MEMPHIS, TENN. — A group of community members are looking to breathe new life into an abandoned church in South Memphis.
Right now, the abandoned building at Wicks Ave. and Mississippi is falling apart.
RELATED: South Memphis residents say abandoned church is a safety hazard, ask city to tear it down
“It has been in its current state at least 10 years or more,” Marvin Mims, a pastor at a nearby church said. “It’s been vacant about 15, and just progressively gotten worse.”
Mims said the church is not only an eye-sore, but it’s a safety hazard.
“There’s a pew hanging out the window at the church, so if somebody was to walk underneath it could cause death or serious injury,” he said.
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Mims has been working with the city and the environmental court to have it torn down. But now, new plans may turn the building into a unique community arts center.
“They would like to use it in a similar way to the Memphis Slim House, a place where artists can express themselves creatively in a safe environment,” Memphis city councilman JB Smiley Jr. said.
Councilman Smiley said he was recently contacted by ‘Memphis Artists for Change,’ a community artists organization, hoping to restore the building.
“I think this would be a unique opportunity for the city and this neighborhood organization to save this particular piece of property and eliminate blight,” he said.
Smiley said the next step is to ask the environmental court for a hold on demolition until the organization can come up with plans to preserve the space.
Pastor Mims said it’s a step towards revitalizing the South Memphis community.
“Something new coming in would breathe hope and maybe bring other investors into the community,” he said. “It may inspire people to want to stay and live here.”
Leaders with the local arts organization declined to comment on the project until their plan is finalized.
Councilman Smiley said the Neighborhood Preservation Act allows community organizations to work with the city to save properties like these.
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Community members working to bring new life to abandoned church - FOX13 Memphis
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