BROADWEST (former West End Summit), 36 story Conrad Hilton Hotel/condo tower, 22 story/510,000 sq. ft. office tower, 4 story/125,000 sq. ft. retail/office, 1 acre plaza, 2,500 car garage, $490 million

[it's just dave]

I want to quote the Alex S. Palmer & Company:

"The future of Nashville is under construction now. Future generations have to live with what we, as developers, create. That places a heavy responsibility on us to be excellent—to only be involved in quality developments. Alex S. Palmer & Company is totally committed to developing space that is as functional and aesthetic as we can possibly make it ... for out time and for the future."

If Alex can wait for WES, we can too. This is from a Sept. 27, 1987 Tennessean ad I found while rummaging through some drawers. Come on, Alex, the suit fits now. Build us our buildings.

[satalac]

haha, great find dave! i drove by the site a couple of days ago and remembered when it used to excite me. now, i just try and get a glimpse of how high the water level is. let's hope alex can pull through on this one. i still see ads in the paper for it. i hope it's not all talk.

[nashvillwill]

Haven't you guys heard? It's going to be the country's largest swimming pool for our future Central Park! He's brilliant.

[jice]

That's a great ad Thanks for sharing..

[satalac]

Haven't you guys heard? It's going to be the country's largest swimming pool for our future Central Park! He's brilliant.

maybe they could build just one tower and have a waterslide from the roof to the hole!

[East Side Urbanite]

Dave,

A classic, my man.

You know, I've talked to Alex Palmer a few times over the years and have always admired his energy and graciousness. I know some people don't like him (citing ego, arrogance, etc.). I suppose Mr. Palmer is like all of us, with good qualities and not-so-good qualities. And his right-hand man, Rick Frazier, is very competent and capable. Rick believes in Midtown. With WES, too many setbacks thwarted the project. But something tells me Alex is not going to give up. He likely sees WES as his "legacy development" (which it would be). I'm still displeased about the razing of the Masonic lodge, and would respectfully tell Mr. Palmer that if he asked for my honest feedback.

Let's just hope Alex and Rick stay the course and make WES happen.

Until they do, we'll simply follow other projects.

WW

[FromParkAveToTN]

I don't understand why they broke ground knowing they didn't have all the financing in place to begin constructions. Is it just me or doesn't that seem irresponsible?

[El Norte]

I don't understand why they broke ground knowing they didn't have all the financing in place to begin constructions. Is it just me or doesn't that seem irresponsible?

Irresponsible? Probably not - it's his property to excavate as he sees fit. Brazen and reckless? Maybe.

Did Palmer's decision to excavate really represent a last-ditch-effort (as some forumers claimed at the time) to convince would-be financiers that his project was for real? Was it really amature theatrics to show doubters that he was serious about the project and create a sense of "inevitability" about the construction of WES? If so, it represents a major strategic failure that would be hard to ignore for potential lenders in the future. How much confidence would it give you, as a banker, to be face-to-face with "Palmer's Folley" spread out before you on nashville's most prominent boulevard, filled to the brim with water of questionable purity? The false start at WES is a major strike against Palmer's credibility, and in the banking world, credibility counts for a lot...

Edited July 17, 2008 by El Norte

[smeagolsfree]

Alex Palmer's big swimming hole. The water has to be about 20 feet deep in places.

[highriser]

Alex Palmer's big swimming hole. The water has to be about 20 feet deep in places.

Sweet, how are my little catfish coming along that I put in there last year???

[smeagolsfree]

Sweet, how are my little catfish coming along that I put in there last year???

I think they are about the size of VW's now.

[troyboytn]

I think they are about the size of VW's now.

The sarcasm in these threads have become increasingly childish to say the least. Like most of you, I would also love to see WES and Signature become reality and I am proud that I dont feel that I have to constantly bash the developers just because I'm upset that the market hasnt allowed them to get underway. Please GROW UP!

[CandyAisles]

Alex Palmer needs to be careful. That swimming pool will turn into a 'wetlands area' real quick...Then he can't build on it even if he is financially able to.

[highriser]

The sarcasm in these threads have become increasingly childish to say the least

What sarcasm? I'm serious. I put some baby catfish in there last year so that I don't have to travel 30 miles to go catfishing anymore....

[EDfromTN]

Something should be done with all the water in there. I dont know how secure the lot is but that place looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen. With or without any progress being made with WES just having a big hole full of water is rediculous.

[smeagolsfree]

Being serious here for just a moment, the water is a health hazard because of West Nile Virus. I am surprised the city has not made him drain it. It will be an issue for sure.

[satalac]

The sarcasm in these threads have become increasingly childish to say the least. Like most of you, I would also love to see WES and Signature become reality and I am proud that I dont feel that I have to constantly bash the developers just because I'm upset that the market hasnt allowed them to get underway. Please GROW UP!

while you're entitled to your opinions, please be mindful of how you present yourself on this forum. the nashville bunch is a pretty tight knit bunch who isn't afraid to joke around and have fun. a good ribbing now and then should not warrant the "childish" label. i find most of this out of frustration. like you, we really do want these projects to happen, but we are getting a bit tired of hearing and seeing the same old thing from the developers. to dig a massive hole in the ground without proper financial backing is a bit risky as we have seen. so please, do not take offense to the sometimes errant arrow shot across the bow on this forum. it is how we vent from the constant teasing of the developers.

[troyboytn]

while you're entitled to your opinions, please be mindful of how you present yourself on this forum. the nashville bunch is a pretty tight knit bunch who isn't afraid to joke around and have fun. a good ribbing now and then should not warrant the "childish" label. i find most of this out of frustration. like you, we really do want these projects to happen, but we are getting a bit tired of hearing and seeing the same old thing from the developers. to dig a massive hole in the ground without proper financial backing is a bit risky as we have seen. so please, do not take offense to the sometimes errant arrow shot across the bow on this forum. it is how we vent from the constant teasing of the developers.

My sincere apologies if I have offended anyone with the childish comment, but for those who really want these developments to happen....why not show optomism rather than pessimism. I love Nashville and would still live there if not forced to move to Atlanta because of my job and I want to see Nashville continue its rise to becoming a top tier American city. Believing these projects will help that progress, I want to stay optomistic about them. Tony Giaratanna and Alex Palmer have already done more than their part to make that happen even if WES and Signature never get out of the ground....so I for one applaud them both and wish them the best of luck in the future!

[nashvylle]

Completeley agree troyboytn!

[knoxster77]

My sincere apologies if I have offended anyone with the childish comment, but for those who really want these developments to happen....why not show optomism rather than pessimism. I love Nashville and would still live there if not forced to move to Atlanta because of my job and I want to see Nashville continue its rise to becoming a top tier American city. Believing these projects will help that progress, I want to stay optomistic about them. Tony Giaratanna and Alex Palmer have already done more than their part to make that happen even if WES and Signature never get out of the ground....so I for one applaud them both and wish them the best of luck in the future!

I have to agree too. Although I do not usually add comments to this forum, I usually do read it at least once a week. I'm always surprised at how many people attack the developers for not being able to make something happen. Remember most of us are just setting on the sidelines and really don't have a dog in the fight--other than pride in our city. It is extremely easy to be critical from behind a computer. We are not investing tons of money into these projects, nor do we have to negotiate with banks on financing projects. Likewise, none of us has to worry about risking our careers or reputations on these projects. I prefer to stay optimistic as well. Even though, Mr. Palmer has not been about to build WES after several years, at least he has not abandon the project. And, I'm sure he does not like the fact that there is a large hole filling with water were his tower is supposed to be. I glad to that both Tony Giaratanna and Alex Palmer have a "vertical" interest in Nashville. I hope they both are able to realize their projects in the near future, and stick around afterwards to erect more.

Edited August 5, 2008 by knoxster77

[Nashvillain]

The world is powered by happy thoughts?

Look, optimism from a group of largely anonymous forum members is not going to help anything get built, likewise it's not going to tear anything down. Alex Palmer and associates deserve all the criticism they have gotten and may receive in the future for tearing down a historical structure and replacing it with a massive, water filled, hole in the ground, at a prominent intersection in Nashville no less.

For all this talk about blight and eminent domain in regards to the Lionstone development and Ms. Ford's little building, maybe the city should take over Alex's giant swimming hole and offer it to a more competent developer.

Edited August 5, 2008 by Nashvillain

[it's just dave]

Water-filled holes happen. Some of you act as though this is the first water event since the Great Flood. You're too young to remember the site of TPAC looking like Old Hickory Lake, or the site of the convention center filled with water.

These holes will be filled. On the developers' schedules, not any of ours. So what's a little water anyway. I'm sure the city is making sure there's nothing unhealthy about it. That what MHD is for.

[knoxster77]

The world is powered by happy thoughts?

Maybe not. But I live in New Orleans now, and I can tell you negative, cynical attitudes get nothing done. Bashing developers for not being able to get a project off the ground in time adds nothing positive to the conversation nor does it speed up the process. It is one thing to criticize poorly planned development projects that were outlandish or unachievable from the beginning; however, it is another thing to pass judgment on developers that are trying to operate in an extremely weak economy and housing market. Sure, I

[smeagolsfree]

My biggest complaint with ASP is that this project was announced over 8 years ago. Sometimes a developer needs a little criticism to make something happen. ASP has sort of been the golden child with the projects he has done. I think criticism it fine as long as it does to came down to lies and bashing. We heard rumors that this thing was going to go vertical and it never did. The developer saying it was full steam ahead when it actually was not. Even the building permit was pulled and still nothing happened.

Sometimes we have only humor to show our disappointment in things such as the economy and the built environment these days. I do hope the towers get built, but when almost a decade has flown by, then disappointment and a little anger sometimes sets in.

[satalac]

very well said. people act like west end summit is something that has been planned very recently. this is something that has been on the boards since the economy was in (well believed to be in) very good shape. 8 years is a long time, especially for a project like this. look how quickly the pinnacle got going (true, it's not as large, but just shows that a large project can get going rather quickly if done right). now i'm not bashing palmer for being a great visionary. he and tony both have some great ideas for the area. that being said, 8 years to get a water filled hole in the ground doesn't seem like very good planning. why not be upset about it? just because i didn't put any money into the development doesn't mean that i'm not allowed to be upset about a massive hole on some prime real estate in the middle of nashville. i take pride in my city, as do many of us. being disappointed is more preferable that not caring at all.