PHAR-OH?
Bizarre 300ft ‘Egyptian’ pyramid topped by crystal skull loomed abandoned over US city before getting surprising new use
A mysterious curse is said to have caused all the mayhem that led to its closure
A BIZARRE Egyptian-style pyramid with a "cursed" crystal skull on top was left abandoned in the US - before it was given an unintended new use.
The 321ft Memphis Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee had faced several problems, which was all blamed on a mysterious curse by it's creator.
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The mind behind the outlandish structure even claims that there are still other hidden artefacts inside that are yet to be discovered more than 30 years later.
Isaac Tigrett, who was the man with the vision, started the famous Hard Rock Café and married Ringo Starr's ex-wife Maureen Starkey.
He wanted one of his Hard Rock Cafes to use part of the pyramid.
It was mainly meant to be the home court for the University of Memphis and Memphis Grizzlies basketball teams, and also house concerts and large events.
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The Memphis Pyramid is currently a Bass Pro Shops store with several other attractions, but a supposed curse ruined the original vision.
In 1991, the pyramid opened after three years of construction at a whopping £50million ($65million) price tag.
That same year, construction workers found a unknown metal box somehow welded to the top of the massive building.
The box wasn't a part of any construction plans, and they had no idea what its purpose was or what was inside it.
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Concerned, they opened it and were smacked in the face with a powerful smell of incense and a crystal skull Isaac had put there was revealed.
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It was apparently intended to ward off evil spirits, and when Isaac found out it had been removed, he was furious.
He was heard saying: You don't have any idea what you have done."
According to the eccentric, this started a cascade of unfortunate events that led to the pyramid being left dormant for over a decade.
A CURSED HISTORY
If Isaac was right, then the curse unleashed that day in 1991 was a very influential one.
The pricey pyramids faced severe issues from the start, and this didn't stop for the brief 16 years it was open until being left abandoned.
The first event to be held at the venue was a concert, played by mother and daughter duo, The Judds.
However, due to several construction issues and confusion, the plumbing was not properly installed.
Sewage flooded into the bathrooms and hallways when toilets were flushed, causing some bad PR for the first night.
The Top 10 Biggest Pyramids
1. Transamerica Pyramid - 853ft
2. Great Pyramid of Giza - 454ft
3. Pyramid of Khafre - 448ft
4. Borobudur - 387 ft
5. Luxor Pyramid - 350ft
6. Red Pyramid - 344ft
7. Bent Pyramid - 344ft
8. Memphis Pyramid - 321ft
9. Toniná Pyramid - 243ft
10. La Danta - 236ft
When the pyramid tried to shift into hosting professional basketball games, the lacking infrastructure caused problems once again.
The new Memphis Grizzlies initially played at The Pyramid, but the acoustics were terrible and the building lacked certain amenities that modern-day NBA teams desire.
The cost to upgrade made no sense, so that plan didn't work out either.
The Memphis Pyramid still hosted a few notable names, like Mary J. Blige and The Rolling Stones, but it wasn't enough.
It closed in 2007, and was left vacant for nearly a decade.
THE MEMPHIS PYRAMID TODAY
It wasn't until 2015 that the location was opened again, and it was far from what Isaac had in mind.
The Memphis Pyramid is currently home to a Bass Pro Shops, an upgrade that cost £167million ($215 million) in renovations.
There is still the lavishness that Isaac started with, however.
Visitors can find a 103-room Big Cypress Lodge, built into the upper floors, with porches overlooking an alligator-filled cypress swamp far below.
The initial concept for the pyramids dates back 70 years to 1954, when Memphis artist Mark C. Hartz drew up a plan for a series of pyramids.
Amazingly, the biggest one would be 2/3 the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
In the end, Isaac's vision may have changed over time, but the venue still draws huge crowds.
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Bass Pro Shops drew three million people in its first year, and continues to draw big crowds.
Although Isaac claims that there are still artefacts hidden inside, it is unknown to this day just how much damage removing the ominous crystal skull did to his audacious vision.
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