Perhaps the most high-profile development has been Crosstown Concourse, which has been recognized internationally for its transformation from a Sears, Roebuck & Co. retail store and distribution center, which closed in 1993, to a unique mixed-use vertical urban village.
In 2018, the project was shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival Awards, with Looney Ricks Kiss with DIALOG nominated in the New and Old category for their makeover of the 1.2 million-square-foot building.
The structure, which offers the community unique settings and uses that are intimately related, interconnected and interdependent, contains restaurants, retail and 265 apartment units.
This bustling hub of activity in the heart of the Crosstown neighborhood is grounded in three of Memphis’ strongest community assets — arts, education, and healthcare.
Crosstown Arts, which provides resources and creates opportunities to inspire, support, and connect a diversity of creative people, projects, and audiences, has created a beautiful exhibition space that features rotating pieces from both local and visiting artists. The organization has also created the Crosstown Arts Theater which features 425 seats, state of the art lighting, and a premiere sound system. The versatile space not only provides the local film and music communities with a venue to showcase their talents, but it also serves as an excellent event venue for organizations across the city.
Tenants focused on education include Christian Brothers University, Memphis Teacher Residency, Memphis Education Fund, Teach for America, and Crosstown High School, a public charter school that opened in the summer of 2018.
And the Concourse’s health care tenants include Church Health Center, the nation’s largest faith-based health care clinic, and offices occupied by Methodist Le Bonheur Health Care, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, A Step Ahead Foundation, the Tanenbaum Dermatology Center, Crosstown Back & Pain Institute, and Crosstown Dental Group.
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