Temporary mural project by Memphis based artist Arnold Thompson

Maya Smith for The Memphis Flyer

A vacant apartment complex in Frayser once on the brink of dilapidation is now in the early stages of a two-year renovation, and students in the community are helping to make it happen.

The renovation of the Peachtree Apartments on Steele kicked off in August when art students from nearby Martin Luther King College Preparatory High School collaborated with the UrbanArt Commission (UAC) to install colorful murals on the building’s exterior.

Quincy Jones, project manager at ComCap Partners, one of the groups collaborating on the project, said this first step was important for two reasons: It showed the community that vacant buildings can still be “vibrant and appealing during its time of transformation” and it got “residents to feel invested in the outcome.”

“We thought it would be a good opportunity to students there and it was a logical idea to involve them,” he said.

ComCap, along with Neighborhood Preservation, Inc. (NPI), another organization driving the effort, focuses much of their work on rehabilitating the environments near schools to improve housing stock for students and their families and to enhance students’ academic performance.

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