View source for Memphis Pyramid

{{Short description|Megashop and former arena in Tennessee, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = Memphis Pyramid
| former_names        = Great American Pyramid<br>Pyramid Arena
| alternate_names     = The Pyramid<br>Bass Pro Shops Pyramid<ref name="wreg">{{cite web |last1=Falcon |first1=Russell |title=What’s the deal with the Bass Pro Shops pyramid in Memphis? |url=https://wreg.com/news/whats-the-deal-with-the-bass-pro-shops-pyramid-in-memphis/ |website=WREG.com |access-date=18 May 2025 |date=19 August 2023}}</ref><br>Tomb of Doom<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sills |first1=Joe |title=The Unbelievable True Story Of How The Memphis Pyramid Became A Bass Pro Shops |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joesills/2020/08/26/the-unbelievable-true-story-of-how-the-memphis-pyramid-became-a-bass-pro-shops/ |website=Forbes |language=en |access-date=18 May 2025 |date=26 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Hollis |last2=Taylor |first2=Kate |title=We stayed in one of the largest pyramids in the world, a Bass Pro Shops-owned lodge filled with alligators, swamps, and rumors of an ancient curse. Here's what it was like. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bass-pro-shops-pyramid-photos-2018-7 |website=Business Insider |access-date=18 May 2025 |date=5 November 2018}}</ref>
| image               = [[File:Bass Pro Shop, Memphis, TN (33126417384).jpg|border|250px]]
| caption             = The Pyramid in 2016
| cost                = US$65 million<br>(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|65000000|1991}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}
| ren_cost            =
| owner               = [[Memphis, Tennessee|City of Memphis]]
| current_tenants     = [[Bass Pro Shops]]
| address             = 1 Bass Pro Drive
| location            = [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
| public_transit      = {{rint|bus|1}} [[Memphis Area Transit Authority|MATA]]<br>{{rint|heritage|tram}} {{RouteBox|Main Street Line|Main Street Line (MATA Trolley)|magenta|white|bold=}}<br>{{rint|heritage|tram}} {{RouteBox|Riverfront Loop|Riverfront Loop (MATA Trolley)|green|white|bold=}}
| groundbreaking_date = September 15, 1989<ref name="Baird">{{cite news |title=Memphis Will Celebrate|first=Woody|last=Baird|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_vohAAAAIBAJ&pg=2543,7125018&dq=en|newspaper=[[Associated Press]]|date=September 15, 1989|access-date=March 28, 2012}}</ref>
| opened_date         = November 9, 1991<ref name="news.google.com">{{cite news |title=Big Pyramid, Little Wonder|first=Woody|last=Baird|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pAFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=5002,1577415&dq=en|newspaper=[[Associated Press]]|date=November 9, 1991|access-date=March 28, 2012}}</ref>
| renovation_date     = November 2011–April 2015
| height              = {{convert|321|ft}}
| architect           = [[Rosser International|Rosser Fabrap International]]<ref name="construction">{{cite journal |last1=Griffis |first1=Larry |title=The Great American Pyramid |url=https://cedb.asce.org/CEDBsearch/record.jsp?dockey=0066385 |website=[[Civil Engineering Database]] |date=1990 |volume=60 |issue=5 |pages=56–58 |publisher=[[American Society of Civil Engineers]] |access-date=March 29, 2025}}</ref><br> O.T. Marshall Architects (Bass Pro Shops improvements)
}}

The '''Memphis Pyramid''', formerly known as the '''Great American Pyramid''' and the '''Pyramid Arena''', and colloquially known as the '''Bass Pro Shops Pyramid''',<ref>{{cite web|last=Murtaugh|first=Frank|title=The Mall of Memphis : Remembering the Marketplace of the Midsouth &#124; Main / Pyramid|url=http://www.mallofmemphis.org/Main/Pyramid|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111202346/http://www.mallofmemphis.org/Main/Pyramid|archive-date=January 11, 2012|access-date=January 14, 2012|website=The Mall of Memphis}}</ref> is a pyramid-shaped building located in downtown [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]], United States, at the bank of the [[Mississippi River]]. Built in 1991 as a 20,142-seat [[arena]], the facility was owned and operated jointly by the city of Memphis and [[Shelby County, Tennessee|Shelby County]] until Shelby County sold its share to Memphis in April 2009.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McMillin |first1=Zack |title=Once filled to the rafters, Pyramid sits empty as its future is debated |url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/may/10/quiet-as-a-tomb/ |access-date=March 29, 2025 |newspaper=[[The Commercial Appeal]] |location=Memphis, Tennessee |date=May 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511152231/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/may/10/quiet-as-a-tomb/ |archive-date=May 11, 2009}}</ref> Its structure plays on the city's [[Memphis, Egypt|namesake]] in [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], which is known for its ancient [[pyramid]]s. It is {{convert|321|ft}} (about 32 stories) tall and has base sides of {{convert|591|ft}}; it is by some measures the tenth-tallest [[pyramid]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=The World's Tallest 15 Pyramids|url=http://thehungrysuitcase.com/the-15-tallest-pyramids-in-the-world/|website=The Hungry Suitcase|date=November 17, 2013|access-date=July 19, 2015|archive-date=July 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721230553/http://thehungrysuitcase.com/the-15-tallest-pyramids-in-the-world/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Memphis Pyramid has not been regularly used as a sports or entertainment venue since 2007. In 2015, the Pyramid re-opened as a [[Bass Pro Shops]] megastore, which included shopping, a hotel, restaurants, a bowling alley, and an archery range, with an outdoor observation deck adjacent to its apex. [[Ducks Unlimited]] also operates a museum on [[waterfowl hunting]] and [[wetland conservation|wetlands conservation]] inside of the store.

==Construction==
The Great American Pyramid was first conceived around 1954 by Mark C. Hartz, a Memphis artist. The project originally included three pyramids located on the south bluffs of Memphis overlooking the [[Mississippi River]]. The largest of the three would have been scaled at two-thirds the size of the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] near [[Memphis, Egypt]]; the flanking structures would have been scaled at two-thirds the size of the main pyramid. The project languished for three decades until Hartz's younger son, Memphian Jon Brent Hartz, resurrected the concept. Mark C. Hartz, who was well known for his architectural renderings, rendered a new [[bronze]] glass-glazed pyramid. After years of negotiations, the younger Hartz's concept was adopted by entrepreneur John Tigrett as a symbol for the city of Memphis. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 15, 1989, and the building was opened on November 9, 1991.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Applebome |first1=Peter |title=Era of the Great Pyramid Is Dawning in Memphis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/23/us/era-of-the-great-pyramid-is-dawning-in-memphis.html |access-date=November 19, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 23, 1989}}</ref>

The construction of the building was managed by [[Sidney Shlenker]], part-owner of the [[Denver Nuggets]] and several entertainment companies, whom Tigrett had brought to Memphis to develop tourist attractions in the building. Originally, there were plans for a [[shortwave radio]] station broadcasting Memphis music, an observation deck with an inclinator along the side of the building, a [[Hard Rock Cafe]], a music museum, a [[College Football Hall of Fame]], and a theme park on [[Mud Island, Memphis|Mud Island]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Otis |title=Memphis hopes pyramid will bring new life to downtown |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/03/06/memphis-hopes-pyramid-will-bring-new-life-to-downtown/ |access-date=November 19, 2021 |work=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |publisher=[[Times Publishing Company]] |date=October 12, 2005}}</ref> However, the plans were scrapped because of a fallout between Tigrett and Shlenker, and the latter's financial difficulties.

==Various former uses and events==
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name        = Pyramid Arena
| nickname            = ''The Pyramid''
| image               = [[File:PyramidArena b.jpg|border|250px]]
| caption             = The Pyramid Arena, as seen from the Auction Avenue bridge in 2002.
| address             = 1 Auction Avenue
| location            = [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
| coordinates         = {{coord|35|9|20|N|90|3|7|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground        = September 15, 1989<ref name="Baird" />
| opened              = November 9, 1991<ref name="news.google.com" />
| closed              = February 3, 2007
| owner               = [[Memphis, Tennessee|City of Memphis]]
| operator            = [[SMG (property management)|SMG]]
| construction_cost   = US$65 million<br>(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|65000000|1991}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}
| architect           = [[Rosser International|Rosser Fabrap International]]<ref name="construction" />
| structural engineer = [[Walter P Moore Engineers and Consultants|Walter P. Moore & Associates, Inc.]]<ref name="construction"/>
| general_contractor  = [[Hunt Construction Group|Huber, Hunt & Nichols]]<ref name="construction"/>
| tenants             = [[Memphis Tigers men's basketball team|Memphis Tigers]] ([[NCAA]]) (1991–2004)<br>[[Memphis Pharaohs]] ([[Arena Football League|AFL]]) (1995–1996)<br>[[Memphis Grizzlies]] ([[National Basketball Association|NBA]]) (2001–2004)
| seating_capacity    = Concerts: 21,000<br>Basketball:<br>20,142 (1991–2001)<br>19,405 (2001–2002)<br>19,351 (2002–2004)
}}
The Pyramid was the home court of the [[University of Memphis]] [[Memphis Tigers men's basketball|men's basketball program]] starting in 1991, and later for the [[National Basketball Association]]'s [[Memphis Grizzlies]] after they relocated from Vancouver in 2001. However, both teams left The Pyramid in November 2004 to move into the newly built [[FedExForum]]. It was also home of the [[Memphis Pharaohs]] of the [[Arena Football League]] for the 1995 and 1996 AFL season before they relocated to Portland in 1997.

The arena hosted the 1993 [[Great Midwest Conference]] Men's and Women's basketball tournaments, the [[1994 SEC men's basketball tournament|1994]] and [[1997 SEC men's basketball tournament|1997]] [[SEC men's basketball tournament|Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament]], the 1996 and 2000 [[Conference USA]] men's basketball tournament, and the 2003 [[Conference USA]] women's basketball tournament. It also held the first and second rounds of the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Tournament]] in [[1995 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1995]], [[1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1997]], and [[2001 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2001]]. The [[Grateful Dead]] played two concerts at the arena on April 1 and 2, 1995.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grateful Dead The Pyramid – April 1, 1995 |url=https://www.dead.net/show/april-1-1995 |website=Grateful Dead |date=April 1995 |access-date=March 7, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Grateful Dead The Pyramid – April 2, 1995 |url=https://www.dead.net/show/april-2-1995 |website=Grateful Dead |date=April 2, 1995 |access-date=March 7, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Singer [[Mary J. Blige]] performed at the arena in September 1997 during her [[Share My World Tour]].

The Pyramid was the site in 1999 of the [[St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House|WWF St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House]] pay-per-view which featured [[Big Show|Big Show's]] WWE debut (under his real name Paul Wight); also in 1999 the rock bands the [[Rolling Stones]] and [[Phish]] played sold-out concerts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sep 29, 1999 Setlist – Phish.net |url=https://phish.net/setlists/phish-september-29-1999-pyramid-arena-memphis-tn-usa.html |website=phish.net |access-date=March 7, 2021}}</ref> Phish released an audio recording of the concert, entitled "Memphis '99", as a digital download in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.livephish.com/browse/music/0,1755/Phish-mp3-flac-download-09-29-99-Pyramid-Arena-Memphis-TN |title = Phish 9/29/99, Pyramid Arena, Memphis, TN |website=LivePhish |publisher=Phish}}</ref>

On June 8, 2002, the Pyramid hosted [[Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson]], one of the biggest [[professional boxing]] events in history, which Lewis won by [[knockout]] in the eighth round. The following year it hosted [[Mike Tyson vs. Clifford Etienne]], a fight that Tyson won by knockout in the first round.

On August 16, 2002, the arena hosted a concert that commemorated the 25th anniversary of [[Elvis Presley]]'s death.

From 2002 to 2006, the annual [[Church of God in Christ]] international holy convocations were held here.

It was also the graduation hall for [[Raleigh-Egypt High School]]. 

[[Bob Seger|Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band]] performed what was the last concert ever in the Pyramid, in February 2007. This was also the final event in the building while the Pyramid was a sports arena.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hundreds of people gathered at The Pyramid to highlight its closing |url=https://www.actionnews5.com/story/6036128/hundreds-of-people-gathered-at-the-the-pyramid-to-highlight-its-closing/ |publisher=[[WMC-TV]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |location=Memphis, Tennessee |date=February 4, 2007}}</ref>

Filmmaker [[Craig Brewer]] used the building as a sound stage for his film ''[[Black Snake Moan (film)|Black Snake Moan]]'' in late 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title=Casting call announced for 'Black Snake Moan'|url=http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2005/08/15/daily36.html|work=Memphis Business Journal|location=Memphis, Tennessee|date=August 18, 2005}}</ref>

==Troubles and closure==
In 2001, the city of Memphis attempted to relocate the [[Vancouver Grizzlies]] or the [[Charlotte Hornets]] to Memphis. While the Pyramid was functional and profitable, it was well short of NBA standards despite being only a decade old. The renovations required to make the building a viable long-term venue for an NBA franchise would have been prohibitively expensive. They would have also required taking the arena offline for a year.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/113592646 |title=Pyramid passe as professional sports venue |date=April 10, 2001 |page=2A |first=Rob |last=Johnson |newspaper=[[The Tennessean]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref> As a result, the $250 million [[FedExForum]] was built as a condition of the Grizzlies' [[Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis|move from Vancouver]] and opened in 2004. The city of Memphis did spend $7 million on renovations such as improved dressing rooms and new television camera platforms for the Grizzlies' three-year stay in the arena.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/593093024/ |date=July 21, 2000 |title=Pyramid remodeling begins in Memphis |newspaper=Johnson City Press |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

While hosting the Grizzlies, the arena lost $200,000 in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/293377855/ |title=Memphis Pyramid lost nearly $200,000| agency=Associated Press |newspaper=[[The Leaf-Chronicle]] |page=C8 |date=June 26, 2002 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The City of Memphis's contract with the Grizzlies forbade the use of The Pyramid without the team's approval, and, as a result, it went dark. The Memphis city council voted to keep the arena open in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/244945107/ |title=Memphis' Pyramid survives city council effort to close it |newspaper=The Tennessean |date=June 3, 2004 |page=B4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref> A committee headed by Memphis businessman Scott Ledbetter studied possible uses of the arena in 2005 and considered such uses as converting the arena into a [[casino]], an [[aquarium]], a [[shopping mall]], or an indoor [[theme park]].<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Williams |title=$250 million plan proposed for Pyramid, Mud Island |url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/dec/12/250-million-plan-proposed-pyramid-mud-island/ |newspaper=The Commercial Appeal |location=Memphis, Tennessee |date=December 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224061152/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/dec/12/250-million-plan-proposed-pyramid-mud-island/ |archive-date=December 24, 2007}}</ref> In November 2006, Congressman-elect [[Steve Cohen (politician)|Steve Cohen]] (D-Tennessee) suggested that he would attempt to open a Mid-American branch of the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in the building. However, these plans were never realized. In the end, the Ledbetter committee on the building's future recommended that it be used for destination retail, which would create more jobs and new tax revenues.

==Bass Pro Shops and redevelopment==
[[File:Bass Pro Pyramid.png|thumb|Interior of the Pyramid on Bass Pro Shops' opening day]]
[[File:Memphis from the water 2022c.jpg|thumb|Vicinity of the pyramid, with the edge of the [[Hernando de Soto Bridge]] at far left]]
In October 2005, media speculation began to focus on an aquarium or a [[Bass Pro Shops]] superstore as the most likely long-term tenants of the arena. In 2008, the city and Bass Pro Shops reached a tentative agreement, short on details, but based on an intent to develop the then-abandoned structure.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bass Pro Shops officially announce plans for the Pyramid|url=http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=4548990|publisher=WMC-TV|date=February 2, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312061247/http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=4548990|archive-date=March 12, 2007}}</ref> On June 30, 2010, after 5 years of negotiating, Bass Pro Shops and the City of Memphis signed an agreement for a 55-year lease for a Bass Pro Shops megastore. In addition, the redevelopment plans included revitalizing the [[Pinch District, Memphis|Pinch District]], which is the neighborhood east of the Pyramid. The city invested $30 million and hired O.T. Marshall Architects to help with the seismic retrofitting of the structure, which was funded by sales tax revenue in the surrounding area. O.T. Marshall and Insight Design Architects was later hired by Bass Pro Shops for its renovations and construction, which led to its opening April 29, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |first=Amos |last=Maki |title=Crews to begin transforming Pyramid into Bass Pro store Oct. 11, sources say |url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/11/crews-begin-transforming-pyramid-bass-pro-store-oc/?partner=popular |newspaper=The Commercial Appeal |location=Memphis, Tennessee |date=August 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017234557/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/11/crews-begin-transforming-pyramid-bass-pro-store-oc/?partner=popular |archive-date=October 17, 2012}}</ref> Construction was completed by W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company.

In addition to the retail store itself, Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid is home to an [[archery range]], a [[shooting range]], and a [[laser tag|laser arcade]]. The building also includes a Wahlburghers Wild and an Uncle Buck's Fishbowl and Grill with a [[bowling alley]] and a saltwater aquarium. The tallest freestanding elevator in America takes visitors to the Lookout at the Pyramid at the apex of the building, where people can take in the view on an indoor and outdoor observation deck or dine and drink at the Lookout, which is a restaurant, bar, and [[aquarium]] at the top of the building. At the base of the Pyramid is a 100-room hotel, the Big Cypress Lodge. Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid contains 600,000 gallons of water features and the largest collection of waterfowl and hunting-related equipment in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&appID=94&storeID=61 |title=Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid |website=[[Bass Pro Shops]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911035019/http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&appID=94&storeID=61 |archive-date=September 11, 2013}}</ref>{{fv|date=April 2025}}

Over 3 million people visited Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid in 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sills |first=Joe |title=The Unbelievable True Story Of How The Memphis Pyramid Became A Bass Pro Shops |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joesills/2020/08/26/the-unbelievable-true-story-of-how-the-memphis-pyramid-became-a-bass-pro-shops/ |date=August 26, 2020 |access-date=March 7, 2021 |work=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> In 2015, Bass Pro Shops considered adding a [[zip-line]] and a second hotel to the Pyramid.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bass Pro attendance has topped 1 million |url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/business/bass-pro-attendance-has-topped-1-million |newspaper=The Commercial Appeal |location=Memphis, Tennessee |access-date=August 3, 2015 |date=August 3, 2015 |first=Ted |last=Evanoff |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806184943/http://www.commercialappeal.com/business/bass-pro-attendance-has-topped-1-million |archive-date=August 6, 2015}}</ref>

In 2011, a drawing of the pyramid was incorporated into the standard design of Tennessee's state-issued driver's licenses alongside [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]'s [[AT&T Building (Nashville)|AT&T Building]], [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]]'s [[Sunsphere]], and [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]]'s [[Tennessee Aquarium]].

==See also==
* [[List of tallest buildings in Memphis]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Pyramid Arena}}
<!-- *[http://www.pyramidarena.com The Pyramid] URL redirects, and doesn't work -->
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20121102083726/http://www.emporis.com/building/greatamericanpyramid-memphis-tn-usa Emporis page]}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
|  title = Home of the<br>[[Memphis Grizzlies]]
|  years = 2001–2004
|  before = [[General Motors Place]]
|  after = [[FedExForum]]
}}
{{succession box
 |  title = Home of <br>[[Memphis Pharaohs]]
 |  years = 1995–1996
 |  before = first arena
 |  after = [[BancorpSouth Arena]]
}}
{{end}}
{{Memphis, Tennessee}}
{{Memphis Grizzlies}}
{{Memphis Tigers men's basketball navbox}}
{{Oklahoma Wranglers}}
{{Music venues of Tennessee}}
{{Former NBA arenas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1991 establishments in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Basketball venues in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Defunct boxing venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct indoor arenas in the United States]]
[[Category:Former NBA venues]]
[[Category:Event venues established in 1991]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Memphis Tigers basketball venues]]
[[Category:Pyramids in the United States]]
[[Category:Skyscrapers in Memphis, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1991]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Memphis, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Defunct sports venues in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Skyscrapers in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Memphis Grizzlies]]
[[Category:Retail buildings in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Egyptian Revival architecture in the United States]]