Located in the heart of Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, Handy Park serves as a gateway to the historic and legendary Beale Street entertainment district, one of the most visited streets in America. The park was dedicated in 1931 and is named after the "father of the blues," W.C. Handy.
Under an acre in size and situated between B.B. King and Rufus Thomas Boulevards, Handy Park is a vital part of the Beale Street experience. Throughout the year, the park hosts concerts and festivals as well as other events and programming. The space includes an amphitheater, two small commercial buildings on the southwest and southeast corners, and an open plaza.

Background
In 2018, the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC)-a civic organization that promotes Downtown Memphis as an economic, cultural, and governmental core of the City of Memphis and Shelby County-hosted the Handy Park Design Challenge. The competition tasked entrants with developing a plan for a reimagined and revitalized Handy Park. The DMC recognized that the park was underused and disconnected from the busy and vibrant Beale Street corridor. Three sides of the park were gated at all times, which prevented pedestrians from easily accessing the park. Additionally, a large section of fixed chairback seats limited the use of the space outside of on-stage entertainment.

Through this design challenge, the DMC sought to create a world-class public space for Downtown Memphis, one that could be used not only as a concert venue but for other purposes such as festivals, markets, food trucks, and other events for visitors and Memphians.

New Design
In their winning design submission, the Kimley-Horn team envisioned a redesigned Handy Park that reclaimed the space and created an inviting and memorable urban park that was functional and inviting. To accomplish this, the Landscape Architects removed a restrictive brick barricade along Beale Street that disconnected the park from pedestrians walking along the park's borders. As the land was originally home to a marketplace, the winning Handy Park design featured a more open plaza with portable caf???(C) seating as well as 21 new trees and other plantings to provide ???,???shade for parkgoers.

 

Because some events, such as concerts, necessitate a barrier for security purposes, the Kimley-Horn team designed an innovative solution that functioned as both a perimeter fence and public art. The structure could be closed and opened to prevent the park from being cordoned off from the public. This allowed the park's edge to better blend the barrier between the park and the bordering sidewalks. The removal of the brick barricade also created ???,???critical infrastructure connections to, not only, Beale Street but nearby hotels, restaurants, and other points of interest.

The addition of an artistic, convertible fence created a more transparent and accessible perimeter that welcomed and encouraged the public to enjoy the space. The fixed chairback seats were removed and replaced by a sloped central lawn that could be used for multiple purposes. Fixed podium benches in the shaded areas of the park near the stage allowed for concert seating and daily social interaction between parkgoers.

With improved sightlines, the redesigned plaza placed more emphasis on the park's centerpiece, a statue of W.C. Handy, which was erected by the City of Memphis in 1960.

Kimley-Horn's Landscape Architects and planners collaborated with BRG3S Architects for the design challenge. After being named the winner, the two firms worked alongside Beale Street Management, the DMC, and the DMC's Design Review Board to help ensure that the design was consistent with the Downtown Memphis Design Guidelines. After moving to the implementation phase, the project team expanded to include other local design and engineering firms needed to help bring the Handy Park improvements to life.

Completed in May 2021, the first phase of the Handy Park improvements included the new perimeter fencing system, enhanced landscaping, new lighting fixtures, outdoor seating, and other site enhancements. Phase II improvements will include new signage and a renovation of the stage.

Lighting
The project team's collaboration with design firm SESCO Lighting resulted in intentional light fixture selections that ultimately helped meet project goals. These included RGBW projectors which were mounted on a 20-foot pole, with a 100-degree optic to uniformly spread a blanket of light across the plaza and lawn. Two of the poles have one projector, which is static white 2700K with a 20-degree optic to accent and highlight the bronze statue of W.C. Handy in the center of the park. Because the project involved an upgrade of an existing space, the project team utilized a wireless control system for dimming and RGBW color changing. This provides the opportunity to create scenes -such as blue for Memphis Grizzlies NBA basketball games at the nearby FedEx Forum- without adding a layer of pipe and wire installation between poles in the existing space. Linear grazers were added to textured accent walls on the northern and western sides of the park, creating an element of drama by taking advantage of warm light with a 10-by-60-degree graze optic. Tree uplights provide indirect access lighting on the trees.

Conclusion
The reimagining of Handy Park sets the stage for the space to become a valued cultural asset and world-class civic space for tourists and the Downtown Memphis community. Locals and visitors once again flock to the space to enjoy year-round concerts, festivals, and other events. The redesigned Handy Park helps solidify Beale Street as one of the top tourist attractions in the country and the indisputable Home of the Blues.

Team List:
Malasri Engineering
Chad Stewart & Associates
Harris & Associates Land Surveyors, LLC
Innovative Engineering Services, LLC
NCSG, Inc. / BRG3S Architects / SESCO Lighting