Inner Loop - CBD, Downtown, East Bank, Germantown, Gulch, Rutledge

[smeagolsfree]

Looks like the developer that bought the Fitst Baptist site want to do two hotel with a total of 650 rooms.  With rising construcrion cost and the neighborhood of 18 million in sales price, I am having my doubts about all these hotel projects happening .

http://c.bizjournals.com/ct/c/106281922/NzAwMTA2NjI6OjMwNjczOTM

 

 

[smeagolsfree]

More information from the Tennessean about Baptist site.

 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2016/01/30/600-more-hotel-rooms-planned-near-convention-hall/79563014/

[smeagolsfree]

After reading this article, I can't believe they are going to do an over priced Embassy Suites. It looks as if the Cambria will be taller that this.

I was hoping for a lot more at this site. IMHO, it's a joke and I really hope they can't get financing for this one. With the price they are paying, I would expect them to go very, very generic for the design.

[wmaddbb2018]

20 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

After reading this article, I can't believe they are going to do an over priced Embassy Suites. It looks as if the Cambria will be taller that this.

I was hoping for a lot more at this site. IMHO, it's a joke and I really hope they can't get financing for this one. With the price they are paying, I would expect them to go very, very generic for the design.

Is the price they paid larger than what First Baptist previously had the property under contract for before the other developers walked away?

[BnaBreaker]

Embassy Suites??!?!  Is this 1997?  Wow.

[markhollin]

I am disappointed that this prime location is going to be a bi-brand-probably-generic-looking set of edifices.  Was really hoping for something more substantial as a match with the beautiful Turnberry Marriott catty-corner to this lot. Seems like a pretty steep price to pay for something that is less than 4-star quality branding.

[smeagolsfree]

11 hours ago, wreynol4 said:

Is the price they paid larger than what First Baptist previously had the property under contract for before the other developers walked away?

It was around 18 million. Tony could not make a hotel, much less a high end hotel work because of the numbers, therefore the design will be cheap as will the materials. You can tell by the rendering of the one in Seattle. 

[memphian]

There is nothing wrong with Embassy Suites, although I've always thought the Hilton should convert to it and Hilton should build a big box in Nashville (a hotel term, not description of the building's design).

I'd still like to see a Hyatt Regency and I'm thinking Millennium should shutter the Metro Center location and build a new Maxwell House Hotel downtown. Also, the Omni idea of adding on to the arena is a good idea.

[farm_boy]

8 hours ago, Titans10 said:

Tony G.   got the full height of Signature approved, I don't think it's too big of an issue

Tony never got FAA approval for "Big Sig" at 1050'. The highest approval he got was announced at 750'

[titanhog]

Yeah...I can't believe they're going to build an Embassy Suites there.  That land really deserves another notch up...with some serious architecture. 

[MidTenn1]

Another crude rendering of mine....showing the two (best guess) hotels on the Baptist lot along with other hotels around the MCC. I showed a vague massing for the lot next to the roundabout just for fun. Did not include the Patel lot for which an unauthorized rendering was released last year. 

[nvestnbna]

On 1/30/2016 at 3:46 PM, Titans10 said:

Tony G.   got the full height of Signature approved, I don't think it's too big of an issue

That is not correct.  He is building to the height within a couple of feet that was approved by the FAA, not what he requested.

[markhollin]

The 8th & Demonbreun First Baptist property sale was a whopping $20 million ($353 per square foot)!

Also, in this article, the church announces that they will use some of the money from the is sale to begin some of their own redevelopment plans on the their Broadway & 6th Ave. campus this year.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2016/01/31/first-baptist-hotel-site-sells-nashville-record/79608984/

Edited February 1, 2016 by markhollin

[CenterHill]

Article says White/Peterman developed Embassy Suites at the Denver and Tampa convention centers.   Here are those two.  

My guess is we'll get the butt-ugly Denver version.

Denver

Tampa

 

[dmillsphoto]

Those are both hideous. I actually made comment to my wife when we walked by the Denver one about how ugly it was, but that we'd likely get something like that soon.

[Paramount747]

Two tower cranes being erected on the current apartment project going up on Rolling Mill Hill. One for the garage and one for the building.

 

Yes, both of those are uninspired suburban trash. I would rather have the surface parking lot. Have they not learned anything from the disastrous Hyatt Place? I would have rather kept the Rock City Machine building with the cool neon lights rather than that trash.

If I had to pick one, it would be the former rather than the later.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Paramount747

[MLBrumby]

You're absolutely right to suppose that at the price paid for the land (b.t.w. Kudos to First Baptist Church!), a hotel with Embassy Suite's room prices will necessarily be stripped down.  Of course, I don't recall seeing any ES that looked like any thought was given to its design.  The atrium layout is so disturbing to a restful night sleep.  Ever since the time I was given a room across from the elevator ("I'm sorry sir, but that's the only room we have available."), I make it a point to avoid that chain everywhere I/my family go.  Doesn't seem to hurt them however, as I see them all over the place.  It's like they're sort of today's Holiday Inns. 

Edited February 1, 2016 by MLBrumby

[Hey_Hey]

Has there ever been such a high profile lot with such dreadful prospects for architecture?  I had always pegged this property to be one that would be developed to a high quality. I guess spending that much money on the land requires major price reductions in design. 

[Paramount747]

You are correct Hey Hey.  That lot should have a grand piece of architecture, like the Marriott Tony wanted to do with Gensler.  Instead we get the architecture school dropouts version of urban design. That building should compliment the MCC design, not spit on it.

[chris holman]

650 is alot of rooms how many  rooms does JW have? At 35 floors Westin has 400+ at 27 floors so this should  at least be around  30 floors ?

[markhollin]

1 minute ago, chris holman said:

650 is alot of rooms how many  rooms does JW have? At 35 floors Westin has 400+ at 27 floors so this should  at least be around  30 floors ?

It is a pretty long lot size (close to 300 feet, as well as being at least 150 wide).  I'll echo what some others have said:  I think the 400 room Embassy Suites will be around 18-20 stories taking up the lion's share of the footprint with a boxy layout, and the unnamed boutique thinner at its base, topping-out at around 15.  Sure wish it were more impressive than that on several levels. 

 

[CenterHill]

The White/Peterman team are quoted in the article about a design that activates the Demonbreun/8th intersection.    Neither of the designs above do anything for street activation.    The only thing I see the Denver design activating is a drug deal.     

The Cambria next door will do a little better job at the street level, but my fear is we are going to end up with three towers (Cambria, Embassy and whatever goes up next to Embassy) on that corner all clad in the same cheap exterior materials similar to Hyatt Place and the Denver Embassy Suites.    That's a shame.    

[Paramount747]

3 minutes ago, CenterHill said:

The White/Peterman team are quoted in the article about a design that activates the Demonbreun/8th intersection.    Neither of the designs above do anything for street activation.    The only thing I see the Denver design activating is a drug deal.     

The Cambria next door will do a little better job at the street level, but my fear is we are going to end up with three towers (Cambria, Embassy and whatever goes up next to Embassy) on that corner all clad in the same cheap exterior materials similar to Hyatt Place and the Denver Embassy Suites.    That's a shame.    

I guess after the Pinnacle, The Sobro, 505, and the MCC, I expected better architecture, now it seems we are falling back into the 1980's urban brutalism and suburban stucco, and it is shameful and inexcusable. The aforementioned properties were to have set a new standard in Nashville high rise architecture. Even the Viridian, Encore, and Omni have some elements that are nicer elegant design, but this reminds me of budget style design much like the Cumberland. (Had Tony used the 20 story design he originally had for Cumberland, we would have a glass and marble tower there as well.)

[smeagolsfree]

I like the drug deal analogy John. It seems fitting for that rendering. I don't think they can dress up a hideous Embassy Suites to make it look good regardless of where it is put. The one in Midtown is dreadful, so I do not expect much of anything other that a large stucco building.

To address Chris's question regarding number of rooms vs height, you have to remember the rooms are on four sides overlooking an atrium, where the other hotel being built have no atrium and just address the exterior being only 2 sides. So they would be able to put twice as many rooms in half the height.That is the ES model.

[titanhog]

Is there any chance the city will/can outright reject the ES and design for that location?