The "New" Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

[James Owen]

After years of planning and a few delays along the way, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art's new facility along the Downtown Memphis riverfront finally has a design in place.

The 'New Brooks': Museum unveils designs for Downtown riverfront relocation

By John Beifuss, Memphis Commercial Appeal

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2021/11/05/memphis-brooks-museum-of-art-new-location-designs-downtown/6283679001/

Quote

Originally referred to as "Brooks on the Bluff" but now being branded as "The New Brooks," the project is expected to cost about $100 million, [Mark] Resnick said. More than $90 million has been collected so far from more than three dozen major donors, in a capital campaign with a goal of $150 million. The new building will have an estimated 112,976 square feet of space, which is close to 30,000 more than the current Brooks.

Renderings (All images courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron)

The site of the new museum - which is relocating from Overton Park to Downtown - is on land currently occupied by a fire station and parking garage in close proximity to the Cossitt Library, U of M Humphreys School of Law, and Cobblestone Landing:

Edited November 5, 2021 by James Owen

[VSRJ]

Herzog & de Meuron Unveils Design of New Memphis Brooks Art Museum

https://www.archdaily.com/971440/herzog-and-de-meuron-unveils-design-of-memphis-brooks-art-museum
 

Quote

 

Herzog & de Meuron has unveiled the design of the new Memphis Brooks Museum of Art overlooking the Mississippi River. The 10,500 sqm Memphis-based "archimania" will feature expanded galleries, exhibition spaces, and open spaces for community and educational programs with free public access. The museum is expected to open to the public in 2026.

The new museum is part or a 10-meter-long redevelopment project of the Memphis riverfront, which is currently underway. The regeneration plans include a preservation of the site's historic cobblestone landing, new parks, recreational pathways, a "cultural corridor" alongside the river, and connections with the city center and downtown area. The riverfront features projects by Studio Gang and SCAPE.

The proposed structure will be located on Front Street between Monroe and Union avenues on Cotton Row, an area considered as the oldest part of Memphis. The design features a pair of double-height wooden columns, a metallic canopy, and a brick paved courtyard as the main entrance. The main museum structure is wrapped with earthen cladding surrounding a horizontal glass box as a central unit. The glass unit's transparency encourages passersby to catch glimpses of the entrance lobby and museum store. The museum also includes a wooden-clad courtyard used as a public gathering space and recreational area.

 

 

Edited November 5, 2021 by VSRJ

[TheKernel91]

Looks great. I wonder what happened to the original glass building structure that was planned on mud island, and the pedestrian bridge to walk across the river from Front Street? 

[MLBrumby]

Nice! But is that just a 10-meter redevelopment of the riverfront? Or a misprint? Maybe 100-meter! Or 10 kilometer?

[James Owen]

11 hours ago, TheKernel91 said:

Looks great. I wonder what happened to the original glass building structure that was planned on mud island, and the pedestrian bridge to walk across the river from Front Street? 

There were plans pitched to put a freshwater aquarium on Mud Island, but that along with a second pedestrian bridge have been scrapped for the time being as MRPP is currently focusing their attention on revamping Tom Lee Park and Cobblestone Landing. Those two things you mentioned might get revisited somewhere down the road in a few years.

8 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

Nice! But is that just a 10-meter redevelopment of the riverfront? Or a misprint? Maybe 100-meter! Or 10 kilometer?

The new Brooks Museum will have 112,976 square feet of space (or roughly 10,500 square meters) on an entire city block. The 10-meter number is an obvious typo (they probably meant 10 kilometers/~6 miles) considering the amount of work currently underway or planned along the river's edge between Chickasaw Bluff/Welcome Center to the north and Ashburn-Coppock Park/Martyrs Park to the south.

[dxfret]

The architecture of the this rending leaves so much to be desired.  It is reminiscent of a bunker, not a museum.  This prime spot deserves a more distinctive and exciting design.  Where is the glass?  The great Mississippi River view should be emphasized.  I am reminded of a World War II bunker, or of the ugly Cook Convention Center with no windows, not of a modern art museum.  Come on Memphis, this design needs a lot of work. 

[TheExtraEastKid]

3 hours ago, dxfret said:

  Come on Memphis, this design needs a lot of work. 

Yeah, the exterior favors a concrete slab but, no worry, knowing Memphis this may never be constructed.

Edited November 6, 2021 by TheExtraEastKid

[DowntownUrbanite]

On 11/6/2021 at 8:19 AM, dxfret said:

The architecture of the this rending leaves so much to be desired.  It is reminiscent of a bunker, not a museum.  This prime spot deserves a more distinctive and exciting design.  Where is the glass?  The great Mississippi River view should be emphasized.  I am reminded of a World War II bunker, or of the ugly Cook Convention Center with no windows, not of a modern art museum.  Come on Memphis, this design needs a lot of work. 

Underwhelming and unfortunate. I agree about the reference to a bunker, brutalistic architecture is not inviting and is often an open invitation for criminal activity. The parking garage it will be replacing has more character. A total disappointment!

[MDC26]

Yeah, I was completely underwhelmed too.  The inside is ok, but the outside looks pretty plain.  I was expecting something striking like the Denver Art Museum, Guggenheim, or the Milwaukee Art Museum (sans moving wings.)  I'd even be perfectly fine with a classical look like the Art Institute of Chicago.  I've never been a fan of the brutalistic architecture and think this current design will not stand out and just be looked over.  Definitely not a crown of the riverfront.  

[DRG901]

26 minutes ago, MDC26 said:

Yeah, I was completely underwhelmed too.  The inside is ok, but the outside looks pretty plain.  I was expecting something striking like the Denver Art Museum, Guggenheim, or the Milwaukee Art Museum (sans moving wings.)  I'd even be perfectly fine with a classical look like the Art Institute of Chicago.  I've never been a fan of the brutalistic architecture and think this current design will not stand out and just be looked over.  Definitely not a crown of the riverfront.  

Totally agree.   

[VSRJ]

I think my biggest issue is that it's too similar to the brutalist concrete mess that is the Mud Island complex across the harbor. I so hope it will be gone someday in favor of a more natural, aesthetically pleasing design. But that's for another thread...

[DowntownUrbanite]

To top off the brutalistic design is the striking resemblance of a video game creature. It clearly has a face and would fit right into the movie “Pixels”.

[VSRJ]

A permit has been filed to demolish the fire station and parking garage. Construction on the museum is expected to begin mid-2023 with the building being completed in 2026.

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/08/15/demolition-permit-brooks-museum-downtown.html

[The Guardian of Memphis]

3 hours ago, VSRJ said:

A permit has been filed to demolish the fire station and parking garage. Construction on the museum is expected to begin mid-2023 with the building being completed in 2026.

https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/08/15/demolition-permit-brooks-museum-downtown.html

Alright! 
 

This will add to downtown being the cultural center of the region. The children’s museum would be a great addition downtown too. The design leaves a little to be desired, but maybe anything else would’ve blended in too much with its surroundings or have been too gaudy. Hopefully it’ll look better in person. Where will the logo of brooks go? Will there be a marquee? I wanted the museum to have more of an international style/postmodern mix, like the convention center and main library. 
 

Memphis is still the capital of the mid-south, no matter what anyone says otherwise. 

Edited August 15, 2022 by The Guardian of Memphis

[TheKernel91]

Starting to get a good sense of what the river front will be in 5 years. It will be completely different... Once One Beale finishes it campus, Tom Lee Park redesign, added Cruise ship docks, the Ferris Wheel, The shut off of Wolf River to create a lake, possibly a Zipline Adventure Park on Mud Island, and the Cobblestone restoration, along side of the Brooks Museum.

The River front will be waaaay better from the start of change around 2010 when things started to get proposed for Bass Pro Pyramid and Beale St Landing.

Edited August 16, 2022 by TheKernel91

[The Guardian of Memphis]

13 hours ago, TheKernel91 said:

Starting to get a good sense of what the river front will be in 5 years. It will be completely different... Once One Beale finishes it campus, Tom Lee Park redesign, added Cruise ship docks, the Ferris Wheel, The shut off of Wolf River to create a lake, possibly a Zipline Adventure Park on Mud Island, and the Cobblestone restoration, along side of the Brooks Museum.

The River front will be waaaay better from the start of change around 2010 when things started to get proposed for Bass Pro Pyramid and Beale St Landing.

I agree. I don’t know about the wolf river cutoff. Wouldn’t it be better if it was open, so people could boat from the snuff district to beale landing? What would be the benefits of closing it off?

Since all this will be happening, hopefully another convention center hotel will be on the way. Memphis already has the top draws tourism wise in the state: Graceland and Beale street. Plus a top notch zoo.

Edited August 16, 2022 by The Guardian of Memphis

[MDC26]

2 hours ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

I agree. I don’t know about the wolf river cutoff. Wouldn’t it be better if it was open, so people could boat from the snuff district to beale landing? What would be the benefits of closing it off?

Since all this will be happening, hopefully another convention center hotel will be on the way. Memphis already has the top draws tourism wise in the state: Graceland and Beale street. Plus a top notch zoo.

Turning part of Wolf River Lagoon into a lake, would make it nicer. Water would be clearer and wouldn’t get the debris from high water. It wouldn’t rise and fall with the river. It wouldn’t get all the trash coming out of Gayoso bayou. Snuff district flooding would be mitigated. The only drawback would be you couldn’t take a boat or kayak all the way into the snuff district (unless you wanted to haul a kayak over the earthen dam).  However, the new lake would still be 1.5 miles long, so still plenty of length to kayak. 

[DowntownUrbanite]

Hope the Brooks Museum Site includes at least 400 parking spaces. That area is already tight with parking and the Riverfront Garage garage they will be removing has 650 spaces. The conversion of the Raymond James and Falls Buildings to residential will create even more pressure especially on weekends. Without subterranean parking, the only visitors to the Brooks will be tourists and Downtown Residents.

[The Guardian of Memphis]

On 8/17/2022 at 10:38 PM, DowntownUrbanite said:

Hope the Brooks Museum Site includes at least 400 parking spaces. That area is already tight with parking and the Riverfront Garage garage they will be removing has 650 spaces. The conversion of the Raymond James and Falls Buildings to residential will create even more pressure especially on weekends. Without subterranean parking, the only visitors to the Brooks will be tourists and Downtown Residents.

Don't forget the mobility center on Beale, but it would be too far to walk.

[VSRJ]

On 8/20/2022 at 4:59 PM, The Guardian of Memphis said:

Don't forget the mobility center on Beale, but it would be too far to walk.

I just measured and it's only about a 1/3-mile walk — not too bad.

Edited August 22, 2022 by VSRJ

[MDC26]

On 8/21/2022 at 10:26 PM, VSRJ said:

I just measured and it's only about a 1/3-mile walk — not too bad.

And don’t forget, there is parking at cobblestone landing (as long as the river isn’t at flood stages).  I’m pretty sure it’s been free parking. Don’t know if it will become paid parking after the restoration. 

[The Guardian of Memphis]

3 hours ago, MDC26 said:

And don’t forget, there is parking at cobblestone landing (as long as the river isn’t at flood stages).  I’m pretty sure it’s been free parking. Don’t know if it will become paid parking after the restoration. 

Will there be parking on cobblestone landing, according to the below concept per Studio Gang? Maybe Ritchie and Assoc. will make parking available?

[MDC26]

44 minutes ago, The Guardian of Memphis said:

Will there be parking on cobblestone landing, according to the below concept per Studio Gang? Maybe Ritchie and Assoc. will make parking available?

Who knows.  I didn't know Studio Gang designed anything for Cobblestone Landing.  Maybe this isn't official, just speculative.  I was thinking there'd be parking for the riverboats, like there has been in the past.  I also didn't think there would be any trees planted at Cobblestone landing, because as they grew, the roots would mess up the cobbestones.  Smaller trees could be placed in planters, but putting them in the ground could mess with the integrity of the landing.  

[MDC26]

This design image does not show any trees.  It still shows the current ramps, with arrows going along them.  They may have decided not to allow any vehicles on it anymore, as not to damage the cobblestones.  I have no idea.  

https://dailymemphian.com/article/14936/memphis-riverboat-landing-cobblestones-construction-restoration-improvement-landmmark-pedestrian

 

[The Guardian of Memphis]

On 8/23/2022 at 2:01 PM, MDC26 said:

This design image does not show any trees.  It still shows the current ramps, with arrows going along them.  They may have decided not to allow any vehicles on it anymore, as not to damage the cobblestones.  I have no idea.  

https://dailymemphian.com/article/14936/memphis-riverboat-landing-cobblestones-construction-restoration-improvement-landmmark-pedestrian

 

It's probably a good thing they don't have trees, so people can actually see the cobblestones. Some landscaping would be nice, to break up the monotony of stones. I don't agree with the parking.

Edited August 24, 2022 by The Guardian of Memphis