MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis-Shelby County Schools broke ground on a planned project at the historic former Melrose High School building in Orange Mound.
It's being promoted as a state-of-the-art, repurposed historic multi-use building.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said every community deserve an investment in its people and space.
“You saw how excited it made the community. People from Orange Mound have pride. Melrose alum have pride in their high school, and that was all evident here today,” he said.
Built in 1938, Melrose was the first Black high school in Memphis, but the school closed in 1981.
20 years later, the city deemed Melrose High historic, landing it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
With the new renovations, Melrose High will hold onto history by making sure to teach it, to the next generation.
The new building will have a genealogy center where people can learn about their own family history, and take a deeper dive into local Black culture, heritage, and history. The school will have an archive of pictures, artifacts, and more.
The genealogy center and library is expected to open in 2023.