On Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, the Metal Museum opened its doors at Rust Hall in Overton Park, the free public opening after a ribbon cutting the day before. We were there with a 360 drone, and we flew it straight through the building's second floor.
The building
Rust Hall was built for the Memphis Academy of Arts and dedicated in 1959. Architects Roy Harrover and Bill Mann won the design in a competition judged by Philip Johnson and Paul Rudolph. People called it the Taj Mahal of Memphis.
The white concrete lattice that wraps the building is a brise-soleil, a sun screen that shades the glass and cuts the cooling bill. Inside it, the galleries sit around a courtyard open to the sky. The art college that grew up in the building closed in 2020.
The museum that moved in
The Metal Museum signed its lease in 2022 and reworked the building with the architecture firm LRK, leaving some of the original 1959 brick in view. The collection counts more than 3,000 works of metal, and 14 sculptures stand outside on the lawn, including Ted Rust's Ikon. The new campus includes a foundry with a blacksmith shop and a demonstration area. The museum's original site on the bluff stays in use for residencies.
What we filmed
The A1 360 drone went in one side of the second floor and out the other, over the glass skylight in the middle, then looked back as the folded rooflines slid away. One flight, reframed into many shots. It is the kind of space you only get to see like this once, when a building is new and the light is right.
Before you go
The Metal Museum is at 1930 Poplar Ave in Overton Park. Hours, admission and demonstration times can change, so check the museum's own site before you go.
En español
El 5 de septiembre de 2026 el Metal Museum abrió su nuevo campus en Rust Hall, en Overton Park: la escuela de arte de 1959 con su celosía de concreto. Más de 3,000 obras de metal y 14 esculturas en el jardín. Volamos un dron 360 por dentro del segundo piso para mostrarlo.
Sources
- WKNO, "Honoring the mid-century in a modern Metal Museum," Sept. 1, 2026 (architects, competition, brise-soleil, original brick, LRK)
- Art in Context, "Metal Museum Opens Overton Park Campus After $35M Campaign," Sept. 6, 2026 (ribbon cutting Sept. 4, public opening Sept. 5, collection, sculptures, address)
- Memphis Flyer, grand opening coverage, Sept. 6, 2026 (foundry, blacksmith shop, the bluff site); "MCA's Rust Hall turns 50" (the Taj Mahal of Memphis)
- Wikipedia, Metal Museum and Roy Harrover (lease 2022, the 1959 competition)
- Footage: BabaluShow, Antigravity A1 flights at Rust Hall, Sept. 5, 2026