In Memphis’ historic Klondike neighborhood, a place once defined by deep community roots and cultural significance is entering a new chapter shaped by reinvestment, opportunity, and intention.
Northside High School, established in the mid-1960s, was originally envisioned as an integrated school serving a predominantly Black community during a time when segregation still shaped much of Memphis life. Klondike itself has long been one of the city’s most important neighborhoods for Black Memphians. In this place, professionals, musicians, educators, and doctors lived side by side, building a strong, interconnected community across generations.
Over time, like many urban neighborhoods, Klondike experienced decades of disinvestment. As integration reshaped residential patterns and families moved elsewhere, Northside High went from serving more than a thousand students to just a handful before closing in 2015.
Today, that legacy is not being forgotten; it’s being reimagined.
A New Vision for a Historic Space
Northside Square is a 270,000-square-foot redevelopment project transforming the former school campus into a multi-use community hub designed to serve both current and future generations of Klondike residents.
The redevelopment will bring together a wide range of resources under one roof, including:
- Comprehensive healthcare services
- Computer and technical training programs
- Workforce development opportunities
- Office and community space
- Visual and cultural arts programming
- Literacy advocacy support
- An upgraded gymnasium
- 42 units of 100% affordable housing on the third floor
This isn’t just about repurposing a building—it’s about rebuilding access.
At the center of this work is a belief that communities thrive when investment is intentional, holistic, and rooted in the people who live there.
Designing With Purpose and Care
For Roshun Austin, President and CEO of The Works Incorporated and President and Chair of Northside Renaissance Inc., the vision for Northside Square goes beyond infrastructure. It’s about creating an environment where dignity and belonging are built into the experience itself.
From supporting local Black artists to shaping welcoming, thoughtfully designed shared spaces, every detail is considered. Even sensory elements like the atmosphere of the lobby are intentionally curated to reflect care and pride for the residents who will call this space home.
All of the housing within Northside Square is affordable, ensuring that longtime residents and new families alike have access to quality, stable living in a neighborhood with a deep and meaningful history.
Honoring the Past, Building the Future
Northside Square stands as part of a broader movement to reinvest in neighborhoods that have long been overlooked. It reflects a shift from disinvestment to restoration, from vacancy to vibrancy, and from loss to possibility.
Most importantly, it reaffirms what Klondike has always known: this community has always held value, talent, and strength. What’s changing now is the recognition and resources being matched to that truth.
As Memphis continues to grow and evolve, projects like Northside Square remind us that progress is most powerful when it is rooted in place and when it honors the people who built it first.
#SoulLivesHere.
