The Marine Residences

360 Metal Museum Dr, Memphis, TN 38106 United States

Building Area (sf): 70,176 SF Unit Net, 87,937 SF Project Gross, 71 units

Completion: December 2022

Abandoned for decades, the former Marine Hospital sat in blighted disrepair on the fringe of a proud and historic minority community. Renovation attempts had proven infeasible until the Architect was able to create additional density that would satisfy the National Park Service historic guidelines. The answer was found in delicately inserting shed dormers into the historic slate roof to create light filled occupiable residences.

The Marine Residences have a storied history. The known record begins with a native American Chickasaw settlement, extends to the use as a civil war gun emplacement, yellow fever research facility, the Marine Hospital, and ultimately the Marine Residences. Established in 1884 atop a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the site has seen significant evolution over the last century. Two of the earliest buildings were relocated within the site and renovated to compliment the Colonial Revival buildings added during the 1930s. The completed project represents a very early and high-style WPA campaign. Decommissioned in 1960, portions of the campus sat largely vacant for decades. Attempts to include the complete property in the National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s proved unsuccessful. The owner purchased the eastern portion of the site from the Federal Government in 2003. For over fifteen years the property languished as the owner struggled to find a viable redevelopment program. In fact, the Tennessee Preservation Trust added the Marine Hospital to its 2015 list of the state’s ten most endangered historic sites. In 2019, the owner partnered with a local architect to update the National Register listing and to find the nexus between preservation and financeable redevelopment. The market analysis pointed to residential redevelopment as the most viable approach. However, the composite usable area in each building would not support the extensive renovation costs. The solution was found in the delicate introduction of roof level shed dormers that both met the National Park Service historic requirements and facilitated the repurposing of the main hospital’s attic as occupiable residential units.

1. Repaired and restored original trim, door and window openings in existing corridors and Main Lobby. New corridor lighting pays homage to original fixture style. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

2. Nurses Quarters porch and staircase railings were meticulously restored to original design intent. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

3. Original windows, walls and tile finishes were preserved in the Dental Clinic to provide historic context to the new residential unit. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

4. New kitchen design elements invoke the shimering white and light green tone finishes of the original medical casework and equipment. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

5. Introduction of new complementary dormers provide natural light into the attic creating new rentable space. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

6. New corridors and amenity areas utilitize the existing roof structure to shape usable spaces. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

7. Restored light wells and artful placement of MEP services supported conversion of basement storage into new dwelling units. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

8. New pool courtyard provides tenants and visitors gathering opportunities between the historic structures. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

9. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast

10. Existing trees preserve the park setting of the residential adaptive reuse on the banks of the Mississippi river. Photography by: Leland Kent, Abandoned Southeast