A New Life for Beale Street

When the most famous street in Tennessee needed an overhaul, an advanced pavement coating from GAF preserved history and paved a better path to the future.

Stumbling on the past

Beale Street, a 1.8 mile-long destination in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, is the “Home of the Blues.” Spanning from the Mississippi River to East Street, it is lined with blues clubs and restaurants and hosts festivals and concerts.  

Beale Street was originally paved with cobblestones, but as the uneven surface aged and people stumbled, city planners knew they needed a fix.

Preserving history and protecting the future

The city decided on a new asphalt surface imprinted with an offset brick pattern to reflect the history of Beale Street. Unlike traditional pavers, imprinted asphalt doesn’t heave, minimizing hazards and offering better access for people with disabilities.  

To enhance the brick impression, the new asphalt was coated with burnt-sienna colored StreetBond® SB150 Pavement Coating from GAF. A decade after the asphalt installation, the surface was still in excellent condition and did not require replacement—just a simple cleaning and reapplication of the coating. The durability of GAF coating extended the life cycle of the surface and saved the city the cost of removing and replacing the asphalt.

Facts:

• Beale Street district is listed in the U.S. Register of National Historic Landmarks.
• The application of burnt-sienna StreetBond® SB150 Pavement Coating over imprinted pattern created the illusion of brick.
• StreetBond® SB150 Pavement Coating protects against UV exposure.