Laurynas Petrauskas (also “LP”) and Raymond Sharkus of LP3 Developers have built a new residential development in the historic Normal Station neighborhood, just as they have successfully done near Crosstown and Overton Square. The firm specializes in “turning around neighborhoods on the edge,” says LP. A significant neighborhood anchor point typically draws their attention. In this case, the anchor was the University of Memphis on the northern border of Normal Station, named for the train depot it was at the turn of the century.
Over the years, the University has heavily invested in its grounds and surroundings with new facilities, student housing, parking, green spaces, lighting and walkways; however, the neighborhood south of Southern Avenue remained neglected, with student housing and rentals that looked worn by comparison. That is where LP saw an opportunity.
LP3’s Normal Station property includes an original Victorian home and almost an acre lot that the partners carved into six unique homesites between 2,300 and 2,500 square feet. With three bedrooms and two and a half baths, each new home offers slightly different amenities like outdoor spaces and balconies. The gated community integrates seamlessly into the historic neighborhood but brings a unique, contemporary flair reflecting LP’s European background.
A native of Lithuania, Petrauskas moved to Memphis as a teenager. Early in his career, he envisioned building contemporary homes in neglected neighborhoods as a means of renewal and improving his new River City home. He calls them “infill” areas where his style breathes fresh air into dated landscapes with modern lines and contemporary finishes. His latest development in the Normal Station neighborhood is a collaboration with the University and architecture firms Archimania and brg3s.
“Building in the shadow of the University of Memphis, it made sense to reach out,” says LP. With the help of architect Andrew Parks of Archimania, a University of Memphis graduate and Professor of Practice in the Department of Architecture, LP initiated a collaboration with the Department of Architecture. Students in the second-year undergraduate design studio program under the leadership of Department Chair Michael Hagge did the original design work for the six new homes.
Parks oversaw the students’ work and encouraged them to draw inspiration from the existing neighborhood of bungalows and cottages using familiar materials like brick and siding. The students also explored design concepts of efficiency, materials, and finishes, which they included in the clean and elegant homes.
Hagge says the students glimpsed the development process and the “importance of collaboration.” This collaboration formula is working as one of the new homes has already sold, and two more are under contract. As the Normal Station homes sell, LP has his sights set on a new property on Broad Avenue at Hollywood for development.
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LP3 is Memphis’s premiere, local small business developer, partnering with local designers to build beautiful, timeless spaces where Memphis residents live and thrive.
LP3s latest development in the Normal Station neighborhood is a collaboration with the University and architecture firms Archimania and BRG3s.
“We turn around neighborhoods on the edge.” LP]