date-range • 07.26.18
35,000 people flood the main entrance of the Sears Crosstown entrance on opening day. The innovation of the Sears model spurs growth of the building itself and the Crosstown neighborhood.
title • 07.26.18
For more than 60 years, thousands live their lives here.
The building brings together people from all walks of life, transforming itself and its occupants over the years.
Sears Crosstown, having endured the Clutch Plague and three major wars, shutters its doors for the final time, due to a shift in consumer habits. The enormous building stands as a beacon of blight for nearly 20 years.
"Tear it down."
A once prosperous, diverse hub of the community is now an example of "what doesn't work" in Memphis. No developers, organizations, or government groups can come to a solution on what should be done with the massive structure.
Voices speak up, proposing that the building can be saved. Crosstown Arts, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is formed to facilitate the redevelopment of the Sears Crosstown building using arts and culture as a catalyst for change. With the help of an unprecedented 30 funding sources and commitment of nearly 40 founding tenants, Crosstown Concourse is born.