A Downtown Memphis renovation project is putting the finishing touches on its exterior with an application for new signage, lighting and public art.
Pressbox Lofts at 195 Madison Ave. presented plans to the
Downtown Memphis Commission's Design Review Board this week. The Pressbox project transformed the long-vacant building into 50 apartments totaling 38,750 square feet and 2,500 square feet of ground floor commercial space.
Left Field Properties LLC's renovation included cleaning exterior elevations, restoring the Madison Avenue facade to original brick and terra-cotta and installing new historically appropriate windows. The inside features masonry walls, concrete columns and restored wood floors. Elevated loft spaces were added where high ceilings permitted.
The redevelopment team embraced the building's historical roots, from the design to the branding. The five-story building was constructed in 1912 as the S C Toof & Co. Printers headquarters. Industrial hues inspire the new color scheme, while vintage printing equipment is displayed as common area décor.
Pressbox's name and its cyan/magenta/yellow/black logo--CMYK, in printing lingo--are a nod to its heritage as well. The moniker "Pressbox" also represents its place in AutoZone Park's backyard.
Plans for signage include a projected, vertical sign with a clock at its base that will stand three stories tall and emulate the original Toof & Co. signage. CMYK colors will dominate the building's artistic lighting, including color-changing LED lighting effects above street-level windows.
Artist Jeff Zimmerman teamed with local artists and Rhodes College in 2008 to create a large-scale mural, "A Note for Hope," on the building's east façade. The mural incorporates the CMYK color scheme as well as the broader effort to engage the building into AutoZone Park and Downtown Memphis.
Pressbox Lofts was completed in late 2014.
Looney Ricks Kiss was the project architect, and
Montgomery Martin Contractors was the general contractor.
Apartments range in size from the 560-square-foot Times New Roman studio to the 1,290-square-foot Folio two-bedroom and loft.
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