Beale Street has a storied past. But what about the future?
The City of Memphis' celebrated 901 Day, named for the city’s area code, with a festival on Beale Street in Downtown Memphis Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Brad Vest/The Daily Memphian file)
The last five years have not been kind to Beale Street. Or at least to its perception.
COVID-19 hammered the Downtown tourist attraction and party spot, driving annual rents collected from the city of Memphis-owned street down 44% from 2019 to 2020.
And although rents rebounded three years after the pandemic, reaching pre-pandemic levels in 2023, notable crime incidents have also harmed the street’s perception. There have been several late-night shootings on and around Beale. The street’s notable neighbor, the Memphis Grizzlies, has taken issue with its cleanliness and safety.
These factors have resulted in a surge of resources from Memphis Mayor Paul Young and the Downtown Memphis Commission. The potential for more change is also on the horizon.
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Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.
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