As students prepare for a more traditionally-styled scholastic experience in the fall, both incoming and returning students will find more variety in off-campus, alternate housing at the new apartments: The Annex.
The Annex of Memphis will be located on 3601 Midland Ave. in the location of the previous Sigma Alpha Epsilon building. The walking-distance apartment complex is right near the school, between the Highland strip and campus. The Annex Group saw the future of the University of Memphis and wanted to invest in that future, by offering more housing options for students, according to a spokesman for the company.
“The University of Memphis has experienced an uptick in student enrollment over the last couple of years, and we know this means more people will be looking for somewhere to call home,” said Kyle Bach, CEO of The Annex Group. “We want to offer a property that is as beautiful and comfortable as it is convenient. Memphis is a great place to live, with ample amenities and things to do; affordable housing; and top-rate education through the university. The Annex of Memphis will offer a brand-new, move-in-ready location for students looking to focus on their education while also enjoying what this great city has to offer.”
The Annex offers two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments with a coffee bar, study room and fitness center for students to enjoy, providing a “home away from home” experience.
Christy Grimste of Pinnacle Development Group, a partner on the project that sourced the deal, said the new housing complex will have a state-of-the-art fitness center, gated/covered parking and additional security features.
“The city and the neighborhood have been great to work with, and The Annex Group and I are happy we can contribute to the campus’s surrounding and evolving pedestrian area,” Grimste said.
The Annex will serve as an addition to the other apartments frequented by students such as the Nine, Stratum, Highland Row and Gather that are all within walking distance of the University of Memphis.
As the University continues to follow safety guidelines for its students while reopening in full capacity, these Tigers will be the first group to experience face-to-face schooling since spring 2020 semester, that many of their fellow students were unable to experience due to the novel coronavirus. In addition to new housing options, students will also be able to enjoy the brand new recreational center that is set to open in the late spring 2021 semester.
“I’m excited to get the full college experience, but at the same time there are a few concerns about COVID,” said incoming freshman, Danielle Rockett. “It feels refreshing to have a new living area because it leaves us with more options to choose from, less maintenance to worry about and somewhere that’s really close to the school. It’ll just be beneficial to me since I don’t have a car just yet. I need to stay somewhere close to the school.”
Many students are in agreement with Rockett, as they look forward to the fall semester, but proceed with caution. The tone for the upcoming year is innovative beginnings and forward
thinking as Tigers have new opportunities to look forward to. As a light at the end of the tunnel, during the era marked by COVID-19, comes seemingly closer, the new semester seems to be a return to normalcy that many students are looking forward to.
The Annex of Memphis has begun construction. According to the company's website, it will be the closest apartment complex to campus.
