ATLBrain

While the link is active, check out these photos from 1970s Nashville courtesy of the online Tennessean. There were some from the 40s, 50s, and 60s but those links did not stay on the Tennessean site longer than a day. http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/galler...0821&Ref=PH

Funny thing, guys. I also saw that and thought the very same thing. Besides, it's encore, right? If anything shouldn't it be musical notes? Still that would look cheesy too.

Durn, I'm jealous.

No offense taken. I knew that Nashville was a popular convention destination, but I didn't realize it was in the top 10. Yes, that bodes well for the new CC. While I remain skeptical, I really do hope Nashville breaks the mold on CCs.

Just telling you what I think will happen. I'm not saying that I disagree with the idea behind it, just that the politicians will shy away (even run from) the idea of anything other than a convention center. Don't misunderstand, I think you guys did fine work, and no doubt the politicians will "engage" the community as it's the politically smart thing to do and costs virtually nothing to do. This is after all, public money, and it's always a touchy subject when public financing is concerned. I could even predict for you how this will play out: Lots of nice renderings and plans will be put forth to the public, and then the cost estimates will come. Then all of a sudden there will be vocal objections from citizens, and then the various commissions involved, and they'll look for areas to cut (aka value engineer), and somebody(s?) will complain that the mission is to build a convention center ONLY, and it must be cost-effective, etc.,etc., etc. I've seen it umpteen times before, and I'll bet you have too. You might get some nice architecture, but not with the Roman forum and apartments and retail, etc.. I'm quite sure that in the end you'll get a box. Whether you agree with me or not, you know politicians probably as well as I do. When have they not acted this way? Oh, and with all due respect, there's no way a piddling 350K convention hall (and that is what it's supposed to be, no?) can blow away a 1.5M convention center (not counting the Dome). So let's not get into a p***ing match on CC's.

My point is that the politicians and CC-backers will actually want a big box for several reasons. First, it will be something they can point to and say, "See we built a convention center". People are inherently distrustful of governments getting into the landlord business for either residential or other. A building that has any more than a convention center will appear to be that, and the politicians will want to distance themselves from anything more than a CC. Additionally, with the money earmarked to a CC, they'll be reluctant to take a portion of it for something other than a CC. Most will be afraid that it would be seen as "less of a CC" than they could get by using all the money for convention space without the extra stuff. I work with politicians, and in their minds it's about getting "just the facts" without making the task any more complicated. In other words, "The city is paying for a convention center, and that's just what they're gonna get."

Personally, I don't see this happening. Nashville's leaders may get some worthwhile ideas, but I think it will be perceived as too many frills without the real meat and potatoes of the convention center itself. This is after all a public project.

20th and Belcourt, which will be mixed use retail and office in the heart of Hillsboro Village. Five floors wrapped around parking garage. http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...NESS01/80303013 http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=59002

That's it. Thanks.

I saw a much more recent study from 2006(?), but I can't place it at the moment. It consisted of about a half-dozen routes through downtown that run north-south and east-west and incorporate the new bus depot. I remember the Nolensville/4th Ave leg would be done first through downtown and link up with 8th on the north side. The routes I saw are to be BRT would be forerunners to LRT routes. I know I'm not imagining this, so does anyone have a link to that report? I do recall the map with that study did not have the route you posted above. I was surprised that it did not have an emphasis on the Church/Broadway corridors.

Since Monsoon closed the West End Summit thread, I didn't know where to put this. Palmer has pulled the permit to start the foundation work... http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...NESS01/80227024

What is "it"? The bridge, or the whole project? Or what?

Would that be different from the Franklin Police HQ? I have seen links to that from the Tennessean website (Williamson Co. Section). Don't know if it is still posted. However, it's a large building of about 90K sq.ft. and has the classic mid-20th century municipal building look to it. All brick and 3 stories (I think). It looks urban.

Just wondering, if you knew it was doomed at 55 stories, why do you think that plan would be under construction now?

Good luck. You are after all in a county of more than 600K people. Seems like a hard case to fight. Don't blame you for fighting, but development will come someday.

I think there is a lot of fear that new roads will bring the type of commercial development found on Murfreesboro Rd., and other thoroughfares around Nashville (e.g. Cumberland Pkwy in Atlanta), etc.. That danger exists without lots of good zoning in place. So I think the focus of residents in that area should be a push for the highest quality of materials and limited convenience service centers like fast foods and gas stations, etc. They should be restricted to certain locations only. There are office centers like this not far from some of the best residential areas of large cities around the country... wealthy areas less than a mile from Interstate type roads. Bethesda, MD, and Madeira outside of Cincinnati are just a couple that come to mind. If you drive through those areas on the expressway, you have almost no clue that there's civilization around you.

Sorry, but that design is so uninspiring, even for a hospital built twenty years ago, much less for a brand new one. If someone can dig up a pic of the Sutter Roseville (CA) Medical Center, you will see that hospitals can -- and I argue, should -- be designed in innovative and inspiring ways. Things like skylights throughout, and corridors that run at angles, and curves at interesting focal points, and well you get the idea. I'm no architect, but I'm like most people who can appreciate when a hospital doesn't look like a hospital. The best I could find, but it shows only the front canopy. It's designed in a prairie style (with some Spanish mission undertones)... http://sutterroseville.org/about/directions.html#2

Yes, these are right on the river with a view of downtown. The homes are being built by several different developers. The first ones are from the high 100's up to mid-300's (those buildings behind the townhouses). The first townhouses going up now are in the high 300's and up. I'm guessing the views go for far more. I think the buildout will be apx. 10 years. I saw a flyover video that showed two new bridges that look like Caletrava (sp?) creations with the high suspension towers etc. I'll try to locate it again for the link.

Here's a rendering of the south waterfront project in Knoxville. It will transform the three miles on the south shore from heavily industrial to residential and commercial. Already, there are 500 homes under construction. For those unfamiliar with Knoxville, the central business district is on the north shore. http://www.cityofknoxville.org/southwaterf...hshore_1200.pdf From the KNS... http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/dec/30/t...ming-landscape/

True, Pompus, but as someone who was staying in downtown Ft.Worth in March 2000, I know first hand that the biggest danger in modern hi rises is with the glass.

Thanks, all. Helps me understand these proposals better.

So looking at those aerial pictures, is the H2O development in that heavily treed area in the left foreground? If so, I'm surprised by the amount of built-up area around it.

I wonder about the same things. It does seem to me that there is an awful lot of open land on the near-west (and north) side of Nashville. Looking at the map accompanying the story on the CP site, it looks also like a lot of forests and open space will be preserved regardless of what goes in at this site. So I can see an argument for a project this large (built over the next 10 years) as a means to slow down the further extension of development in other directions around Nashville... or any city with a similar opportunity. So with 5000 residential units in this one and XX (how many??) homes in H2O, would these two projects make any significant dent in the migration to the exurbs? I mentioned the similarities to Las Colinas. And there are other examples, I'm sure. However, the more I look at this one, the more it reminds me of Transit Oriented Development without the Transit portion. I can't help thinking that's a bad thing in the long run.

MetroCenter was old when I lived in Nashville in the late 80s. It reflects the shopping-mall like design of office parks from the 1960s-80s. Not to say that they're not still building 'em, however this one appears to be quite dense. Having said that, the density of this project looks more than a little odd out there on the Cumberland floodplain.

Actually, the idea behind this reminds me of Las Colinas at DFW. So where would this project be in relation to H2O? I think I know where H2O will be (wedged between I40 at OHB and the river). This project will be across the river, but where? Has anybody seen how the traffic will flow between this project and H2O?