A 300,000 square foot retail and entertainment center

A 300,000 square foot retail and entertainment center is now under construction as part of Peabody Place, an eight-block revitalization project in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Master planned by Baltimore-based design firm RTKL for developer Belz Enterprises, the center was initially conceived as a retail only project but now falls in line with the nationwide trend toward a far more entertainment-oriented mix of tenants. Peabody Place will also include residential units, but not in the portion developed by Belz. Peabody Place is located close to the Mississippi River and links Memphis’ Beale Street district with the renovated Peabody Hotel. James Pett, RTKL vice president-in-charge of the project, says the center is organized around a three-story, glass-covered courtyard, what he calls a “found urban space.” First-floor retail will face both the street and the courtyard, and the top floor will be occupied by a multiplex cinema and an IMAX theater.