The site itself has a unique history, as it is located near the location of
Irving Block Prison, which was on the north side of Court Square, which was used by the Union Army to house Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War. Freeing prisoners from Irving Block Prison was one of the three major objectives of Maj. Gen.
Nathan Bedford Forrest's raid in the
Second Battle of Memphis. In 1924, the president of the Memphis branch of the Columbia Mutual Insurance Company (later renamed to the Lincoln American Insurance Company),
Lloyd Binford, had the gleaming white tower built overlooking Court Square. Binford later made an infamous name for himself across the country as head of the Memphis Censor Board, which he ran from his own offices on the top floor of the building. In 1978, the National Register of Historic Places listed the Lincoln American Tower. On October 6, 2006, the building was damaged by fire after embers from a major fire at the nearby First United Methodist Church were carried several blocks by strong winds. The result lit the top few floors of the building on fire, including the roof, and filled much of downtown Memphis with smoke. The nearby Court Annex building was destroyed in the same fire. Despite the fire, the renovation of the building continued, and the first tenants in 2008 were the
Plough Foundation, who leased of space in the building. ==Design==