Brenda Rogers Parent Resource Center

1637 Britton St, Memphis, TN 38108 United States

Building Area (sf): 3,200

Completion: June 2024

Within a residential context on a modest budget, the Architect helped a nonprofit dedicated to youth education supercharge their mission with a colorful and engaging new resource center that honors a beloved community advocate.

The new Brenda Rogers Parent Resource Center located in the Hollywood-Hyde Park neighborhood of Memphis, TN, is a 3,200 SF expansion of the Nonprofit organization Memphis Lift.

The building is named for former Hyde Park resident Brenda Rogers, aka the “Cake Lady”, who was killed by gun violence 20 years ago. As part of honoring her legacy, the Parent Resource Center also includes a memorial wall to other victims of gun violence from the community, including Executive Director Sarah Carpenter’s grandson, Braylon Murray.

Guided by the mantra “Making The Powerless Parent POWERFUL”, the project mission was to integrate education, resources, and placemaking in all facets of the design. Our approach primarily included strong use of the organization’s brand colors and adjoining the existing facility holistically with the New Construction. This was done by incorporating a “portal” (extended covered porch) to merge the existing 2,190 SF structure to the new $1.4 million resource center. We put intentionality into keeping with the residential fabric of the neighborhood while creating an immediately recognizable local anchor. The expansion adopted and enhanced this residential character with a gabled roof, a raised composite wood deck, and vertically oriented board and batten siding to accentuate the concept of ‘lifting’. The building also physically “lifts” to a second story, while predominantly surrounded by single-story homes, which further enhances and reflects the organization’s mission.

The development brings ample support and programming space to the Memphis Lift adding a Multipurpose Space, Food Pantry, Counseling Rooms, Uniform Closet, Kitchen, Offices, and a Media Center. Combining the two parcels to fluently connect the programming of both buildings proved a challenge from a zoning perspective, but the stronger connections and clear programmatic improvements made the challenge well worth the effort. Relocating the existing parking lot directly east of the site to another lot greatly increased the opportunity for a pedestrian-friendly streetscape. As a Social Service Institution, the use of bike racks, minimal on-street parking, and proximity to public transportation work in concert with the neighborhood-based location.

The interior mirrored many of the qualities of the existing space, including the use of LVT flooring, orange accent colors, and a small rock garden underneath the stairs – a nod to the plant-infused reception area of the original building. The new space cleverly promotes ADA accessibility with thematic elements with the use of an operating “lift” as opposed to a full elevator. A soaring atrium space in the multipurpose room lifts the viewer’s eyes to the exposed trusses accented with square-pendant lighting that represent the forms of neighborhood blocks. The stenciled mission statement of “Making The Powerless Parent POWERFUL” sets a tone of education and parental engagement.

Overlooking the atrium, a media center wraps around the elevated walkway. Adjacent to the multipurpose space are sliding doors to the porch that visually tie into the added sliding doors of the existing structure. A further acknowledgment of the concept at the porch is an overhead door – orange branded – that separates the public street-facing side, from the more private patio and backyard.
Overall, this project successfully incorporates the organization’s programming, providing spaces for daily check-ins, team meetings, research, call centers, and fellowships. The energetic atmosphere keeps students, parents, workers and volunteers alike engaged in what is sure to be a long-lasting asset to the neighborhood, the City of Memphis, and the Delta Region.

Steve Austell Photography