3 renovations, 1 gelato shop coming to Edge District
A team of architects and developers has bought and plans to renovate three Edge District properties, recruited a gelato shop for one of them, and is in “late-stage” negotiations for a national tech company and a locally owned cocktail bar.
The development team, including Edge-based PKM Architects as architect, has plans for 655 Marshall, 631 Madison and 644 Madison.
The Center City Development Corp. at 9 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 20, will consider awarding grants to help renovate the exteriors of the buildings.
Sweet Magnolia Gelato Co. | PKM Architects
Sweet Magnolia Gelato Co. has signed a lease to open a shop at 655 Marshall Ave., next to Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe.
The developers also said they are in “late-stage talks” for potential tenants at the other two buildings. The prospects include a national technology firm and a locally owned cocktail bar, according to a statement from the developers.
Still, the developers are searching for more tenants to occupy remaining space at 655 Marshall and 644 Madison.
“We’re always looking for the best mix of uses that will contribute to the energy of the Edge, while also filling voids and creating anchors for a live-work-play district,” PKM’s Austin Magruder said in the release.
The Edge District has a large stock of buildings more than a century old. The area is between Downtown and the Medical District, north of Union and south of Jefferson.
Rendering for 644 Madison | PKM Architects
“We’re able to ‘think long, act now’ because we are confident in the future of this city and the Edge District,” John Halford, the development’s managing partner and lead project manager for cnct, said in the release. Cnct is a project management firm.
“As architects and developers, our focus has been on adaptive-reuse projects,” Halford said. “Each project represents a unique challenge to preserve history and the opportunity to tell a new story through its design and use.”
Bret Roler, vice president of planning for the Downtown Memphis Commission, said in the prepared statement that the agency loves “being able to use our incentives to help make projects like these possible.”
“The Edge is quietly, but dramatically, becoming a vital nexus linking Downtown neighborhoods like the Core, Medical District, South City and Victorian Village,” Roler said.
Rendering for 631 Madison | PKM Architects
“Projects such as The Ravine, Memphis Made, Chef Tam’s, Slim & Husky’s and Edge Motor Museum clearly demonstrate the upward trajectory for the Edge, and we’re beyond excited to be welcoming Sweet Magnolia Gelato to the unique local mix,” he said.
CREDIT: Tom Bailey | Special to The Daily Memphian
