Sherry Greene, born and raised in Memphis, was 10 when the circular, stone-stacked building at the corner of South White Station Road and Park Avenue was built in 1965.

She remembered her father, a contractor, talking about the unique rounded building being built for Union Planters Bank at 5138 Park Ave.

For Greene and many others, the building became a landmark. 

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Sixty years later, the mid-century modern building will be demolished to make way for a 3,000-square-foot Bojangles. 

The 9,989-square-foot building, last occupied by Mellow Mushroom, has sat vacant on the market for the past year, still fitted with the restaurant’s wall-to-wall murals and mushroom mascot outside. 

Lifelong Memphian Katie Mars moved from the University of Memphis two years ago into a neighborhood near the former Mellow Mushroom and was a frequent customer before it closed. She said the unique space matched Mellow Mushroom, which frequently occupies unconventional spaces.

“The inside has really cool windows, and when you look up, it is almost like what you would see in a cathedral,” Mars said. “The ceiling was a really cool feature that had all these beams connected down to the pillars on the outside of the building.” 

Located on less than an acre at the Eastgate Shopping Center, the property is being marketed by The Shopping Center Group. 

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Mars said she understood that the building’s large size and odd shape could make finding a tenant difficult, resulting in a demolition and build-to-suit option more appealing.

“It’s really sad to see a building that has a lot of history, especially in East Memphis, when there’s not a ton of those left, be demolished for a fast food restaurant that’s probably going to make traffic a bit of a nightmare,” Mars said. 

Some residents turned to the Memphis Heritage Association for help saving the property. However, the association cannot legally intervene in privately owned buildings.