345 S Main St
Memphis, TN
After decades of vacancy and numerous unsuccessful attempts by other developers, the historic Ambassador Hotel was successfully brought back to market by local restaurateurs. With the assistance of the cnct. team, they were able to redevelop the former hotel into a mixed-use building, with 10 apartments on upper floors, and their own restaurant, South of Beale, occupying the ground floor.
The building required extensive structural repairs throughout to mitigate the years of water-infiltration, leaving a very limited budget for new construction work. The design team approached both the interiors & exteriors with a minimalist treatment, painting the cacophony of different existing masonry a dark gray, and using the same gray selectively on the interior for moments of contrast with the white interior finishes throughout the apartments, Attention is then directed to the ground-floor restaurant via a commissioned mural and LED “neon” signage, expressing the new and refined character of SOB at its new location.
