Kemmons Wilson Cos. plans move into Downtown historic building

Tom Bailey
Daily Memphian

The Kemmons Wilson Companies plans to renovate the historic warehouse that last housed Spaghetti Warehouse and move its headquarters from near Southwind in the suburbs to Downtown.

The legacy company of the late founder of the Holiday Inn hotel chain plans a $6.8 million renovation of the 115-year-old building at 40 Huling.

Kemmons Wilson Companies is seeking a tax incentive from the Center City Revenue Finance Corp. that would be spread across 15 years and save the company a cumulative $801,000 in property taxes. Still, the project would generate $267,312 more in property taxes during the 15 years than it now creates, according to documents filed with the application.

The Downtown Memphis Commission “fully supports” the application.

“As we sought to retool and refocus the business for the future, one thing kept creeping into our minds that didn’t make sense with the history of our family’s legacy in this community:  Our office was on the outskirts of town, on the way to Collierville, away from the activity of the Core,” company executive McLean Wilson states in the application.

“This hasn’t sat well with us, and we have been actively seeking opportunities to move to the heart of Memphis since that time, because we saw an incongruity between where our time and energy was spent and where we went to work,” Wilson states. 

Work would start between April and June and be completed between April and June next year, the document states.

The plan for the 20,415 square feet of space includes a 600-square-foot incubator for business start-ups and the potential for 2,900 square feet of co-working space for business tenants.

The plan also includes public art, a mural on the east exterior wall facing Wagner Place.

Grinder Taber Grinder will carry out the renovation designed by LRK Architects. Parker Design Studio is the interior designer.

The Center City Revenue Finance Corp. will consider the application at 9 a.m. April 14 in a Zoom teleconference.