South Main Artspace Lofts celebrate groundbreaking

Brief remarks were followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking, reception, and artist activities. Scheduled speakers included Barbara Hyde, President of the Hyde Family Foundations; Senator Mark Norris; Paul Young, Director of the City of Memphis Housing & Community Development; Bo Allen, President of First Tennessee Memphis Region; Amy Schaftlein, West Tennessee Outreach Liaison, with the Tennessee Housing Development Authority, and Lisa Bobango of the Tennessee Arts Commission. Artspace President Kelley Lindquist and Heidi Zimmer, Artspace Senior Vice President of Property Development were also on hand to share remarks.

“We are thrilled to be breaking ground on the South Main project,” said Heidi Zimmer, Artspace Senior Vice President of Development “The South Main Artspace Lofts is our first project in Tennessee and we are so grateful to the community and our partners for the leadership and perseverance in making this day possible. The project will transform a vacant block and warehouse in the neighborhood into a hub of creative activity and will be an integral part of roughly $200 million in investments underway in the South Main area. We are pleased to be creating permanent, sustainable, affordable housing for artists and their families to live and work in this historic Arts District.”

The South Main Artspace Lofts development includes rehabilitation of the historic, three-story United Warehouse and an adjacent parking lot into a mixed-use arts facility of 58 live/work spaces, as well as 12,000 square feet of commercial and community space that includes working studios, performance, gallery, and event space, as well as an outdoor arts garden. The $17 million development will help achieve a new level of vibrancy in Memphis’ South Main Historic Arts District and will facilitate higher residential density.