Wilder Tower at U of M has a New View

Office Interiors teamed up with the University of Memphis and UrbanArch Associates PC to give Wilder Tower, at U of M, a long-awaited face lift. Wilder Tower is the tallest building on campus and has beautiful 360-degree views with amazing natural light.

As you can see in this before picture, we had a clean slate of storage to start, and could truly transform this space into anything the university needed.  In the early 2000's, U of M moved the books and stacks of their library at Wilder Tower, to the then newly constructed Ned R. McWherter Library on the east side of campus. Wilder Tower became administrative offices for incoming and prospective students, but the funding ran out before they were able to transform the top floor. It remained storage these past 20 years.

They needed a beautiful reception area to host incoming and potential students to make a strong first impression. So that is what we gave them. UrbanArch Associates PC used the space well to allow the 360 degree view to shine. We worked with them to find furnishings and fixtures that met the intended need for this space and highlighted the beauty of the view.

Themed in the school's Tiger Blue with the modern touches of clean lines and plenty of light. This welcoming space turned out so lovely, the arch in St. Louis may get jealous.

This space is now being recognized as a finalist for MBJ's 2021 Building Memphis awards, in the Best Renovations-Small category.  The space was small, but it will make a big impact to welcome students to this campus and the bright future ahead of them.

Our design team loves a project like this because of the striking before and after. However, we are able to update and transform any space from one use to the next with a smooth transition. Taking into account the use of the space and being able to highlight the view of the campus was a great compliment to our teams' skills.