Inside 440 - Berry Hill, Midtown, Vanderbilt, 12S, WeHo, Fairgrounds, etc.

[bhibbs]

I did read the NBJ article and not the one from the Tennessean, could be different

[CenterHill]

he said he is okay with keeping it as it is "for now"....never did he close the door on doing something else with the property. said he knew how hot the area was.

Yes, at some point an offer will come that cannot be turned down.  The owner now has the flexibility to move on it.     

I did have to chuckle at Trabue's description of his lot in NBJ, "It has the feeling of Times Square, doesn't it?"     Uh, no.   

[titanhog]

Yes, at some point an offer will come that cannot be turned down.  The owner now has the flexibility to move on it.     

I did have to chuckle at Trabue's description of his lot in NBJ, "It has the feeling of Times Square, doesn't it?"     Uh, no.   

But it COULD have the feeling of Times Square one day in the future if the right developer buys the land. 

[Mr_Bond]

That's my car repair shop and it's always fun to figure out the traffic patterns around this beautiful piece of real estate.  This lot is probably affected by Lake Palmer's problems so it's no wonder they are keeping it as is for now.

[markhollin]

Another nice example of a near-100-year-old structure getting rehabbed.  This time in Elliston Place neighborhood:

http://nashvillepost.com/blogs/postbusiness/2015/10/27/elliston_place_building_lands_rehab

[CenterHill]

And another letdown...

 

 

Going in the newly vacant lot  across from the just finished Renasant Bank on West End per the Tennessean...

Drove by this today.    Still rising, but from behind the construction fence it appears larger and closer to the street (West End) than I was expecting from the rendering.   It may still end up looking like a suburban mall drive through branch, but I'm holding out hope that there was a design change to give it a more urban street presence.          

 

[Nathan_in_DC]

Drove by this today.    Still rising, but from behind the construction fence it appears larger and closer to the street (West End) than I was expecting from the rendering.   It may still end up looking like a suburban mall drive through branch, but I'm holding out hope that there was a design change to give it a more urban street presence.          

 

You had to remind me that existed...

[SoundScan]

What's interesting (or infuriating) is that the FirstBank branch in Parsons, TN is a far more impressive structure: https://goo.gl/maps/S1MjLEXbQhR2

 

[Nathan_in_DC]

What's interesting (or infuriating) is that the FirstBank branch in Parsons, TN is a far more impressive structure: https://goo.gl/maps/S1MjLEXbQhR2

 

Heh, yep. I've driven past there many times, didn't even think of the comparison.

[MLBrumby]

They've definitely got a fondness for that 80s stucco thing. Don't they? Sort of like McDonald's and those yellow (they're yellow damn it!) arches. 

[samsonh]

Pretty sure building is not stucco at all

[CenterHill]

The one going up on West End looks like either pre-cast concrete or natural stone.    It's not unattractive.   Unless they paint it.  

[rookzie]

The one going up on West End looks like either pre-cast concrete or natural stone.    It's not unattractive.   Unless they paint it.  

Yes I was driven past it today, on the way to the doctor, but I couldn't make out in the rain the composition of the panels already in place over the insulating sheathing.  With their more drab-grey color (for lack of better terms), the panels do appear to be something more dense and heavier than stucco.  They still seem no match for the materials and styling of the splendid limestone (cast or otherwise) and glass Renasant Bank, which has a somewhat simplified Frank-Lloyd-Wright contemporary style (in a manner similar to the First Tennessee Bank in the 3000 block of West End).  Indeed, it is built much closer to the roadway than I had anticipated. -==-

[MidTenn1]

At least it doesn't look like a White Castle burger joint as I initially feared when I first saw the rendering. However, it still has a 1950's, art deco branch bank look. If this bank was hoping to make a statement and proclaim their presence to the City by building in such a high profile location, it is a massive fail.

The Renasant Bank across the street is much more successful at evoking a confident and strong image even at only three floors.

Which bank would you choose if you had to put your money in  one or the other.

[MLBrumby]

Agreed!  The Firstbank trademark look is just dated. Whether it's stucco (looks like it in the drawings) or precast, it looks cheap and very 1980s, especially the smooth, oversized faux cornices. That's a motif that (to me) just screams "classy on the cheap".

Edited October 28, 2015 by MLBrumby

[UTgrad09]

Agreed!  The Firstbank trademark look is just dated. Whether it's stucco (looks like it in the drawings) or precast, it looks cheap and very 1980s, especially the smooth, oversized faux cornices. That's a motif that (to me) just screams "classy on the cheap".

If they ever move, it could easily become a Jared Galleria of Jewelry!

[Hey_Hey]

The Renasant Bank is the only structure at the West End & 19th Ave intersection that is truly urban in design.  The AT&T store is an ever slightly more urban design of their suburban stores, the FirstBank building is going to be the same, and the Courtyard Hotel's most prominent feature is a drive-through porte cochere that faces West End and 19th Ave. Getting rid of the AT&T building would be the biggest gain, but it may be 10-20 years before that becomes a reality.

[CenterHill]

Love the way the Renasant addresses the street and the open design.     Agree with all the comments about FirstBank with respect to the rendering.     What I couldn't tell from my drive-by in the rain yesterday is whether the thing coming out of the ground is the same rendering or a redesign.   If I'm the FirstBank board, when I saw the Renasant open across the street, my reaction is our design looks like Bank of Podunk in comparison and we need a do-over.     

[Hey_Hey]

I attended the Music Row Plan meeting (#musicrowplan) on Monday evening. I would encourage anyone interested in the direction of Music Row to attend one of the next meetings (Nov 10, Dec 2, Jan 11 from 6-7:30PM) at the Midtown Hills Precinct on 12th Ave S. There was a good turnout and there were five "stations" that you could go to to comment on a particular facet of the plan. Each station was staffed by a couple members of the planning staff and there were large maps that you could draw on, comment on, and given ideas.  These included how you individually interact interact with Music Row, how people get to, from, and around Music Row, the cultural heritage of Music Row, things you want to see on Music Row, and opinions on where development should occur and at what density.

There were comments all over the place, but a few things quickly stood out.

-There is a small contingent of people who don't want Music Row to change at all.....they want to drive their car from place to place, want no transit, want no additional residential, and want more office only type buildings. These were a minority of people.

-Similar to Nashville Next, there was a push by a large number of people for some type of transit to serve the area. Transit offerings directly on the Row are limited right now to the southern half of the district.

-People generally want density to increase on the northern end and tail off toward the southern end.  The same is also true for west to east given the single and two-family neighborhood east of 16th as well as on the southern portion around 18th.  

-There were several people who wanted retail/restaurants on Music Row.

-There were several comments on some type of walking heritage tour for tourists with some type of wayfinding system. 

-Everyone I heard speaking wants to do something to keep the "music" in Music Row, but most people also wanted to see it become a more mixed use neighborhood with office, retail, and residential. Designating truly significant properties and somehow protecting those properties was a common statement. 

 

Music Row needs to be a neighborhood that is a place where residents can live, work, shop, and eat and visitors can tour. It needs to be an urban neighborhood that focuses on Music but also promotes growth and development so that it becomes a denser, more walkable neighborhood. If I were all powerful l would setup Music Row like this:

-Gradually step-down allowable heights from Division to 16th and from north to south. 

-Establish an iconic transit system that connect Music Row with the office and residential in the Gulch, and the performance and tourist attractions in Sobro by way of Demonbreun (the so-called Music Mile).  This could included branded BRT, Streetcar, or even something like an aerial tramway which I am a fan of.  The idea is to create something that residents and visitors alike know gets them around the music industry and is a brand in the same way the San Francisco or New Orleans streetcars are. There is parking on the far right lane for booth 16th and 17th that could easily be used for transit instead.

-Design a walking tour of the Row that people could take similar to Freedom Trail in Boston.

-Designate truly historic and significant properties and then pony-up to purchase the development rights to keep them from being razed and developed. In reality, this may be 20-30 properties.

-Provide incentives via TIF or subsidies to designate certain square footage in buildings to be for the music industry.

-Promote/allow dense residential, office, and retail to be built on properties that have no historical or cultural significance.

 

 

[samsonh]

Hope to be able to attend the next meeting. Glad the direction of the meeting went in the way you described. Music Row has so much untapped potential

[Nathan_in_DC]

All sounds like good ideas to me. A simple widening of the sidewalks and installation of pedestrian crossing indicators at all controlled intersections would go a long way to helping it (every time I run through there, I find myself dodging traffic at intersections). A simple signed history walking tour would be an easy and cheap way to get foot traffic up and down it, though I could see pressure from the tour groups against that since every person that does a self guided walking tour is one less person on their bus.

[MLBrumby]

Artisan on 18th going for $35.2 million.... So anyone here remember what this project cost to build?  Seems a bit low from what I expected. 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/homes/2015/10/28/music-rows-artisan-18th-apartments-sold-352m/74753282/

 

[HGMIII]

Artisan on 18th going for $35.2 million.... So anyone here remember what this project cost to build?  Seems a bit low from what I expected. 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/homes/2015/10/28/music-rows-artisan-18th-apartments-sold-352m/74753282/

 

Land + Construction cost around $20 mm per the article.

A little birdy told me another Apt Complex in Mid-Town is about to sale for a record price.  

[MLBrumby]

Ah... nice return.  Thanks!

[CenterHill]

Ah... nice return.  Thanks!

Yes, 76% in less than a year.    We can complain all we want about all the cheap-looking stick frame apartments, but as long as developers can build and flip for returns like these, the pipeline will keep pumping them out,