Lichterman Nature Center
Memphis
Williamson Pounders Architects

Outdoor and indoor spaces are unified in this nature center

© Alan McCoy

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Formerly the suburban estate of a wealthy family, this 65-acre site was donated to the city for use as a nature center and is operated by the city's museum system. The original house, a 1920s-era log building, served as the nature center office and visitor center until it was destroyed by fire in the 1990s. A master plan for the property was prepared, describing four new structures along with parking, trails, boardwalks, teaching pavilions, and an amphitheater. The visitor center is the first new building constructed on the site.

The visitor center is a 16,000-square-foot, two-story building located adjacent to the pond environment. From its stone entrance plaza, the facility appears to be much smaller than it is and more residential in scale. A prominent entry porch with steel, glass, and timber detailing leads the visitor into a large wood and glass lobby and orientation room overlooking the water. Skylights and large expanses of glass put the visitor in immediate contact with nature. Natural materials are expressed throughout the building. Wildlife exhibits fill the large orientation room and introduce the visitors to the three natural environments of the nature center: the forest, the meadow, and the pond. A covered stone terrace, adjacent to this orientation space, overlooks the pond and its boardwalk system. The visitor functions are located on the upper floor with views into the park; the support spaces are located on the lower floor with walkway access to the nature center grounds.

Formal name of building:
Lichterman Nature Center, Loewenberg Visitor Center

Location:
Memphis

Gross square footage:
16,000 sq ft

Total construction cost:
$3.2 million

Owner:
Pink Palace Family of Museums
3050 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38111

Architect's firm:
Williamson Pounders Architects, PC.
245 Wagner Place, Suite M100
Memphis, TN 38103
901.527.4433
901.527.4478 fax
www.wparchitects.com