Soulsville gets a boost

THE RENAISSANCE of the College -McLemore area got another significant boost Tuesday by way of a $678,000 grant.

The money comes from ArtPlace, a Chicago -based collaborative of foundations, banks and federal agencies that works to “accelerate creative placemaking” by making grants and loans, and through partnerships and advocacy.

The targeted area, now called Soulsville and anchored by the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, has experienced an impressive reinvigoration in recent years, thanks to a variety of local and national partnerships.

Because of those efforts the one -time home of the world-renowned Stax recording studio already is on the road to giving the once -vibrant retail and residential area a new sense of place.

The ArtPlace grant will enhance the area’s foundation with new development and projects primed by the neighborhood’s musical heritage.

Community LIF T, an economic and community development organization, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, which has been mentoring students at Soulsville Charter School since 2007, will carry out the revitalization plan.

The important message about what’s happening in this South Memphis neighborhood, though, is the positive impact collaboration among different groups can make in reinvigorating neighborhoods.

What’s happening in Soulsville is the kind of effort it’s going to take to really make a vast dent in the city’s blight problem.

Members of The Commercial Appeal’s editorial board are Chris Peck, S uzanne Kerr and Jerome Wright. The editorial board’s citizen members are Amy M. Doville, Joann Massey, Jim McGehee and Frank A. Thomas. Contact the editorial board at (901) 529-2319.