As part of the City of Memphis's plan to revitalize the downtownarea, discussions of moving the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law tothe old U.S. Customs House on Front have brought hope to Universityof Memphis faculty seeking a new home for the school.
Located at Front Street and Madison, the Customs House buildingcurrently houses a postal sorting facility. But city officials havebeen eager to put the building to better use, said James Smoot, Uof M law professor and chair of a special faculty committeeexploring the law school's options.
Although The University has not yet committed to the move,members of the law school are "very encouraged" by the city'sinterest, Smoot said.
Minimal state funding and limited available space eliminatepossible new law school locations on campus. The Customs House,which was once a federal courthouse, is "the only possibility forthe foreseeable future," Smoot said.
The building's proximity to government offices and downtown lawfirms provides potential opportunities for students, as well as forlegal professionals seeking access to The University's extensivelaw library.
The move would be beneficial not only to The University ofMemphis, but to downtown businesses as well, officials said.
"Finding additional uses for under-utilized space benefits ourriverfront and downtown," said Gene Pearson, director of theRegional Economic Development Center.
But even if the postal service agrees to vacate the building,the school still faces the challenge of funding the renovations,for which the price is not yet known.
Though government funding is available for renovation of federalbuildings, "it's about as expensive to retrofit an old building asto build a new one," Smoot said. "We're not going to start raisingfunds until the building is secured."
The school's current location on campus, built over an oldstream, is "really deficient," Smoot said, citing engineeringflaws, an overcrowded library, heating and air conditioningproblems and flooding in the lower levels as issues plaguing theschool.
"They've done everything they can," Smoot said. "Sometimesgeography overwhelms our best efforts."
