Developers have proposed a park and cultural centre, featuring an aquarium museum, for the riverfront area of Memphis.
The Mud Island River Park and Cultural Center vision plan is the work of architecture firm Archmania, in collaboration with Peter Chermayeff and BWS&C. It would connect the city’s riverfront and harbour with a peninsula in the river known as Mud Island through a park experience with the aquarium at its heart.
The vision plan capitalises on the built assets created in the 20th century, enhancing them with a pedestrian-oriented public park and engaging amenities. It links these to a cultural centre, where the Fourth Bluff Civic Commons will begin.
The cultural centre will showcase the rich heritage of Memphis while the Aquarium Museum, located on Mud Island, will be “a best-in-class 21st-century experience”.
The proposal has been informed by research conducted by Studio Gang Architects in 2017 that called for any projects along the river to foster, restore, and connect the city, the river and the larger ecology of the area.
The city has received numerous other proposals for riverfront development. Fundraising for the Mud Island River Park and Cultural Center is set to begin this year with the hope of starting construction by 2022.
Images: c. Archmania.
