Nashville Yards, 15 acres/4 million sq. ft./ $1 billion, Phase I: Grand Hyatt Hotel (25 stories), Phase II: Amazon (26 & 22 stories), Phase III: AEG District (4 K theater, 34 & 35 story apts); Phase IV: Pinnacle Tower (35 stories), Amazon 3 (43)

[Pyramid Scheme]

I wish they could've preserved it somehow, but it's their decision.

[Pdt2f]

3 hours ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

I get the distinct impression some don't like that building simply because it does have a cross on it.

It serves as a visible reminder of Nashville's Christian publishing industry, an industry I'm proud of and which helped make Nashville great. The building itself isn't tall and it doesn't offer any street activation but it offers an interesting design and textures, not bad for that part of town in 1991. 

[TNinVB]

This has got to be the newest building to ever come down in Nashville. 

[Pdt2f]

9 minutes ago, TNinVB said:

This has got to be the newest building to ever come down in Nashville. 

Gives me hope for Rhythm. It could never be too soon to tear down that sacrilege.  

[titanhog]

21 minutes ago, Pdt2f said:

Gives me hope for Rhythm. It could never be too soon to tear down that sacrilege.  

Maybe we can get a "2 for 1 Special" on Rhythm and Westin. 

[Pdt2f]

1 hour ago, titanhog said:

Maybe we can get a "2 for 1 Special" on Rhythm and Westin. 

I thought about including the Westin but at the very least it offers a little splash of color at night. It'd be hard to turn down 2 for 1, though! Rhythm looks like a cheap 1980s condo 3 blocks from the water in Orange Beach or something. Almost ruins the drive through south loop for me 

[fieldmarshaldj]

3 hours ago, TNinVB said:

This has got to be the newest building to ever come down in Nashville. 

You're forgetting how fast they demolished Church Street Centre Mall for the library. That was only in existence about 10 years (1989-c1999/2000). That doesn't even count as the fastest, with one of the earlier versions of the McKendree Church (still in the same location) that featured a steepled tower (might've been the tallest building in the city after the Capitol) that was destroyed by fire almost immediately after completion in the late 1800s.

[Nathan_in_DC]

6 hours ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

You're forgetting how fast they demolished Church Street Centre Mall for the library. That was only in existence about 10 years (1989-c1999/2000). That doesn't even count as the fastest, with one of the earlier versions of the McKendree Church (still in the same location) that featured a steepled tower (might've been the tallest building in the city after the Capitol) that was destroyed by fire almost immediately after completion in the late 1800s.

Church Street Center...that brings back some memories. I only recall going in once or twice in the very early nineties, then my family decided it was just easier to go to Bellevue or Green Hills to do our mall shopping. There's a certain irony that downtown is experiencing the dining, shopping, and living boom now, and Bellevue Center is long demolished.

[samsonh]

16 hours ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

I get the distinct impression some don't like that building simply because it does have a cross on it.

Where does this impression come from? Conversations you have had? I get the impression no one cares it has a cross on it. I find it unique but if the developer wants to implode it that is their choice. 

[nashvylle]

I find it amazing that folks find that building with a Jewish Star / Islamic Star & Moon on it attractive. Red granite walls and all... Woof. To each their own I guess.

You're going to tell me no one would be offended if the above was said? Anyways... back to the topic of buildings. Mods feel free to delete whatever you think is necessary to get back on track. 

Edited October 23, 2017 by nashvylle

[DeemonBruhn]

I find it amazing that folks find that building with a Jewish Star / Islamic Star & Moon on it attractive. Red granite walls and all... Woof. To each their own I guess.
You're going to tell me no one would be offended if the above was said? Anyways... back to the topic of buildings. Mods feel free to delete whatever you think is necessary to get back on track. 

I wasn’t implying that the building is ugly because it has a cross on it, merely that the building design is not good.

[dmillsphoto]

30 minutes ago, DeemonBruhn said:

 

I wasn’t implying that the building is ugly because it has a cross on it, merely that the building design is not good.

 

It's okay, nobody actually thought that was the case. It's just a bad building, especially the base.

[markhollin]

More detail on the impending implosion of Draper Tower.  Includes video of the Sam Davis Hotel coming down in 1985.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2017/10/23/lifeway-tower-soon-come-down-nashvilles-biggest-building-implosion-years/790783001/

[dmillsphoto]

5 minutes ago, markhollin said:

More detail on the impending implosion of Draper Tower.  Includes video of the Sam Davis Hotel coming down in 1985.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2017/10/23/lifeway-tower-soon-come-down-nashvilles-biggest-building-implosion-years/790783001/

That music seemed unnecessarily intense. 

[fieldmarshaldj]

10 hours ago, Nathan_in_DC said:

Church Street Center...that brings back some memories. I only recall going in once or twice in the very early nineties, then my family decided it was just easier to go to Bellevue or Green Hills to do our mall shopping. There's a certain irony that downtown is experiencing the dining, shopping, and living boom now, and Bellevue Center is long demolished.

It wasn't necessarily a bad idea, it was just the timing involved. In 1989, downtown retail was moribund (following the closures of Harvey's in 1984 and Cain-Sloan in 1987) and relying on Castner-Knott as an anchor wasn't going to work. Add to that, the stores closed (around 5pm) at a time when suburban stores were in full-swing. There weren't any customers for it. Despite being out here in Antioch, I enjoyed visiting it (I especially enjoyed the 9 Points Mesa restaurant), but it was hard not to notice fewer and fewer people coming in after its opening.

I remember in the '90s, Columbus (Ohio) had a magnificent galleria-style mall in its downtown, but it ended up being a spectacular failure and I was shocked to learn it was demolished several years back. I believe they had a similar problem as Church Street Centre did, and that it had more lurkers than customers.

[fieldmarshaldj]

7 hours ago, samsonh said:

Where does this impression come from? Conversations you have had? I get the impression no one cares it has a cross on it. I find it unique but if the developer wants to implode it that is their choice. 

It's no surprise your impressions and mine veer in different directions. Some people get "triggered" seeing any reminders of Christianity displayed prominently and are anxious to see them taken down as swiftly as possible, especially "That Cross building."

[Pdt2f]

1 hour ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

It wasn't necessarily a bad idea, it was just the timing involved. In 1989, downtown retail was moribund (following the closures of Harvey's in 1984 and Cain-Sloan in 1987) and relying on Castner-Knott as an anchor wasn't going to work. Add to that, the stores closed (around 5pm) at a time when suburban stores were in full-swing. There weren't any customers for it. Despite being out here in Antioch, I enjoyed visiting it (I especially enjoyed the 9 Points Mesa restaurant), but it was hard not to notice fewer and fewer people coming in after its opening.

I remember in the '90s, Columbus (Ohio) had a magnificent galleria-style mall in its downtown, but it ended up being a spectacular failure and I was shocked to learn it was demolished several years back. I believe they had a similar problem as Church Street Centre did, and that it had more lurkers than customers.

San Antonio has the Rivercenter mall in their downtown, which does extremely well. That area has the mall, a convention area, and the Riverwalk all within a short walking distance. I think that is key: having enough of a variety of things to draw in locals while being close enough to tourism and business/conventioneer travelers to draw them in as well. 

[NashvilleObserver]

3 hours ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

It's no surprise your impressions and mine veer in different directions. Some people get "triggered" seeing any reminders of Christianity displayed prominently and are anxious to see them taken down as swiftly as possible, especially "That Cross building."

Have you heard of someone being triggered by this building? Or are you just trying to start something?

Edited October 24, 2017 by NashvilleObserver

[samsonh]

23 minutes ago, NashvilleObserver said:

Have you heard of someone being triggered by this building? Or are you just trying to start something?

As someone who has lived in Nashville my entire life and known people who have worked in this building I can say I have never heard anyone call it “that cross building”, except of course for fmdj. 

[Guest]

As someone that has lived downtown for almost 15 years, I can say that I and others refer to the Cross Building just as often as the Lifeway building. In fact for those from out of town the reference is immediately recognized and they use it to navigate to my building. 

None of this is to say that taking the building down is controversial.

[samsonh]

8 minutes ago, nashville_bound said:

As someone that has lived downtown for almost 15 years, I can say that I and others refer to the Cross Building just as often as the Lifeway building. In fact for those from out of town the reference is immediately recognized and they use it to navigate to my building. 

None of this is to say that taking the building down is controversial.

But you don’t speak of “that cross building” derisively. I’ll take your word that people call it that. There however is not a culture of people who want it taken down because of the cross, which is what fmdj is claiming. Anyway, I hope the implosion goes safely, should be interesting to watch at least, maybe take the morning off work for that one.

[NashRugger]

Now if the pile of rubble bursts into flames upon full collapse, then I'll actually give it some thought. 

[fieldmarshaldj]

1 hour ago, samsonh said:

But you don’t speak of “that cross building” derisively. I’ll take your word that people call it that. There however is not a culture of people who want it taken down because of the cross, which is what fmdj is claiming.

[fieldmarshaldj]

2 hours ago, NashvilleObserver said:

Have you heard of someone being triggered by this building? Or are you just trying to start something?

The level of triggering at my even mentioning the word here is pretty self-evident.

[Pdt2f]

1 hour ago, samsonh said:

But you don’t speak of “that cross building” derisively. I’ll take your word that people call it that. There however is not a culture of people who want it taken down because of the cross, which is what fmdj is claiming. Anyway, I hope the implosion goes safely, should be interesting to watch at least, maybe take the morning off work for that one.

I've only ever heard it called either "the Lifeway Building" or "the Cross Building." For most people who don't know it as the lifeway hq, probably 90% of the people I've been around have called it by some iteration of "the Cross Building." I've lived in and around Nashville for 20 years and I would estimate that my friends and colleagues are probably 60-40 Christian to something other than Christian, 50-50 conservative to liberal, and 90% attended college with most of them graduating. Just to show that I didn't arrive yesterday and spend my only time here in a Baptist church in Triune . 

As far as the discussion about whether there are people who would like to see the Draper building torn down because of the cross: while I have never seen picketers demanding the immediate destruction of it, I have come into much contact in my life (both online and in person) with a certain culture of secularists who cannot hold their glee over the destruction of Christian symbols. I do not make this claim about anyone on this board, I wouldn't dare to presume anything like that considering I don't know any of you personally, but these folks do exist and for instance anyone who has been active in pro-life movements that involve interaction with the public can most likely attest to this. So while I don't think anyone has said that they are opposed to the implosion of the Draper Building because of the cross, I can say with confidence that there are folks out there who are happy it is being destroyed because of the cross. 

All that being said, like others have mentioned I have no moral issues about it being demolished. Yeah it was cool having that building but it's their property to do with as they please, and 1991 doesn't really make it an historical treasure.