MEMPHIS, Tenn — The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art announced new details about one of the promised features at its new location on the riverfront.
Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, museum officials said the new location will feature a ‘rooftop park’ that will be free and “completely open to the public.” They said the rooftop park will feature a paved pathway that stretches a quarter of a mile, and allows visitors to wander and find vantage points “previously unavailable” with 360-degree views.
“The rooftop park is more than just an architectural feature; it is an inviting space that will bring together every corner of our community,” says Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Executive Director Zoe Kahr. “It’s just one of the many ways we’re creating pathways into the museum and connecting with the downtown urban landscape.”
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art broke ground on the $180 million project in June 2023. Construction was then halted in August after a Shelby County Judge ordered a temporary restraining order after a complaint and petition from the group 'Friends of the Riverfront,’ which is made up of descendants of the city's founders. They claim the museum’s new site violates a decree from the 1800s which stipulates that parts of the riverfront can only be used as a public promenade.
Brooks Museum filed a brief opposing the temporary restraining order. In a statement, Board Chair Carl Person said, “The City has the right to use the Museum Site ‘for any public purpose even though such purpose be different from that originally contemplated.’”
Both sides are due in court Sept. 20 on the complaint.
If construction begins again soon, the new museum is expected to be complete and open to the public in late 2025.
