Cumberland Presbyterian Center

[1] At the meetings of their General Assemblies in 2005 and 2006, Cumberland Presbyterians voted to either build, purchase, or lease a new denominational headquarters.

Arguments against renovation included the fear that asbestos employed in the original construction was a potential health risk to the occupants and that the structure was no longer in a desirable location.

The majority of the denominational boards and agencies housed at the property were strongly in favor of renovation and that the Memphis firm, Chandler Demolition Company, Inc. (later hired by Chick-fil-A to demolish the building), did not consider the asbestos to be a health risk.

[3] The General Assembly appointed a task force to raise funds for construction, and to select a site for a new denominational headquarters.

[4] On February 22, 2008, a site for the new Cumberland Presbyterian Center campus comprising two partially constructed buildings, a grassy area, and a portion of Rock Creek, was purchased near the intersection of Interstate 40 and Germantown Road in Memphis.