MEMPHIS, Tennessee — After sitting vacant for more than 40 years, the old Melrose school in Orange Mound is finally under renovation. Earlier this year, the City of Memphis signed a contract to start construction on the property. According to long-time resident Hazel Jones, the $10 million renovations will include a library, housing, café, and genealogy center.
This week, crews began doing remediation on the site. Once the clean-out is complete, construction of the new interior will begin.
The old Melrose school opened in 1914 and was a school and a cultural center for the African- American community of Orange Mound. Since its closure in 1979, community members have been trying to find a way to open the property back up. Several times the property was up for demolition, but the community rejected that idea, but supporters fought against it.
"They were in the process of getting ready to demolish it. We told them we were going to chain ourselves to that building. We were not going to let them tear that building down, " said Hazel Jones, Orange Mound resident.
Orange Mound historian Mary Mitchell planned to step in to keep the building up. "We had bought a ball and chain, and we were going to chain ourselves to the building before we would let them destroy it," said Mitchell. Mitchell said that getting this project off the ground is long overdue. "It is a blessing from the spirits and God," said Mitchell.
Jones has spent more than half her life trying to save the building from demolition. "It should not have been closed. First of all, that was the heart of Orange Mound. You don't kill your heart," said Jones.
Completion of the project is expected in 2023 and Jones hopes it will help revitalize Orange Mound. "I think it will bring a boost to the community. Hopefully, it will bring jobs and will be a place for youth. Our youth needs something to do. The entire community will benefit from this," said Jones.
Here is a statement from the Memphis Housing and Community Development Director Ashley Cash:
"We are very proud of making this landmark a site for celebrating the neighborhood’s past and a hub for its redevelopment. By 2023, we are planning to restore this site and transform the lower floor into a cafe, genealogy center, and community library.
A second phase of the project, designed by Self + Tucker Architects and managed by All World Project Management, will include two floors of senior housing within the school.
We really wanted to bring back to life this beautiful building as something that the neighborhood deserves while making sure it remained a community asset."