pompusmaximus

I would rather maintain the street wall than bulldoze these buildings for a green band-aid. Demolition of mainstreet buildings should only be done when construction is imminent and not sort of in the air.

hahaha nice one

After watching that video, this Tony G guy sounds pretty cool. He seems to have embraced density and good urban design principles; which is quite hard to find in Southern land developers.

Nope, it is quite a distance from the Ashley River Tower facility. The exact spot is on Bee St. precisely halfway between President st. and Ashley Ave. If you look on virtual earth you will see a cleared dirt lot. As of right now, just the steel frame of the building has been erected. However, you can see the steel frame driving over the ashley river bridge. I'm sure it's part of MUSC expansion but I have no clue which building it is.

I love the sound of that. Making a grand entrance to a city is something local governments have neglected in the past 100 years. Anyway, I was curious if anybody knew what was being built by MUSC. It looks to be a 6 or 7 story building. I don't have a pic but you can see it rise from the ashley river bridge. The structure is about a block over from Cannon St.

If someone is willing to take on the task, we should have a timeline of the progression of this project from conception to current status. It would include announcements, delays, public support/backlash, etc. I think this way we can have everyone examine the timeline and come to their own conclusion as to what will happen. Another post of the tower rendering wouldn't hurt either.

More midtown coverage http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/feb/19..._unveiled31081/

Agreed, falling glass is definitely a serious risk. Hopefully people are smart enough not to walk around freely in the open while a tornado annihilates downtown Nashville. Inside a skyscraper the wind would pass through the building once the glass has blown out, so make sure you’re in the hallway and not in the cubicle with the nice view. Shatter resistant glass ameliorates some of the risk, but not all of course. In general, I think this structure would look pretty magnificent for Nashville’s skyline; albeit the height may be a tad too much. I think an aesthetically pleasing crown for Nashville’s skyline that’s only 2/3 occupied would be better than no crown at all. - Moderator's note: A tad too snarky remark had to be removed from this post. Lets watch what we say to not offend anyone, even if we are jesting. -

Yeah tall steel frame buildings bend and sway in the wind, so I wouldn't say you're a whole lot worse off in a skyscraper than in a wood framed house. Secondly, people who suggest against building skyscrapers due to fear of terrorism should not be included in any serious discussion and should barricade themselves in a bomb shelter. I mean that's like saying we shouldn't build cities above ground because of possible nuclear attacks from China or Russia.

Thanks plastic man! Yeah I would say 56 stories of condominiums is quite a challenge in this market.

That looks pretty awesome. The building reminds me of something out of Gotham city.I just stumbled upon this forum a few minutes ago and I am curious to the likelyness of this actually being built in Nashville. Would anybody mind summarizing what's happening with this project?

Are walk and don't walk signs not good enough anymore?

Whoa, I was standing right by there on new years too

Well many of the historic sites were left in tact. Most of the damage shown on TV was on the barrier islands and McClellenville; although damage was not uncommon elsewhere. Federal and State assistance did help. There were many many volunteers and the evacuation was pretty sound. Local government did a good job cleaning up the area afterwards. The thing different about Charleston was that nobody gave up on it. Nobody said there shouldn't be a city here due to the proximity to sea level. The crime rate for downtown Charleston was bad in the 80s but little national attention was given to that fact, which spared us the bad publicity. Also, everybody returned rather quickly to the area for clean-up. New Orleans on the other hand became a no mans land after the deluge. Charleston also amped up its shipping capacity and has a very competitive port (6th largest in the nation. The greatest thing we have in common with New Orleans is that it boast great tourist activities. I'd say a huge chunk of the money that comes into Charleston is soley related to tourist. Oh and we didn't have CNN report about a spike in murders after the huricane and how our police force deserted the city. It sounds harsh, but sadly that's reality.

Yeah, I have lived here all my life (only 22 years but still) and the amount of progress I have seen in Charleston is amazing. A small but noticeable group always complains about Riley and the job he has done. They always say it's time for change and for the city to head in a new direction. I can never understand how they back up these arguments. Asside from the gentrification debates and the Sofa Super store accident, Charleston has thrived under Riley; If he continues to do a great job, why give him the boot? Anyway, in the future Joe Riley will become a cyborg and continue to be mayor for many years to come. Oh and on another note, what are they going to do with the old IMAX building now that they moved?