Downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Former Criminal Courts Building
Photographed by Judith Barber, February 5, 2013
1. Former Criminal Courts Building Marker
Inscription.
Former Criminal Courts Building. . Designed by Jones and Furbringer, Architects, this building opened in 1925 as the Criminal Courts Building, housing two divisions of criminal court, a 300-bed county jail, and various offices. The limestone exterior features several design elements of the Renaissance, including massive scrolls at the setback for the upper floors modeled on those at the Church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. Interior hallways and central staircase are faced with pink and dark cedar Tennessee marble. Notorious criminals incarcerated here include “Machine Gun” Kelly, the F.B.I.s 1933 “Public Enemy No 1”, and James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Designed by Jones & Furbringer, Architects, this building opened in 1925 as the Criminal Courts Building, housing two divisions of criminal court, a 300-bed county jail, and various offices. The limestone exterior features several design elements of the Renaissance, including massive scrolls at the setback for the upper floors modeled on those at the Church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. Interior hallways and central staircase are faced with pink and dark cedar Tennessee marble. Notorious criminals incarcerated here include “Machine Gun” Kelly, the F.B.I.s 1933 “Public Enemy No 1”, and James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Erected by Shelby County Historial Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.
Location. 35° 8.925′ N, 90° 2.958′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Downtown Memphis. It is on Washington Avenue east of North 2nd Street, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 150 Washinton Ave, Memphis TN 38103, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Upper South, in the Mississippi Delta, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 16, 2013, by Judith Barber of Marietta, Georgia. This page has been viewed 737 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 16, 2013, by Judith Barber of Marietta, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
