Formerly: The Peabody Hotel
Memphis, Tennessee · Founded 1869 · Building: 1924–1925
Memphis's 1869 Peabody lineage lives on in a 1925 successor hotel, best known for the daily march of its resident ducks.
The original Peabody Hotel opened at Main and Monroe in 1869 and became a prominent Memphis social and business gathering place. That building closed in 1923, and a larger Peabody opened at the present Union Avenue and Second Street location in 1925. The current hotel is known worldwide for its resident ducks, a tradition that began with ducks placed in the lobby fountain in 1933 and became a formal daily march in 1940.
The original Peabody Hotel opens at the corner of Main Street and Monroe Avenue in Memphis.
Source: The Peabody Memphis, "History of the Peabody"; Clio, "The Peabody Memphis"
The original Main-and-Monroe Peabody closes as plans move forward for a larger successor hotel at a new downtown location.
Source: Clio, "The Peabody Memphis"
A newer and larger Peabody Hotel opens at Union Avenue and Second Street, the present location.
Source: The Peabody Memphis, "History of the Peabody"; Clio, "The Peabody Memphis"
General Manager Frank Schutt and a friend place live duck decoys in the lobby fountain after an Arkansas hunting trip, beginning the hotel's enduring association with ducks.
Source: Historic Hotels of America, "The Peabody: History, pageantry and architectural splendor"
Bellman Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, begins bringing the ducks to and from the lobby on a red carpet and develops the Duckmaster role, creating the formal Peabody Duck March.
Source: Historic Hotels of America, "The Peabody: History, pageantry and architectural splendor"
The Peabody closes. Belz Enterprises purchases the property and begins a multiyear restoration.
Source: CoStar, "How The Peabody's lobby duck march makes Memphis hotel a bucket-list visit"; Belz Enterprises, hotel management history
The restored Peabody reopens after a reported $25 million renovation.
Source: CoStar, "How The Peabody's lobby duck march makes Memphis hotel a bucket-list visit"; Historic Hotels of America, "The Peabody: History, pageantry and architectural splendor"
The Peabody continues operating under Belz Enterprises and its Peabody Hotel Group.
Source: Belz Enterprises, hotel management page; The Peabody Memphis, "History of the Peabody"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Hotel and Historic Hotels of America histories agree that General Manager Frank Schutt and a friend returned from an Arkansas hunting trip in 1933 and put live duck decoys in the lobby fountain. The guest reaction led the hotel to maintain resident ducks.
Ducks first entered the lobby fountain in 1933, but the formal red-carpet march was developed in 1940 by bellman Edward Pembroke. Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, became the first Duckmaster and taught the ducks the procession.
Elvis's first RCA contract is dated November 21, 1955, and accounts place Elvis and Hank Snow at the Peabody that day. This audit did not find sufficient evidence that the actual RCA signing occurred in the Peabody lobby; other accounts describe the Sun/RCA transaction as finalized at Sun.
The hotel closed in 1975, after which Memphis-based Belz Enterprises bought the property and began a major restoration. The hotel reopened in 1981, and current Belz material presents the acquisition and restoration as the foundation of its modern operation.
The Peabody Hotel has operated without interruption in the same building since 1869.
The original hotel opened at Main and Monroe in 1869 and closed in 1923. The present Union Avenue hotel opened in 1925, then closed in 1975 before Belz Enterprises restored and reopened it in 1981.
Source: Clio, "The Peabody Memphis"; CoStar, "How The Peabody's lobby duck march makes Memphis hotel a bucket-list visit"
The Peabody Duck March began in 1933.
Live ducks were first placed in the lobby fountain in 1933. The formal red-carpet Duck March began in 1940 under Edward Pembroke, the first Duckmaster.
Source: Historic Hotels of America, "The Peabody: History, pageantry and architectural splendor"
Elvis Presley signed his RCA contract in the Peabody lobby.
Elvis's November 21, 1955 RCA signing is documented, but this audit did not verify the Peabody lobby as the location of the actual contract signing.
Source: Scotty Moore, "First RCA Contract for Elvis"; Pennsylvania Word, "This Day in History: RCA Buys Elvis Presley's Contract"
The Peabody's survival is a story of interruption and revival rather than uninterrupted success. After the hotel closed in 1975 amid downtown decline and building problems, Belz Enterprises bought it, carried out a major renovation, and reopened it on September 1, 1981. The restored hotel combined a recognizable historic brand, its Duck March ritual, and a central downtown location to become an anchor for Memphis tourism and redevelopment.
The Peabody's duck tradition began in 1933 when General Manager Frank Schutt and a friend placed live duck decoys in the lobby fountain after a hunting trip. The formal Duck March came later, in 1940, when bellman and former circus animal trainer Edward Pembroke trained the ducks to walk a red carpet and became the first Duckmaster.
No. The original Peabody opened at Main and Monroe in 1869 and closed in 1923. The present Peabody at Union Avenue and Second Street opened in 1925, then closed from 1975 until its restoration and reopening in 1981.
Belz Enterprises owns and operates The Peabody Memphis through its hotel-management business. Belz purchased the closed hotel in 1975, restored it, and reopened it in 1981.
Elvis Presley signed his first RCA contract on November 21, 1955, and historical accounts place Elvis and Hank Snow at the Peabody that day. However, this audit did not establish that the contract itself was signed in the hotel lobby, so that location claim remains unverified.
149 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 529-4000
Check the official hotel schedule before visiting for current Duck March times, lobby access, dining, tours, and events.