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Westin on Lower Broad

QuietMike

By QuietMike
in Nashville

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smeagolsfree Gigalopolis

smeagolsfree

Posted
Posted

prguy...any chance the hotel tower portion might be redesigned to add some spice? Take away some of the boxiness...the "old hospital" look...give it a little more class and historic look?

I would agree 100%. Also the facades facing Broadway need to fit in with the rest of the buildings on Broadway.

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vinemp Whistle-Stop

vinemp

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Posted

I am encouraged that this project will get underway soon. As I look at some frozen frames from the WSMV video, I am not convinced that the tower will be in any way obtrusive. Sure, I agree that the building is a bit boxy, but that tower could be easily remedied by rethinking the right angles that cover the structure.

Think of the Hilton Hotel. There is a flat/rounded surface pairing that I really find attractive. (It's a motive that one can find a great deal on Vanderbilt's campus--Brandscomb Quad, Ingram Cancer Center and many other portions of the Hostpital complex, Blair School of Music, etc.) I see no fault in architectural leitmotiven. Their innovation would be just as great if the building contained elements from surrounding buildings than if it were starkly contrasting.

On the other hand, why should we not have a Westin that makes a formidable addition to our skyline? Atlanta has one. So far, we have the Batman (with its "ears") and Viridian (with the green glass and long frame). There is no reason that a more diminuitive building, like the Westin, could not become just as much a landmark.

The developers should be encouraged too. They are very close to creating something distinct and compelling for Nashville--I can feel it.

(Addendum: Encore Phase I will be simply beautiful! It is simplistic. Modern. Effective. It will also complement the Symphony Center quite well.)

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Justiceham Hamlet

Justiceham

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Posted

I am encouraged that this project will get underway soon. As I look at some frozen frames from the WSMV video, I am not convinced that the tower will be in any way obtrusive. Sure, I agree that the building is a bit boxy, but that tower could be easily remedied by rethinking the right angles that cover the structure.

Think of the Hilton Hotel. There is a flat/rounded surface pairing that I really find attractive. (It's a motive that one can find a great deal on Vanderbilt's campus--Brandscomb Quad, Ingram Cancer Center and many other portions of the Hostpital complex, Blair School of Music, etc.) I see no fault in architectural leitmotiven. Their innovation would be just as great if the building contained elements from surrounding buildings than if it were starkly contrasting.

On the other hand, why should we not have a Westin that makes a formidable addition to our skyline? Atlanta has one. So far, we have the Batman (with its "ears") and Viridian (with the green glass and long frame). There is no reason that a more diminuitive building, like the Westin, could not become just as much a landmark.

The developers should be encouraged too. They are very close to creating something distinct and compelling for Nashville--I can feel it.

(Addendum: Encore Phase I will be simply beautiful! It is simplistic. Modern. Effective. It will also complement the Symphony Center quite well.)

Exactly, the towers you mentioned are distinctive and add to Nashville's reputation already. I think the Westin will be just as distinctive and will show the progession of Nashville's modern skyline.

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Lexy Town

Lexy

Posted
Posted

Here's my take. I love it. The design is modern and the overall outlook offers a breath of fresh air into an otherwise DEAD corner. Thank GOD!!!! Now turn the dirt and pour the concrete. Not every building being built in Nashville is going to be perfect, but they will all be functional to a certain degree. This one is fine boxy or not. Just build the darn thing. LOL!!!

I'm done.

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prguy Unincorporated Area

prguy

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Posted

After hearing recommendations from the audience at the Civic Design Center last night, I believe the architects will refine the tower portion, especially in regard to the competing visual elements [various colors of glass, expanses of stucco or other panel-type exterior] and the south face of the tower.

edit - i know the question wasn't for me.. it was just apparent that the developers were taking comments from last night. prguy - do you think we'll see changes?

They are taking all the suggestions very seriously. The sky plane issue may have an impact on the physical dimensions of the tower itself. The different color of glass (lighter shades higher up) is meant to have the building blend into the skyscape.

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prguy Unincorporated Area

prguy

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I am glad that your clients are willing to continue thinking about the rear of the building. Perhaps I was wrong about how much of it will actually touch the sidewalk--if so, please accept my apologies. If the rear of the Westin is totally encased by other buildings, windows would not make much sense, would they?

In regards to the PDFs, I wouldn't blame you even if News Channel 4 did have completely different images of the proposed building--images that were more or less recent than the ones you gave us, because I know how nuts things can get once everyone tries to stick their thumb in a project. It was nice of you to offer us what you had. I just thought I should point out that progress had apprarently been made. You cannot be personally privy to every little new development unless your clients take the time and effort to inform you of them. Clients can be frustrating.

I would not be shocked if some city officials requested facades that "blended in as opposed to mimicked the older buildings," because that seems like common sense. Why copy a decent old building when you could create a beautiful (and appropriate) new one? But I would be surprised if the city officials requested that the Westin's new facades be markedly inferior to that of the Trail West, or even if their only demand was that it was "different", due to the fact that artistic uniqueness or modernity for its own sake is never preferable to comprehensive goodness...at least, I thought we had gotten over that kind of program. But maybe we haven't. I will still be surprised if those city officials who actually know architecture are satisfied with the lack of detail on the ground level of this fellow. Anybody can say "don't imitate the old." I know that at least a couple of Nashville's best and brightest are feeling ever bolder about their desire to see the old surpassed, or at least equalled, by some of the high-profile projects raining in--mimicking or no mimicking. Sometimes, after all, mimicking is a form of learning.

These guys are super clients, for the record. They have been willing to meet with anyone interested in the project. And I believe they are sincere about wanting a final product that works with the space.

As to the renderings, I'm still at a loss to explain the difference. I'm hoping to be able to post up the entire powerpoint from the CDC meeting as soon as I receive it.

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vinemp Whistle-Stop

vinemp

Posted
Posted

I'm not so sure that cities boom in the low/mid-rise fashion---not in this day and age, at least. I think this should push MDHA to reconsider our current zoning laws, which seem acutely focused on low/mid-rise or "human-scaled" developments in that area. I ask, why not allow the skyline to expand just a bit more?

I would like to think that MDHA is most concerned with increasing the residential and business population in the Center and allowing the construction of promising (i.e. revenue generating, job-making), attractive (pleasing to the eye) developments than maintaining the current less-than-stellar character of Lower Broad.

In my opinion, the character of Lower Broad should be wholly attractive to our diverse citizenry--the people who reside here. There are plenty of Nashvillians who frequent honky tonks, lounges and discotecs alike.

Visitors should be able to appreciate what character Nashville has to offer, but we are remiss if we think honky tonk should synonymous with all things hokey and tacky. One can love honky tonk and progress in the same heart!

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smeagolsfree Gigalopolis

smeagolsfree

Posted
Posted

I think the NBJ changed the format. I buy a copy anyway. They pretty much say that this site is their first choice and are not considering any other options until all at this location have been exhausted. They have first option to buy the land in question but have not done so at this time and remain hopeful this will be approved. No other concessions are going to happen as far as the height.

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Skyscrapergeek Burg

Skyscrapergeek

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Posted

This argument about the Westin being too tall is totally illogical. As we were walking around "downtown" during our last forum meet, I noticed that the Bell South tower is only a little farther from the historic buildings on Broadway than the Westin would be. What difference does it make what side of the street it's on. If the Bell South tower doesn't destroy the historical continuity of Broadway nothing will. It looms much larger over Tootsie's than the Westin ever could. The same goes for 2nd Ave.

I for one love the contrast from low to high. I don't know if it's my favorite design but I certainly like it better than what is there now or the other nonexistent options on the drawing board.

This acrophobia needs to stop.

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memphian Hamlet

memphian

Posted
Posted

Well if the city doesn't allow this PRIVATE project to happen then a message is being sent that Nashville doesn't want any investment. I think the developers have gone out of their way to make people happy. these people who don't want it need to go find a freaking field and enjoy the ground-level grass.

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ATLBrain Burg

ATLBrain

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You've brought up the thing that bugs me about Ms. Roberts and the rest of the preservation crowd. Don't misunderstand, we could have had a lot more of their activism in Atlanta 30-40 years ago. However, I get the impression that they are fighting the last battle. In this case, they are defiantly against the kind of impact that Bellsouth had, but this building is NOT Bellsouth. Whereas they could have been much more proactive on the Bellsouth to do who-knows-what to soften its impact on Broadway... they seem (to me anyway) to be using a template that they developed after the mistakes of the BS were made. When I say mistakes, of course I mean those made from their point of view.

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frankliner Whistle-Stop

frankliner

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At 5 pm, everyone here can see the story I did. It will be outside the subscriber wall for the evening so you guys can read it and then debate. I'll move it back behind the wall later this evening.

Thanks alot, I for one really appreciate the information that you are sharing with us.

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chris holman Town

chris holman

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At 5 pm, everyone here can see the story I did. It will be outside the subscriber wall for the evening so you guys can read it and then debate. I'll move it back behind the wall later this evening.

Thanks a lot Richard, I really like to know what the Civic Design Center thinks about this project.

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vinemp Whistle-Stop

vinemp

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Posted

This seems a bit like a flashback to the days of debate over the Sounds Park Plan; though, I am much more concerned with the opposition this go-round.

Jack Cawthon and Michael Hayes hit the nail on the head: The Westin would make an attractive neighborhood-linking, people-housing, tax-generating, $100 million addition to our urban fabric. It would be imprudent for the NCDC and MDHA to ignore the endorsements of downtown proprietors and landowners.

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Hankster Town

Hankster

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Posted

Great article, Richard! I just wish the story were different. For the life of me, I can't see how this project will harm Broadway, the historic nature of the street, or the neigborhoods that the city hopes to promote. I see this project as attracting more people to live downtown by providing more entertainment opportunities, and restaurants as well as providing a significant number of housing units as well. It's very, very disappointing to hear that some influential people in this approval process are so dead set against this project, that they refuse to listen to the facts, and comments by the majority of Nashvillians who support this project. It's a crying shame.

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