Overview:
The abandoned Holiday Inn tower at 969 Madison sat vacant, decaying, and ever-more graffitied for years.
The demolition of what many call the “zombie hotel” in the Medical District is slated to wrap in February.
The abandoned Holiday Inn tower at 969 Madison sat vacant, decaying, and ever-more graffitied for years. Its “dead” status earned it the casual “zombie” moniker on Memphis social media.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) bought the 12-story building in 2015. Efforts to demolish the building spanned several years as the university gathered funding for the project and pre-demo preparations had to be made to the site.
Flintco started work on the $12 million demolition project in March. The company says the work is expected to be “substantially completed” next month.
“(UTHSC’s) demolition of the former Holiday Inn clears the way for revitalization and new development that will strengthen and make the district more attractive for years to come,” said Rory Thomas, president and CEO of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative.
Once the building is cleared, the open space will be first used as a surface parking lot. However, long-range plans could involve using the space to complement a proposed College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building, which could be situated next to that area on the same side of Madison.
“This is part of our larger strategy on investment in current and new facilities needed to support our academic, research, and service missions across the state,” said Raaj Kurapati, UTHSC executive vice chancellor and Chief Operating Officer for the university.
The first part of the demolition project was to raze two smaller buildings close to the tower. Because of the age of the former hotel building, months of remediation to address environmental and hazardous material issues preceded the work on the tower.
Demolition of the top floors was a floor-by-floor process, given the age of the building, how it was constructed, and to ensure any additional remediation needs were considered and managed.
“The remaining above-grade demolition will be accomplished using a high-reach processor, allowing for a controlled, efficient, and safe removal of the remaining structure,” Kurapati said. “As demolition progresses, the project crane will be utilized to hoist debris netting, providing enhanced protection to surrounding areas and reinforcing overall site safety.”