2026 is shaping up to be a significant one for Memphis, with the city undergoing major, multi-year renovations of key legacy buildings to transform historic sites for modern cultural, social, and economic use. The transformation is part of the city’s plan to revitalise its downtown area, and to ensure Memphis remains a leading example of how history and future seamlessly fuse.
Key projects underway include:
Relocation & renovation of the Memphis Art Museum
With a strong track record of playing an important role in historically significant events, it’s fitting that the city of Memphis will become home to more than 5,000 years of art and culture when the Memphis Art Museum opens later this year.
In its final stages of what has been a 6 year renovation and relocation, the Memphis Art Museum has been designed to display BMoA’s extensive collection of more than 9,000 artworks, as well as offering ‘pause spaces’ where visitors can take in some of the city’s most striking views. In addition to space to house at least 15 exhibitions at one time, the crowning glory of the museum will be its rooftop sculpture garden. The entire roof will become a 50,000 square foot sculpture park with breathtaking views of the mighty Mississippi River. And with native planting and meandering pathways, the rooftop will also be a beautiful addition to the city’s skyline. The new world-class home for Memphis’ art museum will now be located within walking distance of a range of other key attractions in Memphis, including the National Civil Rights Museum and the Orpheum Theatre, the new museum will become a must-visit while exploring Downtown Memphis.
100 North Main
Another project with skyline impact is the multi-million dollar overhaul of the city’s tallest building, 100 North Main. The revitalisation of the 37-storey skyscraper will transform the building into a mixed-use tower, leading the way to add residential apartments, office spaces, and the return of a rooftop restaurant. The building will also house a hotel, with completion estimated in 2027.
The Legacy Building (National Civil Rights Museum)
Located across from the main museum campus, this three-storey building will feature new exhibits, interactive engagement spaces, and flexible classrooms in a renovation that tells the stories of social justice warriors following Dr. King, acting as a “sequel” to the primary facility. With the goal of motivating the next generation of changemakers, and catalysts who will inspire positive social change, the Legacy Building was formerly the South Main boarding house from which James Earl Ray shot Dr. King, and its adjacent Founders Park will transform to become the “BlueCross Healthy Place at Founders Park,” touted as a space to reflect and to heal.
Rust Hall (Metal Museum)
Slated to reopen in May, the Metal Museum is in its final stages of construction after relocating to the historic Rust Hall in Overton Park. This project converts the former Memphis College of Art building to feature updated infrastructure, new metal studios, a restaurant, and a sculpture walk, and once complete the site will be almost three times the size of the Metal Museum’s current location. With a design emphasis on the restoration of Rust Hall and integrating it into the surrounding park and cultural corridor, the new campus has been designed to support hands-on education as well as exhibitions, reflecting the Museum’s dual role as a cultural destination and working metal arts institution. Expanded classrooms, flexible galleries, and metalworking spaces support this objective, and the redesigned space features a purpose-built metal workshop as a central hub of the building, its large windows allowing passersby to see the metalwork in action, and extensive glass and natural light throughout the new space connects the interior to Overton Park’s outdoor landscape.
These exciting legacy renovation projects are all part of a broader $13 billion, four-year investment initiative to add residential, office, and, green spaces throughout downtown Memphis, adding even more to love to the home of blues, soul, and rock n’ roll.
