Pyramid To Reopen As Bass Pro

The Pyramid, the 32-story glass and steel building that once housed the Memphis Grizzlies and was hoped to serve as a signature landmark for Memphis, Tenn., will become a Bass Pro Shops sporting goods superstore.

It will reopen in April or May, ending what the New York Times calls “one of the nation’s weirdest urban-development misfires.”

The Pyramid was designed as a nod to the Egyptian roots of the city’s name. “Quite frankly, what revenue-producing, tax-produc in 2004, plans took a few detours in the ensuing decade. The Pyramid has reportedly sat dark since 2007.

Despite delays, Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid will feature shooting and archery ranges, a bowling alley, 100-room hotel including lodging that appears to be in a cypress swamp, and an observation deck resembling the Grand Canyon skywalk. There will be aquariums stocked with 1,800 fish, a conservation-themed “waterfowling heritage center” and ponds containing alligators.

Not everyone is thrilled with the aesthetic details, according to the Times. “I consider Memphis to be a cultural center, and I think that if you put a giant redneck hub in the middle of it, you’re going to dilute all that,” an art gallery worker told the paper. “But I think it’s better than having a giant empty paperweight downtown.”

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