M
Madison Corridor
Joint Vision Document — Authorized Access

Two Landmarks. One Corridor. One Vision.

The Exchange Building and the Sterick Building — one block apart on Madison Avenue — are writing Downtown Memphis's next chapter. Together.

Madison Avenue Corridor  ·  Downtown Memphis  ·  2026

The Madison Corridor

Exchange Building
1910  ·  Beaux-Arts  ·  19 Stories
Second & Madison
NoMa District + Building OS
Madison Avenue 1 Block
Sterick Building
1929  ·  Gothic Revival  ·  29 Stories
Third & Madison / B.B. King Blvd
HiFi District + Constellation Properties

Two of Memphis's most iconic landmarks stand one block apart on Madison Avenue. The Exchange Building — where cotton prices once moved global markets — and the Sterick Building — once the tallest in the American South — are both being revitalized by local operators with complementary visions for Downtown's future. One from the east, one from the west. Both meeting on Madison.

◆   ◆   ◆

Two Buildings, Two Stories

One beaux-arts tower from 1910. One gothic revival queen from 1929. Nearly a century of history between them, and a shared conviction that Downtown Memphis is worth fighting for.

The Exchange Building
"Where cotton moved global markets"
Built
1910 by Neander Montgomery Woods Jr.
Style
Beaux-Arts · 19 stories · 264 feet
Original
Memphis Merchants and Cotton Exchange
Landmark
National Register of Historic Places since 1979
Famous for
Green copper roof on the Memphis skyline
Today
200+ unit hybrid property (STR / LTR / weekly / rehab)
Operators
Gulam & Sardor Umarov
Technology
Building OS — custom-built property management system
Vision
NoMa District (North Madison neighborhood OS), Memphis Market (local marketplace)
Status
Operational — Building OS is live in production
The Sterick Building
"Queen of the South"
Built
1929 by Wyatt C. Hedrick
Style
Gothic Revival · 29 stories · 340,000 sq ft
Original
"Queen of the South" — tallest building in the American South until 1957
Landmark
Vacant since 1986; acquired by Constellation Properties (Stuart Harris) in March 2023
Investment
$175M full restoration underway
Plans
~250 residential units, hotel, rooftop amenities, ground-floor retail
Vision
HiFi District — a 501c3 nonprofit community framework powered by HiFi Memphis
Framework
Human Ecology Framework by Thriving Cities Group
Target
Grand reopening 2027
Also
"Stereo Alley" — the historic alley between Second and Fourth Streets, being reimagined
Status
$175M Restoration Underway
◆   ◆   ◆

Where the Visions Converge

The HiFi District uses the Human Ecology Framework — six pillars from Thriving Cities Group — to build community around the Sterick Building. Each pillar maps directly to the Building OS ecosystem already operating one block east.

Pillar
HiFi District Description
Building OS / NoMa Alignment
The True
Knowledge & Learning
Universities, libraries, job training, community gardens — the knowledge infrastructure that helps a neighborhood learn and grow.
NoMa District dashboard brings transparency and data to a historically opaque corridor. Building OS trains local workers in hospitality technology.
The Good
Social Mores & Ethics
Families, volunteering, community centers, farmers markets — the social fabric that holds a neighborhood together.
Memphis Market connects local vendors and makers to residents and visitors. Community-first commerce that keeps dollars local.
The Beautiful
Creativity & Design
Public art, placemaking, restaurants, city planning — the creative energy that gives a neighborhood its identity.
Two beaux-arts and gothic revival landmarks restored to their architectural glory. Stereo Alley and the North Madison streetscape designed for people, not just cars.
The Prosperous
Economic Life
Businesses, investment, technology, innovation — the economic engine that creates opportunity and wealth in a neighborhood.
Building OS is Memphis-built technology creating jobs locally. Every building on the protocol employs housekeeping, maintenance, and front desk staff. Zero outside capital.
The Just
Political & Civic Life
Civic groups, public housing, transportation, politics — the governance structures that ensure fairness and participation.
NoMa District includes community governance tools. Both projects prioritize housing flexibility — converting units to meet real demand, not speculation.
The Sustainable
Natural Environment
Street trees, bike lanes, hospitals, advocacy — the environmental stewardship that sustains a neighborhood for generations.
The corridor approach consolidates services, reduces sprawl, and revitalizes existing structures instead of demolishing. Adaptive reuse as sustainability.
Powered by the Human Ecology Framework  ·  Thriving Cities Group
◆   ◆   ◆

The Downtown Flywheel

Madison
Corridor
B
Building OS
Operations Layer
H
HiFi District
Civic Layer
M
Memphis Market
Commerce Layer
N
NoMa District
Transparency Layer
S
Stereo Alley
Physical Layer

This isn't two separate projects that happen to be next door. It's one ecosystem with two anchor buildings. The Exchange Building and the Sterick Building — the beaux-arts tower from 1910 and the gothic revival queen from 1929 — become the twin engines of a revitalized Madison corridor. Building OS provides the operational technology. HiFi provides the community framework. Memphis Market keeps the dollars local. NoMa makes the progress visible. And the corridor itself — from Second Street to Fourth Street, from Stereo Alley to the rooftops — becomes a living proof of concept for what Memphis can build when local operators work together.

◆   ◆   ◆

By the Numbers

450+
Combined future units
(200+ Exchange + ~250 Sterick)
2
National Register landmarks
$175M+
Combined investment
1 Block
Apart on Madison Avenue
1910 / 1929
Nearly a century of history between them
6
Human Ecology pillars activated
◆   ◆   ◆

Two Teams. One Corridor.

Exchange Building / Building OS
Gulam & Sardor Umarov
Building OS  ·  Exchange Building
9 N. Second Street, Memphis, TN 38103
Sterick Building / HiFi District
Stuart Harris
Constellation Properties  ·  HiFi Memphis
8 N. Third Street (Madison & B.B. King Blvd)
Memphis, TN 38103
◆   ◆   ◆

Two buildings. Two teams. One corridor. One city.

If you're a developer, investor, city official, journalist, or neighbor — this is what Memphis looks like when local operators build together. We'd love to show you.

Schedule a tour of either building or both. Walk the corridor. See what's happening on Madison Avenue.