Southern College of Optometry is about to give its Midtown campus a $35 million face-lift, with officials rolling out a two-phase project that leans hard into pediatric care and student spaces while freshening up the school’s aging tower.
Phase one centers on a brand-new building that will expand pediatric and vision-therapy services on the lower level and create an upstairs library and additional student areas. Phase two will focus on renovating the school’s tower and adding an outdoor seating area. The college estimates construction will take about 18 months, and a ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled for April 16.
In a statement to Action News 5, Southern College of Optometry said the project will "benefit vision care for the thousands of pediatric patients we serve." The college put the price tag at $35 million and said the first phase will extend pediatrics and vision-therapy space, with the upstairs of the new building reserved for a library and student areas.
Two-phase plan follows earlier fundraising push
The expansion follows reporting by the Memphis Business Journal that SCO had been outlining campus upgrades and courting donors to fund student-focused spaces. At the time, the college expected initial fundraising for the project to take roughly 12 to 24 months.
The two-phase design announced this week, with new construction up front and tower renovations after, tracks with that earlier planning and fundraising timeline. First, build fresh space for patients and students; then, circle back to modernize the existing tower and add outdoor seating to make the campus a bit more livable between exams and classes.
More room for patients and hands-on training
SCO already runs sizable clinical operations. VisionMonday reported the college provided about $5.6 million in uncompensated and discounted care during the 2023-24 fiscal year and that its clinics see roughly 45,000 patient visits plus about 20,000 outreach encounters each year.
That volume suggests the new building could give SCO some breathing room, particularly for pediatric exams and vision-therapy services, while carving out more lab and study space for students. The college’s clinic materials describe on-campus residencies and pediatric programs that feed into community screenings and a broader training pipeline, and the expansion is set up to support that work rather than reinvent it.
Timeline, ceremony and neighborhood impact
The college says the full buildout is expected to take about 18 months, with a ceremonial groundbreaking scheduled for April 16, as reported by Action News 5. The project sits inside the Memphis Medical District, an anchor-driven cluster of hospitals and health-education institutions that lists SCO among its partners and that organizers say is focused on boosting both patient care and local economic activity.
Officials have not released a full donor list or a detailed construction schedule, but the school said it will share event information ahead of the April ceremony. For pediatric patients and SCO students alike, the project promises more space and services in the heart of Memphis’ medical corridor. The college said it will continue to provide updates on fundraising, construction phasing and public events as plans move forward.
