From: Paul Ryburn's Journal

From the MBJ: Prince Mongo's Planet to be converted into boutique hotel

Friday, July 06, 2007

In this print edition of this week's Memphis Business Journal, there's an article about plans for the space formerly occupied by Prince Mongo's Planet, a nightclub of the 1990s where 14-year-olds could go to get a beer and mingle with belligerent Navy recruits. A developer has a contract on the building and plans to renovate the building (56-60-62 South Front) into an upscale boutique hotel with 34 rooms. It will be called the Grade Hotel. Furthermore, there will be meeting rooms, a restaurant, a coffee shop and a BOOKSTORE(!!!!) on the ground floor. The developer is hoping to attract students from the U of M law school, which will be moving downtown in 2009, as well as students from nearby medical, dental, and optometry schools, to the coffee shop. He hopes to have clean-up crews in the building by September. The hotel's grand opening could happen as little as 18 months from then, with the ground-floor businesses open sooner. Great news for Downtown! Unless you're a freshman in high school and were hoping Mongo's would reopen so you'd have a place to drink.

posted by Paul Ryburn