Rendering of Memphis Art Museum along Front Street. Image courtesy Herzog & de Meuron

The Courtyard River Window Stair view is one several outdoor public elements of the museum. Image courtesy Herzog & de Meuron

The Herzog & de Meuron team, including senior partner Ascan Mergenthaler and New York–based project director (and Tennessee native) Philip Schmerbeck, were joined by local architect Archimania and landscape architecture firm Olin on the roughly $180 million project, which is currently under construction at its prominent, full-block site atop a reconstructed bluff above the Mississippi River. (The site itself, previously home to a fire station and parking garage, has been the subject of a contentious and drawn-out legal squabble over ownership involving descendants of Memphis’ founders.) A future use for the institution’s to-be-vacated home at Overton Park, a landmark Beaux-Arts structure expanded multiple times, has yet to be determined.

Taking form as a “straightforward” rectilinear pavilion the new museum building is framed in timber and clad in brick that Herzog & de Meuron says “recalls the warm earthen hues of the exposed clay along the Mississippi River.” Per Memphis Art Museum, the building is one of the first major U.S. museums constructed using mass timber, including cross-laminated timber and glulam beams—all regionally sourced in a nod to Memphis’ legacy as Hardwood Capital of the World. Adding a distinct warmth, the museum’s wood structure is on view throughout the building, including in the lobby, education areas, classrooms, and café. 

Rendering depicting view from Front Street sidewalk. Ample glazing acts to extend the museum's public-facing programming to the street. Image courtesy Herzog & de Meuron

West gallery view, with visible mass timber. Image courtesy Herzog & de Meuron

Mass timber can also be seen in the galleries, which are oriented around the interior courtyard in a single-story, continuous loop; five galleries have large windows either overlooking the Mississippi or the Olin-landscaped courtyard to ensure a connection with the museum’s downtown locale. (Memphis’ downtown riverfront is undergoing significant redevelopment, with another addition being the new Tom Lee Park to the south.) When Memphis Art Museum opens in December, its galleries will be organized into 18 distinct exhibitions that “highlight the collection’s strengths while drawing connections across time, geography, and medium,” details a press statement. Site-specific artworks that have been commissioned for the new building and an opening exhibition program will be unveiled in the coming months.

Construction images of Memphis Art Museum. The project broke ground in 2023. Photos by Houston Cofield

“The rapid progress of the new museum's construction is apparent, and it is incredibly rewarding to see the many spaces we envisioned coming to life,” says Mergenthaler. “The timber-beamed galleries, the welcoming entrance lobby along Front Street, the expansive courtyard with its connection to the river, and the spectacular roof terrace overlooking the Mississippi floodplain are all taking shape. Already, the civic nature of the building is tangible, and one can sense the positive impact it will have on Memphis.”

Rendering of the roof garden, with its sweeping downtown Memphis views and event pavilion.  Image courtesy Herzog & de Meuron

Nighttime view of the Memphis Art Museum with downtown Memphis in the background. Image courtesy Herzog & de Meuron