The University of Memphis, School of Law building (also commonly known as the ''Customs House,'' ''Post Office,'' or ''Courthouse'' reflecting its prior uses) is a 5-story former federal building, located in

downtown Memphis Downtown Memphis is the central business district of Memphis, Tennessee, and is located along the Mississippi River between Interstate 40 to the north, Interstate 55 to the south, and Interstate 240 (Tennessee), Interstate 240 to the east, where ...

. As of 2010, the building is owned entirely by the

University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

and houses its

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

. It is located at the corner of Front Street and Madison Avenue. It has of usable space that has been re-purposed as classrooms, offices, and administrative space. One of the original courtrooms from the building's former use as a courthouse has been restored as the University of Memphis

moot court Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In many countries, the phrase ...

room. The building is made of steel and concrete, and employs many decorative elements including

Tennessee marble Tennessee marble is a type of crystalline limestone found only in East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Long esteemed by architects and builders for its pinkish-gray color and the ease with which it is polished, the stone has been use ...

, granite, and detailed plaster work.

Location

The building, which has an address of 1 North Front Street, sits just west of

Court Square, Memphis A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts general ...

. The building's location on a natural

bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

overlooking the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

affords it magnificent westerly views of the river, including

Mud Island Mud Island is a small peninsula in Memphis, Tennessee. It is bordered by the Mississippi River to the west and the Wolf River and Harbor Town to the east. Mud Island River Park is within the Memphis city limits, from the coast of downtown ...

, and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

. Because of its location on a natural promontory, the building was not affected by the

2011 Mississippi River floods Major floods along the Mississippi River in April and May 2011 were among the largest and most damaging recorded along the U.S. waterway in the past century, comparable in extent to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and Great Flood of 19 ...

History

The building was built originally in the 1880s to house the U.S. Customs House, but it provided space for several other federal offices. Locally, it became known as the "Customs House." Over the following one hundred years, the U.S. federal building served many purposes, including as the federal courthouse, customs house, and post office. The building underwent a large expansion in 1929–1930, creating new a new facade on Front Street. It was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980.

Current Use

After extensive award-winning renovations,http://www.memphis.edu/mediaroom/releases/jun11/aia.htm U of M Law School Restoration/Renovation Wins Top Honor from American Institute of Architects in 2010 the building became home to the University of Memphis, School of Law. As such, it houses the

University of Memphis Law Review The ''University of Memphis Law Review'' is a student-run legal journal. It is the only academic journal of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. A predecessor of the review, entitled ''Memphis State University Law Commentary'', began publishin ...

offices, as well as the University of Memphis, Legal Aid Clinic.

Gallery

File:Madison_avenue_1920.JPG, View of

, looking west on Madison Ave, 1920. File:Downtown Memphis 1909.jpg,

Downtown Memphis Downtown Memphis is the central business district of Memphis, Tennessee, and is located along the Mississippi River between Interstate 40 to the north, Interstate 55 to the south, and Interstate 240 (Tennessee), Interstate 240 to the east, where ...

in 1909, overlooking Court Square. File:River view Memphis 1907.jpg, View of

in 1907 from the

. File:Memphis Madison Ave 1907.jpg, View of Madison Avenue, and Customs House and Post Office in 1907. File:Memphis Post Office Customs House 1913.jpg, View of building in 1913, looking North. File:Memphis Post Office and Customs House 1914.JPG, View of building in 1914, looking West. File:Madison avenue Memphis.jpg, View west on Madison Avenue, ending with the

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

(1906)

References

External links