Memphians propose Mid-South Coliseum be converted to mix-use development

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Coliseum Coalition announced a proposal they say is two years in the making to convert the Mid-South Coliseum into a mixed-use development.

“Think Crosstown Concourse,” said coalition cofounder Marvin Stockwell.

Stockwell has been an avid supporter of saving the coliseum for over a decade.

When he heard the City of Memphis had plans to demolish it in favor of a new soccer stadium in Liberty Park, he knew he had to act.

“There’s no reason we have to choose one or the other,” Stockwell said. “There’s plenty of spaces, even in the future Liberty Park, that it could go.”

On Wednesday, he sent a proposed map of locations the coalition believes the stadium could go.

Both the Coliseum Coalition, as well as the City of Memphis, commissioned separate studies to survey the structural integrity of the coliseum. Both reports showed the bones of the building are in good shape.

“They’re going to spend $10 million to tear down a perfectly fine structure,” Stockwell said. “When that money could be spent giving new life to this old building.”

Many on Wednesday pointed to the fact the coliseum has lots of historical value to Memphis—citing the fact it was the very first building within Memphis that was built with integration in mind.

“That matters in a city where Martin Luther King Jr. lost his life,” Stockwell said.

The next step in their fight to save the coliseum will be to convince Memphis City Council to form an ad hoc committee to look at their plans.

The end goal—stop the Mid-South Coliseum from being destroyed.

We will keep you up to date as to what the council decides when we get that information.

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