears' catalog division is no longer in existence.
35,000 people flood the main entrance of the Sears Crosstown entrance on opening day. The innovation of the Sears model spurs growth of the building itself and the Crosstown neighborhood.
The building brings together people from all walks of life, transforming itself and its occupants over the years.
Sears Crosstown, having endured the Clutch Plague and three major wars, shutters its doors for the final time, due to a shift in consumer habits. The enormous building stands as a beacon of blight for nearly 20 years.
A once prosperous, diverse hub of the community is now an example of "what doesn't work" in Memphis. No developers, organizations, or government groups can come to a solution on what should be done with the massive structure.
Voices speak up, proposing that the building can be saved. Crosstown Arts, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is formed to facilitate the redevelopment of the Sears Crosstown building using arts and culture as a catalyst for change. With the help of an unprecedented 30 funding sources and commitment of nearly 40 founding tenants, Crosstown Concourse is born.
