One hundred years ago, Memphis wanted the world to know it was going places.
A 1926 Chamber of Commerce publication called Memphis: The City of Opportunity presented an optimistic portrait of a growing Southern city. Its photographs showed impressive office buildings, factories, schools, neighborhoods and transportation facilities—all intended to convince businesses and prospective residents that Memphis had a prosperous future.
And in 1926, there was plenty to be optimistic about.
Cotton remained central to the city’s economy, but Memphis had become much more than a cotton market. Railroads connected the city with markets throughout the country. River traffic continued along the Mississippi, while automobiles were rapidly changing how Memphians moved around town.
Downtown was the commercial heart of the city. Main Street bustled with department stores, hotels, theaters and offices. The Columbian Mutual Tower—today’s Lincoln American Tower—had opened only a few years earlier and was among the city’s most impressive skyscrapers.
Radio was also changing Memphis life. WMC, operated by The Commercial Appeal, brought news and entertainment directly into homes. Movie theaters offered another increasingly popular escape.
Of course, the Chamber’s promotional picture didn’t tell the whole story. Memphis remained rigidly segregated, and the prosperity being advertised was not shared equally among its citizens.
That makes The City of Opportunity especially interesting today. It shows us not simply what Memphis looked like in 1926, but how the city’s leaders wanted Memphis to be seen.
A century later, many of the buildings pictured in that optimistic portrait are gone. Others remain familiar landmarks.
And Memphis is still trying to answer essentially the same question:
What kind of city do we want to become?