The Peabody: The South's Grand Hotel

By 1869 Memphis had largely recovered from the Civil War and was poised to become the most important city in the South. When the first Peabody opened that same year at Main & Monroe, a tradition of elegance began which continues to this day with the current, second, 1925 Peabody. Between 1925 and 1960, the fame of the Peabody as `The South's Finest, One of America's Best' became firmly established with its famous ducks, rooftop dancing to the top national acts of the day, and its famous Skyway. But like many downtown hotels in the post WW II era, the Peabody suffered from the rise of Suburbia, the basic end of rail passenger traffic, and a desire for everything new and modern. The Peabody was bought and sold several times before closing its doors, seemingly forever. But Memphis real estate mogul Jack Belz had other ideas, and after a hard fought, expensive, and time consuming effort lasting almost a decade, succeeded in fully restoring The Peabody, and revitalizing downtown Memphis in the process. This interesting and informative book by Scott Faragher & Katherine Harrington contains nearly 200 images and photographs and traces the remarkable history of `The South's Grand Hotel' from its earliest days, into the present.