Overview
Many changes will be taking place at Overton Park in the coming years-the Memphis College of Art’s (MCA) Rust Hall will be closing its doors in 2020, and the Brooks Museum will be relocating to a new downtown facility in 2023/2024. These two buildings sit adjacent to each other and together comprise 186,000 square feet of space, including gallery, classroom, food service, auditorium, and event spaces.
In anticipation of these changes, the City of Memphis is beginning an exciting visioning process to determine the best uses for the two buildings, working to ensure the continued vibrancy of Overton Park as a cultural anchor. The goal of Project Overton Park (POP): Reimagining Rust Hall and the Brooks Building is to collaborate with the Overton Park and Memphis community to define a set of guiding principles for the use, maintenance, and stewardship of the two buildings.
PROJECT OVERTON PARK (POP) PROCESS
The City of Memphis has enlisted the assistance of U3 Advisors (U3A), a nationally recognized consulting firm that specializes in providing real estate and economic development solutions to institutional partners, to assist in developing the vision & strategy for the project. As part of this process, U3A will host two public forums. These forums are an essential step in ensuring Overton Park visitors and Memphians alike have a say in the future of the park. Following the forums, U3A will continue to work with the City of Memphis and other key partners to develop an RFP (Request for Proposals) for future occupants of the buildings.
Public Forums
Please join us at the following public forums. We look forward to hearing your ideas and vision for the future of these two beloved buildings.
Public Forum Open House
Tuesday, October 16th at 6pm
Memphis College of Art (MCA), Callicott Auditorium
1930 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Public Forum Goals & Vision
Wednesday, November 28th, 2018 at 6pm
Lester Community Center
317 Tillman St, Memphis, TN 38112
OVERTON PARK CONSERVANCY
PARKWIDE MASTER PLAN 2018
Over the coming months, parallel to the Rust Hall & Brooks Vision Plan, the Overton Park Conservancy (OPC) and the City of Memphis will be launching the first comprehensive planning process for the park in more than 30 years.
There will be three major questions:
1) How can we make the park equitable for all Memphians?
2) How can we honor the historic and present uses of the park while anticipating the future needs of our community?
3) What would make Overton Park financially sustainable?
The Rust Hall & Brooks Vision Plan and the OPC Parkwide Master Plan-although separate processes-will work together to create a cohesive vision for Overton Park.
Partners
