Beck Cultural Exchange Center

 

Beck Cultural Exchange Center

YEAR:
2010

LOCATION:
Knoxville, TN

SIZE:
5,000 SF

MHM was selected to program and design an expansion to the Beck Cultural Exchange Center in Knoxville, the region’s preeminent repository of African American cultural and historical resources and artifacts.

Through discussions with staff and the Beck Center Board, it was determined that a new exhibition space and archival storage for current and future collections was needed, freeing up an existing undersized exhibit space for more genealogical research and community programs.

The addition was sited to maintain the continuity of the existing facility’s form, while introducing an architectural façade that celebrates African American heritage through the patterning of the multi-colored brick on the exhibit hall’s exterior wall.

The exhibition space was designed to allow maximum flexibility for the display of traveling and permanent installations. Strict temperature and humidity controls were installed in the archival storage space to maintain the integrity of the center’s archived collection.

The project also included the construction of a new parking lot and rework of existing landscaping and gardens.

Photo Credits:
Morgan Nowland Photography (1,3,4)