Elevators at 201 Poplar keep going down
Elevators at the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center are in need of repair. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Add elevators to the long list of problems at 201 Poplar Ave.
When a Daily Memphian reporter visited the Walter L. Bailey Criminal Justice Center on Friday, Aug. 23, crews were working on an inoperable elevator, one of three Shelby County Support Services is repairing. Waiting is inevitable; sometimes, people get stuck on the elevators; and other times, riders must push on the doors open or closed.
Shelby County government plans to install new elevators, for both the public and jail inmates at the CJC — more commonly known as 201 Poplar. But construction remains years away, and in the meantime, people who work in the building say the situation is inconvenient, negligent and dangerous.
There are two sets of elevators in the lobby’s elevator bank. One set of four elevators goes up to the seventh floor, giving passengers access to Shelby County’s criminal courtrooms. The other set of four elevators goes to the seventh through 12 floors, providing access to entities such as the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
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Julia Baker
A lifelong Memphian, Julia Baker graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
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