The Crosstown Project (Sears Crosstown Building Renovation)

About This Project

2017

The abandoned 10-story Sears Crosstown building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was preserved and redeveloped into a new 1 million-square foot, mixed-use “vertical urban village”. The building houses restaurants, various retail stores, a YMCA, a public charter school for 9-12th graders, non-profit offices and medical centers, and a residential component known as “Parcels at Concourse” – studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments. The project included a complete rehabilitation of the building envelope, including the roof and building façade. The original building constructed in 1927 was expanded several times between 1929 and 1965 and originally used as a retail warehouse/ distribution center for Sears. SDG was involved in the project from its beginnings, assessing the general condition of the structure to determine project feasibility, which included a site visit of several days and a structural survey of the existing structure and analysis of the impact of the International Existing Building Code on the modifications which included new atriums, stairs, skylights, and green roof. After creating architectural elements such as light wells, common spaces, and an atrium, 1 million square feet were developed. Seen to be major boost to redevelopment of downtown Memphis, the project was primarily funded by private investors, but with significant contributions from the City of Memphis and federal grants.