South Main Arts District, Memphis
Encyclopedia
The South Main Arts District in Memphis, Tennessee
makes up the southern portion of Downtown Memphis
. It is located along South Main Street.
. The other is the historic restaurant the Arcade, located on the south corner of South Main and G.E. Patterson. It is the oldest coffee shop and one of the oldest family owned restaurants in Memphis. Elvis used to hang out at the Arcade and it has become a favorite among filmmakers; several movies have had scenes filmed at the diner-styled restaurant.
trolley service up and down Main Street, open art galleries, and longer hours for most area shops and restaurants.
.
Some of the films featuring scenes from the South Main district are:
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
makes up the southern portion of Downtown Memphis
Downtown Memphis, Tennessee
Downtown Memphis, Tennessee is the central business district of Memphis, Tennessee and is located along the Mississippi River between Interstate 40 to the north, Interstate 55 to the south and I-240 to the east, where it abuts Midtown Memphis....
. It is located along South Main Street.
Points of historical interest
Two great points of historical interest in Memphis reside in this area. One is the National Civil Rights MuseumNational Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, is a privately owned complex of museums and historic buildings built around the former Lorraine Motel at 450 Mulberry Street, where Martin Luther King, Jr...
. The other is the historic restaurant the Arcade, located on the south corner of South Main and G.E. Patterson. It is the oldest coffee shop and one of the oldest family owned restaurants in Memphis. Elvis used to hang out at the Arcade and it has become a favorite among filmmakers; several movies have had scenes filmed at the diner-styled restaurant.
Art Trolley Tour
On the last Friday of each month, an event called "Art Trolley Tour" is put on by the owners of the South Main businesses and art galleries. From 6-9pm, this includes free MATAMemphis Area Transit Authority
The Memphis Area Transit Authority is the largest transit agency in Tennessee. MATA operates 39 bus routes, paratransit service for persons with disabilities , trolley service on three routes, and special-event shuttles for Memphis Grizzlies basketball games and University of Memphis Tigers...
trolley service up and down Main Street, open art galleries, and longer hours for most area shops and restaurants.
Locations and Buildings
Several notable locations and buildings are located in the South Main district.- National Civil Rights MuseumNational Civil Rights MuseumThe National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, is a privately owned complex of museums and historic buildings built around the former Lorraine Motel at 450 Mulberry Street, where Martin Luther King, Jr...
- Central StationCentral Station (Memphis)Memphis Central Station, referred to as Grand Central Station prior to 1944, is located at 545 South Main Street, on the corner of Main Street and G.E. Patterson Boulevard, just south of the downtown business district...
- The Arcade Restaurant
- Ernestine & Hazel's
Films
The South Main district has been featured in many films, sometimes as just background scenery in Memphis, sometimes masquerading as an older version of Beale StreetBeale Street
Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of the blues. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are...
.
Some of the films featuring scenes from the South Main district are:
- The Firm - Tom Cruise and the FBI meet at The Arcade Restaurant.
- 21 Grams21 Grams21 Grams is a 2003 American drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston, and Benicio del Toro....
- Hustle and Flow
- Walk the LineWalk the LineWalk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold and based on the early life and career of country music artist Johnny Cash...
- The scenes shown on "Beale Street" are actually South Main, somewhat dressed up and slightly CGI enhanced. - Black Snake Moan - While most of the movie was shot in the Pyramid, several scenes were shot on South Main as well.
- My Blueberry NightsMy Blueberry NightsMy Blueberry Nights is a 2007 romance/drama/road film directed by Wong Kar Wai, his first feature in English. The screenplay by Wong and Lawrence Block is based on a short Chinese-language film written and directed by Wong...
- Filmed inside Ernestine and Hazel's and the Arcade Restaurant, several exterior shots along South Main and G.E. Patterson. - Nothing But the TruthNothing But the Truth (2008 film)Nothing but the Truth is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Rod Lurie. According to comments made by Lurie in The Truth Hurts, a bonus feature on the DVD release, his inspiration for the screenplay was the case of journalist Judith Miller, who in July 2005 was jailed for contempt of...
- Scenes were shot at The Arcade restaurant (which is transformed via green screen special effects into a Washington eatery). - Mystery TrainMystery Train (film)Mystery Train is a 1989 independent anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and set in Memphis, Tennessee. The film comprises a triptych of stories involving foreign protagonists unfolding over the course of the same night...
- Not only shot in Memphis, but the front entrance of the Arcade Restaurant is depicted on the cover. - Great Balls of FireGreat Balls of Fire! (film)Great Balls of Fire! is a 1989 American biographical film directed by Jim McBride and starring Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis. Based on a biography by Myra Lewis and Murray M. Silver Jr., the screenplay is written by McBride and Jack Baran...
- The Client