photo courtesy of Chad Mellon
Crosstown Concourse
Crosstown Concourse, Memphis’ very own urban village, is the winner of the Gold Medal 2019 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA).
The award is a national design award that recognizes transformative urban places with distinct physical design that contribute to the economic, environmental, and social vitality of the city.
Crosstown is the largest adaptive reuse project in Tennessee and the largest LEED Platinum Certified historic adaptive reuse project in the world.
Founder of the RBA, Simeon Bruner, says Crosstown is an “innovative, locally driven solution to the challenges of repurposing legacy infrastructure nationwide. It reflects strong community values that foster inclusiveness and opportunity.”
Crosstown is one of 88 projects in 28 states that have received the biennial award since its inception in 1986.
Todd Richardson, co-founder and co-director of Crosstown Arts, the founding tenant of Crosstown Concourse, says though the vertical village has received a “number of highly regarded awards,” the Rudy Bruner Award is “really special.”
“We have been inspired by past RBA winners, and to be in the company of Gold Medalists like SteelStacks Arts & Cultural Campus in Pennsylvania and Pike Place Market in Seattle is both exciting and daunting,” Richardson says. “We are encouraged by the growing, diverse community in Crosstown, but also know we have work to do to create the kind of inclusive and sustainable impact we aspire to. The RBA Gold Medal prize will further this goal by supporting the ongoing arts events and programming that contribute to the unique Crosstown experience.”
A $50,000 cash prize comes with the Gold Medal award.
Come help Crosstown celebrate this Friday, September 13th, at an award ceremony. Set for 5 p.m. in the Central Atrium, the presentation is free and open to the public.
The ceremony will overlap with Crosstown’s annual Mid-Autumn Festival, which begins shortly after the presentation at 6 p.m.
The festival will be a traditional Vietnamese harvest festival complete with moon cakes, live music, Vietnamese food samples, a dragon dance, and a lantern lighting. There will also be crafts and face painting for kids.
Hosted in partnership with the Vietnamese Association of Memphis, the festival is also free and open to the public.
