24 May 2019
Herzog & de Meuron to design new riverfront home for historic Tennessee museum
BY Andrew Manns
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Tennessee has appointed Swiss architecture practice Herzog & de Meuron to design "Brooks on the Bluff", its new US$105m (€93.9m, £82.6m) home.
The future art facility, which will overlook the Mississippi River, will boast 112,000 sq ft (10,405 sq m) of space and feature galleries, classrooms, a theatre, a cafeteria, a museum shop, and a sculpture garden.
Memphis-based studio archimania, who have previously worked to renovate the Brooks Museum's foyer, will serve as the architect of record.
Expected to be revealed in 2020, the design concept for Brooks on the Bluff will likely take cues from the city's storied history.
For years, Memphis has been a hub of commerce and trade, and in the 1960s the capital served as a focal point of the American Civil Rights Movement.
"In writing the next chapter for the Brooks Museum and its collection," said Jacques Herzog, co-founder of Herzog & de Meuron, "we have to both look to the future and be cognisant of a rich history."
Speaking on the project, Debrah Cradock, president of the Brooks board, said it "presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enhance the Brooks's capacity to serve the community and at the same time create an inspiring work of architecture that reflects Memphis's unique culture, history, and location".
The privately funded scheme is anticipated to be completed by 2025.
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