Baronakim

The architects must have taken some inspiration from the Rock Block idea by TonyG and went further with it. As far as I think reading the preview list of probablable complaints, 90% fall into the catagory of hyper bullcrap. For one old designer, my main criticism is that the old recreated frontage should be not be a stage front with nothing behind the "old" looking facades right next to the street. If the theatre entry is to be the new main entry for the residential, it needs to be more accurately duplicated and absolutely recreated as the brilliantly lit portal to the original theater. This looks like a cheap cardboard copy IMO. As I have often complained about "historic preservation", real uses must be found for those properties that are saved. The fact that it has been over 20 years since Bookstar proves that the massive interior of the old theater has no future and really can't stay standing vacant. It is just a shame to resort to putting up a fake recreation (and an unconvincing one IMO) in it's place.

The corner entrance IMO is very badly designed Looks like a place wher visually impared could hit their headsif the pavement at the entry allows it Hopefully not. i think it as a building element, it rather clumsy. The rest of the building fascade however is well aticulated and breaks up what could have been a bland streetface.

Yeah, but the top one is still only a glass fence.

I would have thought that the site would have been mucjh more profitably utilized as a site for a hotel given it's dual proximity to I 24 AND Ellington. self storage seem a wastes as are IMO the two over on 3rd and 4h . At least this one is not as ugly IMO.

Ruin of the very early first power plant for Nashville built in the late 19th century. Here is photo showing it in operation in about 1908.

Maybe... But your pessimisim hopefully is not contagious Argo.

it has always been controversial on this forum. It depends on whether or not you count partial parking level or the upper level of a townhouse style apartment as "floors" We know the height; is it really critically important to argue over "floors"? As for "topped out", it has been STRUCTURALLY topped out for a matter of over a week. Traditionally this is when a building is considered "topped out" and they put up a tree on the roof. Maybey some folks think "topped out" is only when the exterior is completely enclosed but IMO they are in a minority.

No offense to either of us Luvemtall, but you read me wrong. I was referring to the movie Batman where he fights the Scarecrow and burns down Wayne Manor, not the Bat Building. The very tall elevated rail in Gotham was awful. Also I think that you have misunderstood my objections. I really could not give much of a s**t for the "old Nashville" argument about losing "Southern charm". I do love well done reuse of old buildings, but I am not tied to them unless they are truely iconic ones. I, for instance, would not cry if the all of the existing towers built where "urban renewal" tore out six city blocks back almost 50 years ago and replace with a more vibrant and exciting replacement like Nashville Yards. . I totally embrace all this wonderful new growth and the magnificent towers spring up everywhere. I am particularly happy that so much of it is concentrated closely rather than strung out or in outlaying cluster further out. My objection really is that the route you propse is entirely too narrow IMO for overhead rail. I have seen this in both NYC and in Chicago, even if this one would be better designed. I really think the optimum path would be alongside the railyards bordering NY which would allow passengers to disembark cars at the level of the elevation of the NY promenades. A route as you propose down the center of an old existing street IMO would not work well with the existing buildings, plus construction would be a nightmare trying to fit in the supports for an elevated line. That street is already filled with critical underground infrastructure that should not be disrupted. My on\bjections have nothing to do with me being an "old time native". You perception is way wrong in that respect, but I also think you totally overestimate any "snowball rolling" and "times changing" any faster than is happening now. My impression is that the city is changing but with a bonus of so many new buildings being designed by superior, even international design firms. Nashville now has seen the folly and lesson of allowing junk architecture like Haven to be repeated. Hopefully.

I think you watched one of the Batman movies too much.

I will be very lucky to live long enough to see all those surface parking lots beside the tower with Whole Foods to be filled with new towers. it is a shame that the old Tennesseean site lags so far behind work apace on nearby properties like the dairy site.

I'm still waiting to see work on restoration of the big bricked in center area back to the original early 20th century original configuration. However, I can understand that the fascade must be complely resecured to the new structure behind it before they start punching holes in it. Makes sense to me.

I think it would be massively foolish for Metro to redevelop that MDHA site. It is very too much small and the property would be wasted for such a use IMO. Sell it at a windfall profit for hotels and uses more in keeping with the development proposed around the new stadium. Metro MDHA could then use the sale proceeds to build a much more comprehensive facility elsewhere. It would be far better to cash in and use the funds rather than having to come up with monies to redevelop on this inadequate site using taxpayer money IMO. I also think Metro also made a huge mistake in redevoping the housing over off Charlotte with small scale residences when the area surrounding it is being developed with highrise residential. I contend that the value of the land now would be worth razing those suburban townhouses even now and relocating elsewhere in a development more like the Cayce rebuild over by Shelby Street.

Awfully blood small for a hotel site compared with the Woodland site. Too bad they didn't get the baskball court to make it a more reasonable site for development. Maybe they will.

ANY structure that required both a heavy fencing AND razor wire is time to go away as soon as possible IMO. Nashville is not North Korea.

I completely agree. The American system of City, County, State, National often IMO is redundant and gives very unequal service. I think consolidating City and County in a lot of cases into metropolitan regions would be much better but the transition would be difficult. Sometimes, I think states are a bad idea as their boundries have really very little relevance to the current populations they have, These boundries were set up hundreds of years ago by charter of other countries in Europe but changing it would be chaos. The rise of huge metropolitan cities has very much changed the way our bicamarel system works since it was set up. The system of state lines being unconnected to real population centers IMO is rather awkward creating problems...and sometimes preventing conficts between metros. An example would be Atlanta desiring water from the Tennessee River. then there are counties out west as big as more than one small state. I'm afraid wer are stuck with the system as much as it could be better though.

Have you considered the back area of the Elliston Place Soda shop where they have live music? It probably is not too full up on a saturday morning and Jim Myers there is very much involved in Nashville's architecture.

You must be unfamiliar then with the WEgo stops by Weiss Liquors on Main Street. Almost always there are passed out homeless folks there. I see little difference to be expected in this proposed Transit Center. I think your optomism may not be warrented in this case.

Rebuilding it now IMO offers no advantage and there is no "short time" solution. There is a power transformer yard between the bridge ramps to probably relocate and rebuilding the elevated bridge approaches and the elevated James Robertson to grade for several blocks would be MUCH more disruptive than the Broadway Viaduct project...probably at least a year of chaos I would think. The new ramped bridge approach would just as steep as the existing one on the Woodland bridge. I think they should take the existing structure down to the pier in the river to reduce the slope to something more reasonable. The existing rail tracks under the bridges are not used and would be ripped out anyway. Probably they should do the same thing to the ramp approaches on the Woodland Bridge as well when they finish with the Victory redevelopment. I think that all of the traffic trying to turn right onto 3rd Ave N. to reconnect with James Robertson around Capitol Hill will be very nasty and all that traffic down Union will be no picnic either. Anytime at all is really not a great timing for this work. The only thing I would suggest saving on the East banks is the east side foundations for the original first bridge over the Cumberland... they still exist and are historic IMO.

How does this work? Woodland and James Robertson are at two entirely different levels at that point. I have not yet seen a solution as to how these two new roads work with the bridge rampings. Right now you drive under James Robertson at the corner of the old truck stop property and the Justice Center is at grade. Looks to me like the disruption to Victory Memorial Bridge for East bank Boulevard to cross at grade will be massive in redesign. Routing all the traffic over the existing Woodland Bridge will be Chaos worse than the Broadway Viaduct replacement IMO. Two lanes of existing ramp into downtown added with the two with an alternating center from the existing Victory. That's FIVE lanes being funneled into the two existing on Woodland and the load on Victory is hugely more heavy than that on Woodland currently. Getting north to reconnect with James Robertson at the Square will be a nightmare clusterf**k. on both sides of the river.

The renderings show that the rather boring poles are elevated on a concrete planter about 30" high. While this will provide separation of vehicular and pedestrian paths, I don't see any curbing or such to keep the automobiles from damaging the planter wall. I hope there are provisions planned that just don't show up on the renderings. I really don't want to see a failure like the bollards on the Division streey overpass... massively poor design IMO. They didn't last a SINGLE DAY without damage.

The quake regretably is unavoidable. It is a matter of time. However Nashville would have lots of company like St. Louis, New Orleans and Chicago. When it finally rips loose IMO there will not be a standing bridge over the Mississippi River from south of St. Paul all the way down to Vicksburg. Pipelines too. There is a seismic driver that delivers a gigantic quake on a fairly regular basis that completely causes the Mississippi Rive to drastically change its course quite suddenly . IMO it is the northern sector of the Reelfoot Rift that triggers it, not the New Madrid. The quakes there a little over 200 years ago were of insufficient intensity to relocate the river or the delta appreciably. That is an indiator of an event quite a bit larger than the New Madrid quakes, Here is one of the proofs that major seismic events cause massive in the river showing course changes in the delta's depositation. The last two have been relatively milder tah the older ones.. I think the next one will be massive and is probably overdue. I have discussed my opinions with the heads of FEMA and TEMA and they agree largely with my conclusions, but there is NOTHING we can physically do architecturally to prepare. When it happens, it happens. The only disaster I can see that would be conceivably worse is the eruption of the Yellowstone caldera .

Block 4 has SIX. You are counting the roof glass fencing as a floor and the second floor of the 2 story ones as full "floors" and they are not The top parking level is also not nearly a full floor either. Yes you can mathmatically fudge the numbers, but the use says otherwise IMO. They are pouring the roof now. It won't get any taller than the core is now.

I thought the revised 28 story design was to go before planning in mid-September per the 1100 Edition thread.

Yep and it will until someone with deep pockets figures out how to rebuild that block in a manner restoring the basic styles and massing of the building that was destroyed by arson and yet make it work commecially.

I disagree completely. I think the relatively new State Museum and Archives facilities are excellent. I also think the Tennessee Capitol Complex Service Center will eventually go away in favor of more elegant cultural developments, particularly since there is a massive rejuvination of the surrounding neighborhoods with new works. They did not hesitate to demolish half of the Farmers Market for the new museum, so IMO the rest of the market too will eventually go away. Bicentennial Mall is not a commercial project like Nashville Yards as much as many on this forum are impatient to see a full build out. My own druthers would be to see TPAC rebuilt here instead of across the river with the new Stadium, not just theatre, but pehaps opera and ballet as well combing the performing arts in one facility. Fortunately the city and Belmont have built magnificent halls, so the state really would not need to build another orcestral hall. The deveopment and ultimate buildout of the Mall is not just a 20 year or so project, it may take more decades. Keep in mind that once a new facility is built displacing our future needs, the site is no longer available for more appropriate use. For our state culturally, it should be viewed more like the National Mall in D.C., but embodying the best of our state. Why not consider the huge state parking lots beneath the Capitol instead if a MLB stadium really must go in this area? Certainly it would be totally in keeping with the so called height restictions I always hear about and the underground parking would certaily fill all the needs of the parking for state employees couldn't it? Better access, more land; why not there gang?