Canopy by Hilton Memphis Hotel

164 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38103, USA United States

Building Area (sf): 117,101

Completion: July 2020

Architect of Record:

HBG Design

a. Danny Valle, AIA – Principal-in-Charge / Project Manager
b. Nathan Peak, AIA – Principal / Design Director / Lead Architectural Designer
c. Thor Harland – Lead Architectural Designer
d. Rodger Conine, AIA – Lead Project Architect
e. Steve Trott, AIA – Project Architect
f. Paul Towery, AIA, ICC Certified – Codes
g. Kathryn D’Andrea – Specifications
h. Ken Hudson, AIA – Construction Administration

• Owner/Client:
• General Contractor: Montgomery Martin
• Electrical: • Interior Designer: Sawyer & Company (formerly Krause + Sawyer)
  • Mechanical and Plumbing Engineer: Haltom Engineering
  • Electrical Engineer: Canup Engineering
  • Structural Engineer: Chad Stewart & Associates
  • Lighting Designer: Benya Burnett Consultancy
  • Food Service Consultant: Fred Schmid & Associates LLC
  
• Engineering:
  
• Other:
  
• Photography:
  Photographer: Nick McGinn Photography and Dero Sanford/ThinkDero Photography
  1. Downtown Gateway: Union Ave & B.B. King Blvd. The active intersection of Union Avenue and B.B. King Boulevard in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, serves as an important gateway into the urban core and its historic, world-famous attractions, the likes of which include the Beale Street entertainment district, Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous BBQ restaurant, the Peabody Hotel, the Civil Rights Museum and AutoZone Baseball Park. Image by Dero Sanford
  2. A Marquee Corner Revitalized - The new 171,100 square foot Canopy by Hilton hotel provides the design aesthetic and atmospheric prominence this marquee corner location has needed for years. Image by Nick McGinn
  3. Angled vertical recesses on the two main entrance elevations figuratively recall the shape of a door left ajar welcoming visitors to experience the stylized, locale-influenced interiors within. Image by Nick McGinn
  4. The five-story hotel’s blocked geometry elevates over a visually open base level prominently accommodating first floor lobby, restaurant, lounge and bar amenities, while achieving maximum configuration of its guestroom floors. Image by Nick McGinn
  5. The materials, proportions and scale are meant to evoke the characteristics of the existing network of mid-rise masonry architecture in the downtown area, while its dark charcoal gray palette, patterning and simplification of form help to distinguish the building from its context and contemporizes the visual aesthetic of the architecture. Image by Dero Sanford
  6. Simple aluminum framed windows punch with rhythmic patterning on all elevations. Combined with the understated modern facade, these well composed fenestrations balance brick, metal, wood and concrete materiality. Image by Nick McGinn
  7. Interiors designed by Sawyer + Company were influenced by Memphis culture and history with nods to the area’s iconic music legacy and vibrant riverfront industry. Image by Nick McGinn
  8. The first floor offers a variety of gathering areas - work tables, intimate seating groups, and upscale dining. Image by Nick McGinn
  9. From baseball and soccer games to concert events, the indoor/outdoor dining experience at the Canopy will keep guests and locals in the middle of the downtown entertainment action. Image by Dero Sanford
  
  

Sited at a main entry point into downtown Memphis’ historic entertainment district, this contemporary lifestyle hotel fits the urban context with discerningly rebellious architectural moves.

This active downtown Memphis intersection – with the last parcel of available land in downtown - serves as an important gateway into the urban core and to historic, world-famous attractions, such as the Beale Street entertainment district, the Peabody Hotel, the Civil Rights Museum and AutoZone Baseball Park. Forming a distinct first impression for visitors, a prominent new lifestyle hotel development provides the design aesthetic and atmospheric prominence this marquee corner location has needed for years.

The hotel’s materials, proportions and scale are meant to evoke characteristics of the existing network of mid-rise masonry architecture in the downtown area, while its dark charcoal gray palette, angular patterning and simplification of form help to distinguish the building from its context and contemporizes the visual aesthetic of the architecture.

Presenting a unique dichotomy, the five-story hotel’s blocked geometry elevates over a visually open base level prominently accommodating first floor lobby, restaurant, lounge and bar amenities, while achieving maximum configuration of its guestroom floors on upper levels.

Designers established a sense of transparency through the hotel’s base level using curtainwalls of glass and aluminum. Guestrooms wrap around two central lightwells introducing natural light to the core. Glowing light from the lightwells and curtainwalls flow together to permeate this first level, enhancing the dynamic lobby and indoor/outdoor dining experience and connecting the structure directly to the surrounding bustling pedestrian activity and downtown’s diverse entertainment and cultural experiences.