Downtown resident and climbing enthusiast Drew Taylor had never torn down a barn in his life until earlier this month.

After seeing a Facebook Marketplace post about the need to demolish four barns at the former Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home in Bartlett, Taylor decided to organize a project to help a couple of worthy causes.

The sprawling 74-acre property on U.S. 70 near Stage Road has been approved for redevelopment into the mixed-use “Union Depot.” But before buildings are added to the property, the old buildings scattered throughout the site have to be razed.

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Taylor is teaming on the adaptive reuse reclamation project with the Memphis Rox nonprofit climbing facility at 879 E. McLemore, across the street from Stax Museum in South Memphis. Memphis Rox, a community outreach center, let Taylor store the wood while the materials were transitioned for shipment to New Mexico. In exchange, Memphis Rox would have some of the wood for its use.

“The majority of the materials will be going to New Mexico to form a healing center for women,” Taylor said. “It’s just all about giving new life to the things that are old rather than having it demolished or taken to the landfill. It’s really been a great experience being able to hang out on this land. I sort of hate that it’s going to be developed.”

Richard Weckerly runs a spiritual center in northern New Mexico about 100 miles north of Santa Fe and plans a series of buildings on his property. He and Taylor met during a vacation Taylor took to the area several years ago. The two became good friends, and after Taylor let him know about the available wood, Weckerly came to Bartlett last month to help lead the teardown.

“We pulled whatever we could to be recycled for this women’s healing center,” said Weckerly, president of the Star Fire Council Inc. nonprofit. “This was actually a vision that came from a Lakota medicine man on a South Dakota reservation. I worked with this man for many years, and then I had dreams that showed me to build this center.”

After wondering where he would get the materials for his “dream” project, Weckerly got a call from Taylor about the barns in Bartlett.

“It was a leap of faith on my part. I had to get in my truck and drive there because the project was so big. I was very concerned we wouldn’t be able to do it because it would be too unsafe,” Weckerly said.

He and Taylor and a makeshift team of friends and volunteers worked at the site for more than two weeks dropping timber and rafter assemblies weighing thousands of pounds.

Weckerly points out the offer came at the perfect time since new building material prices skyrocketed during the pandemic. Reclaiming the wood also avoids cutting down other trees for the project.

Weckerly returned to New Mexico while Taylor continued to oversee the demolition.

“It’s been probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life, but the end is in sight,” said Taylor, who is a classically trained painter by trade. “I’m lucky enough to have breaks in my schedule where I can do little side projects here and there, and I was excited to form this project to save these barns.”

In addition to the wood and roofing material, old tools and machinery are also being recycled.

The crew has until this weekend to get everything they can off the property.

As for the partnership with Memphis Rox, it seemed like a natural arrangement. Taylor has been a regular at the gym since it opened four years ago.

“It’s not only what it does for my mental and physical health, the community they have created there is pretty special. It’s changed a lot of people’s lives I think,” Taylor said.

The facility has a community garden, holds food drives and operates a community closet, along with a pay-what-you-can grocery and home-goods store.

“If you have $1, you can come in and buy laundry detergent, toothpaste and some clothes or get a handmade smoothie and sandwich, and if you have more than that you can donate more than that,” said Josh Jimenez, Memphis Rox head route setter. “We’re just trying to give back to the community in a way that otherwise wouldn’t be accessible for most of the folks around there, especially since there’s no large grocery store near there.”

Patrons also can donate their time to help with the various tasks needed around the 36,000-square-foot facility in exchange for goods or services.

“As far as I know, we are the first nonprofit rock climbing gym at our scale that’s ever been created,” Jimenez said.

He does woodworking in the shop on the property and plans to use the reclaimed wood to make cutting boards and small furniture for the gym to sell.