Two new articles have been posted recently about Overton Square; one from the Commercial Appeal containing updates on the programming that will enhance the arts & entertainment district, the other from the Daily News giving a general update on the project’s status.
Tom Bailey reports on Anna Holtzclaw, the Overton Square Promotional Director, and her presentation to the Memphis Chapter of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) this past Wednesday.
Loeb Properties figures it’s going to take more than a new parking garage and renovated buildings to make Overton Square a success after construction is complete in the third quarter of 2013.
Success requires the square to be different, Anna Holtzclaw told the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America on Wednesday. She’s Loeb’s promotional director for Overton Square.
Staking out an “arts district” theme on the retail and dining space goes only so far in distinguishing the place. After all, Memphis has a bunch of arts districts.
In branding the redeveloped Overton Square, Loeb aspires to inject art and even a little theater in the common occurrences of shopping and dining, Holtzclaw said.
Sarah Baker of the Daily News caught up with Loeb Properties president Bob Loeb, to get an update on the overall Overton Square redvelopment. Bob discussed the vacant buildings on the north side of Madison, and the goal of leasing them completely by the end of 2012. The first lease in this area was announced several weeks ago, as Local Gastropub is taking over the former Yosemite Sam’s building at 2126 Madison.
They discussed the new Overton Square logo (above):
With Overton Square’s physical changes comes a new logo from Red Deluxe Brand Development. The design features a royal purple speech bubble with the words “Overton Square – Memphis – ” pointing to the words, “Be there.”
“A logo can communicate an emotion and a vibe and a feel that you can build on,” said Stinson Liles, partner with Red Deluxe. “Overton Square is going to be a pretty exciting place and a pretty active place where lots of stuff is always going on because the way they’re planning to program it.”
MEMPHIS, TN (April 30, 2012) – Local Gastropub, a popular downtown restaurant and bar, will open its second location in Overton Square. Following the recent Chiwawa lease at the old Chicago Pizza Factory, Local is the next to lease a spot in the commercial redevelopment of Midtown’s historic arts and entertainment district.
Local Gastropub will open in the former Yosemite Sam’s at 2126 Madison Ave., at the northwest corner of Madison and Cooper. The 100-year-old, 5,826 square foot, two-story building housed Yosemite’s Sam’s for 39 years. “It’s always been one of the gateways to Overton Square and that will continue with Local,” said Aaron Petree, vice president of leasing for Loeb Properties. Petree represented Loeb in the lease negotiations.
“We are excited to be part of this exciting vision for Overton Square,’’ Local Gastropub owner Jeff Johnson said. “Downtown is a destination and Overton Square will be, too. I’m glad to be there from the beginning.” Local Gastropub, now located at 91 South Main Street, will be replicated in Overton Square, featuring upscale food in a casual, pub-like setting.
The Overton Square site for Local Gastropub has undergone “significant renovation,” according to Tom Hayes, vice-president of construction for Loeb Properties. “The building had major structural problems when we purchased it, and we knew going in that the rehab would cost as much as the purchase price. My working concept has been a ‘rebirth’ because the building was at the end of its functional life, but it had good bones and given its history, it was worth saving,” he said.
Matt Prince, senior vice-president of Loeb Properties, said the contract with Local Gastropub is the “first step in an effort that will not only revive Overton Square but surpass our memories of it.” Loeb Properties will invest about $20 million to revive the arts & entertainment district and Overton Square’s footprint to about 115,000 square feet, including the redesign of existing buildings and construction of new buildings.
Local is an important and symbolic tenant for Overton Square, said Prince, because “it’s a local company with local ownership and that was, and will continue to be, an important part of the district’s personality and vibe.” He said Loeb Properties is encouraged by the enthusiasm and the interest of retailers and restaurateurs in leasing opportunities in Overton Square.
“We see Overton Square as the linchpin between Overton Park and Midtown, capitalizing on the hundreds of thousands of people drawn there by Playhouse on the Square,’’ said Prince. “With the relocation of Hattiloo Theater to the Overton Square arts & entertainment district, the number of theater-goers will only grow,” said Prince.
Loeb Properties owns and manages a portfolio of more than two million square feet of retail, office, multifamily and industrial properties in Tennessee and Mississippi, and is the largest developer in the Midtown area.
Partner with Loeb Properties in the impending Overton Square redevelopment, Hattiloo Theatre has named archimania as architect for their new building at Cooper and Monroe.
The six-year-old black repertory theater has outgrown its current playhouse on Marshall, and plans a one-story, 10,000 square foot theater with a $2.5 million budget. Commercial Appeal has the story…
Bandele has charged archimania to create a building that:
Commands a street presence befitting a building that is not just a theater, but the only freestanding black repertory theater in a six-state region;
Knits together the races — flexible seating will be configured so audience members see each other;
Has a timeless style that endures and is formal enough that theatergoers will want to dress up;
Has spaces in the lobby and outside that can be rented for functions such as meetings and weddings.
(Archimania’s Barry Alan Yoakum (left) and Todd Walker (right) are planning a bold look for Ekundayo Bandele’s Hattiloo Theatre in Overton Square. photo by Jim Weber for the Commercial Appeal)
We are excited to be a partner with Hattiloo Theatre and their vision for Overton Square!
Yesterday, Memphis art leaders met with the Loeb Overton Square team to discuss the role of the arts at Overton Square in its redevelopment. Tom Bailey, Jr. covered the story for the Commercial Appeal:
(Loeb) showed photos of blank building walls where murals can be painted and common spaces where sculptures can be placed.
Rob Norcross of LRK Architects, which is leading the planning/design for Loeb, even suggested the mammoth sides of the parking garage could be a space for monumental art.
Loeb hopes most of the incoming restaurants will offer live music. The Square could have weekly or monthly artist markets, he said.
Do you have any ideas about art that would make Overton Square a special place? Shoot an email to overtonsquare@loebproperties.com.
We’d also appreciate your feedback on what you’d like to see at the new Overton Square; please complete the survey at this link.
After you’ve completed the survey, there is an opportunity to sign up to receive Overton Square updates via email.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011, the Memphis City Council voted to invest $16.2 million in Overton Square, through a parking garage and water detention basin. The Commercial Appeal covered the event (click here for full story):
A crowd of supporters gathered at City Hall to speak in favor of the project. Many said the flood basin would prevent water from flowing into surrounding neighborhoods when Lick Creek swells.
Ekundayo Bandele, the 40-year-old founder and artistic director of Hattiloo Theatre, said his organization plans to construct a new building on land that the city would acquire as part of the Overton Square project. The theater would rent the land from the city.
He told council members that locating his African-American theater near the existing Playhouse on the Square and Circuit Playhouse would turn the area into a true theater district and promote racial integration.
He also said it’s a chance to make Memphis the envy of comparable cities like Atlanta.
The online petition of support for the project garnered over 2,000 signatures before the Council vote.
Loeb Properties looks forward to beginning work on the development in Midtown Memphis. We are currently in the process of talking with prospective businesses about pre-leasing retail or office space.
If you’d like more information about available space at Overton Square, please contact Matt Prince or Aaron Petree.
Today’s Commercial Appeal includes an informative guest column about the Lick Creek flooding situation in Midtown and the need for a detention basin at Overton Square. (The link to the article is here.) Mary Wilder gives a brief history of the issue and explains the need for a detention facility.
Over the past 15 years, flooding has become a hazard to Midtown residents and businesses. The area around Overton Square and the Union Avenue corridor has been developed without addressing the impact of flooding caused by stormwater runoff. Midtown development has been disruptive to the forces of nature because it has not planned for the means to absorb, slow down or detain rainwater when it comes into contact with roofs, streets and parking lots.
Despite not encountering flooding problems of its own, Overton Square’s location provides an ideal space for underground water retention:
In 2006 the city of Memphis conducted a Lick Creek Drainage Basin study, followed by a technical review of the Midtown stormwater management system in 2010. Both studies recommend a series of detention sites throughout Midtown. Overton Square and the surrounding businesses have the largest concentration of surface parking in the area, creating some of the greatest amounts of stormwater runoff. The technical review recommended Overton Square as the site of a large underground detention basin to capture the water from both the immediate area and surrounding areas.
Refer to this post on the Smart City Memphis blog to learn more about the economics of the entire project.
The issue is set to go before City Council on December 20, 2011. If you’d like to show your support, you can do so by writing to your elected officials. Below are the email addresses of the Councilmembers and the Mayor.
Here’s the Commercial Appeal Article following our October 12th public meeting at Playhouse on the Square. There seemed to be nothing but positive energy in the large crowd that attended. An excerpt from the article:
Developer Robert Loeb titled his presentation “Overton Square Rebirth,” and an overflow crowd kept applauding his plans as if it were a four-star performance.
More than 350 people fought the rain Wednesday night to attend Loeb Properties’ public meeting at Playhouse on the Square.
If any were opposed to turning Overton Square into a theater district, to the city spending $11.9 million mostly for a parking garage, water-detention structure and street improvements, or to Loeb Properties investing its own $19.2 million for acquisition, renovation and new construction, they didn’t speak up.
We were fortunate to have two city councilmen attend the meeting as well:
…Jim Strickland and Shea Flinn, urged the audience to e-mail the City Council.
“Please, Midtown, send those e-mails if you want this public investment,” Flinn implored … to applause.
The City Council’s email addresses may be found at this link. The Mayor’s email address can be found at this link.
