The Cotton Row Historic District is one of the National Register-listed districts recognized (and protected) by the City of Memphis. Once a prominent industrial hub for the cotton industry, the project site includes two adjacent buildings overlooking the Mississippi River bluff with 100+ apartment units.

Located within the Cotton Row Historic District, the site is connected to the growth and development of Memphis. Most of the buildings were constructed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to meet the needs of buying and selling cotton, and were designed to be utilitarian rather than elaborately decorative.

In 1905, 99 S Front was occupied by Memphis Cold Storage Warehouse and remained in operation until 1972. Sequentially, two restaurants occupied the ground floors and portions of the basement levels for many years but have since vacated the property. A two-story wood addition was added to accommodate the restaurant tenants, and has remained. The upper floors have been vacant since 1972.

105 S Front Street is a three story former cotton grading building from the late 19th century. With trademark high ceilings and skylights, the building is typical of the “Cotton Row” trading offices which populated Front Street when Memphis was center of the global cotton business.

The full project comprises two adjacent buildings with an industrial history. To maximize the number of units on the bottom floor of the larger building, a courtyard was created to enhance sunlight, air, and open space.