Wednesday, May 12, 2010 -
TOM WILEMON | The Daily News -

Memphis will spend up to $1.9 million to stabilize a riverbank so a historic site, living museum and one of the city’s best spots for catching summer breezes can be protected.

Carissa Hussong, the executive director of the National Ornamental Metal Museum, welcomes the investment, but there’s another big item on her wish list. She wants this city-owned property, cutoff from Downtown by Interstate 55, reconnected to the municipal street grid.

Next month, she may learn whether she gets her wish. The state in early June plans to present changes it has made to a proposed upgrade for the Interstate 55/Crump Boulevard interchange.

“Yes, it is going to improve the connectivity,” said Nichole Lawrence, a community relations officer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

The specific changes will be presented at the public meeting. Notices will be mailed out and publicly posted once a date and location are set, Lawrence said.

TDOT on its website says the interchange is “structurally deficient, out of date and creates multiple safety and efficiency problems.”

Motorists heading to the museum have to weave and merge across interstate traffic to get to an exit ramp. The only other way to the museum is from McLemore Avenue in South Memphis.

The state initially proposed two alternatives for the interchange. One of them eliminated the exit ramps to the museum.

“I have concerns that they will cut us off even more from the rest of the community,” Hussong said.

The museum isn’t the only place that could be cut off. The French Fort neighborhood, Chickasaw Heritage Park and a proposed condominium development are also on the south side of the interstate, just before it crosses the Mississippi River bridge.

“We’ve made some good adjustments to go back to the public with,” Lawrence said. “We feel like we’ve made a lot of outreach into the community with this.”

Government can move slowly. It took the city years to come up with the money to stabilize the riverbank.

After years of requests, the city took bids for the project on March 12.

Chris Hill Construction got the contract with a bid of $1.5 million. On April 27, the City Council also appropriated $153,662 for project contingencies and $250,000 for potential uncertainties.

The uncertainties include problems with soft soil and the possibility of relocating utilities. The construction work has not begun.

Hussong sat in a metal gazebo close to the bluff and looked out over the Mississippi River recently. She could hear towboat motors. She could see a giant tree trunk go by with the gushing current.

“People often refer to the museum as a hidden gem,” she said. “I think that’s part of its magic. When you come down here, you really do feel removed from the city. You have this incredible view.

Trees capture every summer breeze, cooling the whiffs of wind through leafy condensers and fanning them across the shady grounds.

With this natural air-conditioning system, it’s a good spot for a blacksmith shop.

Most of his work consists of repairs to teapots or broken candelabras. But he does get some more unusual jobs.

“I did repair on some Japanese gold-plated and enamel gold fish,” Burge said. “They were fully articulated so they moved like a real fish. They were pretty amazing.”

Another employee, Jeannie Tomlinson Saltmarsh, is designing a line of gift items for the museum.

The museum also does commission projects.

“We’re working on a railing for a pool, which is going to be beautiful,” Hussong said. “It’s a stainless-steel tree form that looks like it is being blown over in the wind.”

The museum also has a gift shop, a permanent collection and changing exhibits.

“A lot of people have a misconception about what the museum is and what it is that we do,” she said. “A lot of people tend to think of it as being ornamental iron. While we do have quite a bit of ornamental iron, we are about all metals.”

The work on display includes traditional ornamental pieces and more contemporary sculptures.

The museum is currently preparing for International Blacksmith’s Day, which will be on May 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The museum uses events such as these to increase its membership, build awareness and secure financial support.

The museum’s display space and offices are housed in historic buildings constructed in the 1880s to 1930s that were once used as a U.S. Marine hospital.

“It would be wonderful for us to be able to complete all the renovations that these buildings need,” Husong said.