Brooks Museum to go vertical Downtown via $80M construction permit

By Stephen MacLeod – Reporter, Memphis Business Journal

October 3, 2023

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art has filed a $79.7 million permit to begin vertical construction on its new Downtown facility.

The permit, filed with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, will allow work to begin on the structure of the museum. This phase — the third overall for the Downtown project — includes the building structure, exterior envelope, and all interior and exterior finishes.

Memphis-based Grinder, Taber & Grinder is listed as the applicant and general contractor for the project. The site’s previous occupants — a parking garage and a fire station on Front Street between Union Avenue and Monroe Avenue — were demolished in August 2022, with site work beginning shortly after.

The new $100 million Brooks Museum was first announced in January 2020, with initial concepts revealed in early 2021. The design has undergone multiple refinements over the past year and is now moving into the construction phase.

“Today, we are excited to keep making this vision a reality,” said Brooks Museum board president Carl Person in a statement. “On behalf of the Brooks’ many members, supporters, and patrons — today and for years to come — we express our gratitude for everyone who shares our vision and makes this progress possible.”

The new museum is planned as a three-story building rising to approximately 75 feet, with much of that height designed to blend into its surroundings. The roof will serve as a public sculpture garden and park.

The project is being designed by Herzog & de Meuron, based in Switzerland and New York, in collaboration with Memphis-based firm archimania.