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Westin on Lower Broad

QuietMike

By QuietMike
in Nashville

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barakat Burg

barakat

Posted
Posted
It's fancinating to read how people think that dumpy, trashy buildings that are practically an eyesore must be saved until eternity. I know when I see a building worth saving (and there are plenty that fit that category), and none of the building that will be lost due to this project are worth saving, IMO. I personally think the opinion expressed in the article is shared by a relatively small percentage of people.
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titanhog Metropolitan Area

titanhog

Posted
Posted

Personally, I have no problem with someone making that side of the street more beautiful and classy looking. But I still don't like this design. I say it often, but I still believe it looks like an ugly hospital. I'm not one who believes that just because something looks better than what's there now, then it should be built. It's a prime piece of real estate and I would rather we wait and build something even better than the hospital, er, hotel that is proposed. I have nothing against the Westin and would love to have one downtown, but if they don't give us something more aesthetically pleasing, then I'm not really for it.

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doormanpoet Hamlet

doormanpoet

Posted
Posted

Whose opinion really matters anyway? It is certianly not ours since we are not architects or urban planners. We are hobbyists. I really do not want our opinion to decide whether something is built of not. Community imput meetings are useless and frivilous at best. Rarely do public opinion panels make any real strides in the future of a city. The only opinions that can be taken serious are the ones in the voting booths. Community activists most of the time do more harm than good. Let those with private money build whatever they want with private money.

I have absolutely no patience with said groups because they have no problem opposing the Westin or the Bass, Berry, and Sims tower, but they ignore the Hustler store, strip clubs, fast food restaurants, aluminum can gas stations, and the like springing up everywhere downtown.

The Westin design falls in line with thousands of hotels across the country. 99% of Americans are not architectural purists like ourselves, conversely most Americans are not preservationist fanatics like Rick Barnhart and Anne Roberts.

I know of at least one person who worked with both Anne and Rick and this person said they are nothing short of egotistical idoits who are more concerned with protecting their radical and facist agendas rather than doing anything positive for the city. Just like the Democrats took over the house and senate, a new guard will be taking the planning department soon. Rick is probably on his way out from the enormous pressure he is getting from developers and the dozens of economic drivers in our city.

I have spoken with the public relations firm representing The Barber Group building the Westin, and Bass, Berry, and Sims building the Crown. Both are being built. To hell with Anne Roberts and Rick Barnhart.

They can lick their wounds under the Gateway Bridge for all I care.

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tombarnes City

tombarnes

Posted
Posted

Your point is noted, but couldn't this building be more attractive? While there are thousands of buildings just like it in just about every city across the land, I think that's just the point here. I think Nashville deserves more than this. Whether the money is public or private should not mean that anyone has the right to build whatever they like. Public input can be dangerous, at times, but it is more often useful than not.

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ATLBrain Burg

ATLBrain

Posted
Posted

Can you just disagree without resorting to name-calling? Calling people fascists is trite and discredits any valid reasons you may have for opposing their P.O.V.

I happen to think this would be a positive addition to lower Broad. I don't know Roberts/Barnhardt either, but they've stated their reasons to oppose it. I guess they're reasoned to a point, but I think they're misguided on many levels, not the least of which is their opinions of a developers right to develop a property under an equitable set of zoning guidelines (e.g. Core DT vs. Lower/So Bro). Does having a vastly different set of codes for each part of the same small DT make equitable sense when there are acres of parking lots in one of those areas? Is the Trail West truly historic? Remember, I was the first one on this board who asked if this project would destroy the fabric of SoBro. I've been convinced that it would be a net positive. Even with the Trail West bldg gone, I still think I would feel this way. You can credit Roberts (I don't know about Barnhardt) for at least getting the developers to make the first three levels in character with the existing buildings on the street.

So please, let's not resort to namecalling. On that note, I'm very embarrassed by my Democratic Party as IMO they resort to the name calling far more than the other guys. It debases the debate.

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frankliner Whistle-Stop

frankliner

Posted
Posted

A return salvo today in the Tennessean towards Ms. Eberling's editorial.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../611100414/1054

I thought the Richards and Richards building was a 1920s era building (the author claims it is from the 1940s). Additionally, it is interesting to note that the recent expansion of the project is resulting in the destruction of the most "historic" building on the site (the Higgins, Himmelberg & Piliponis building).

One other question I had was, how many condos are to be included with the project at this point?

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prguy Unincorporated Area

prguy

Posted
Posted
Whose opinion really matters anyway? It is certianly not ours since we are not architects or urban planners. We are hobbyists. I really do not want our opinion to decide whether something is built of not. Community imput meetings are useless and frivilous at best. Rarely do public opinion panels make any real strides in the future of a city. The only opinions that can be taken serious are the ones in the voting booths. Community activists most of the time do more harm than good. Let those with private money build whatever they want with private money.
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prguy Unincorporated Area

prguy

Posted
Posted
A return salvo today in the Tennessean towards Ms. Eberling's editorial.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../611100414/1054

I thought the Richards and Richards building was a 1920s era building (the author claims it is from the 1940s). Additionally, it is interesting to note that the recent expansion of the project is resulting in the destruction of the most "historic" building on the site (the Higgins, Himmelberg & Piliponis building).

One other question I had was, how many condos are to be included with the project at this point?

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doormanpoet Hamlet

doormanpoet

Posted
Posted

Nashvillian, ATLbrain:

Calm down people, re-read what I said... the person I know who worked with them said they were like egotistical facists. Read the post carefully next time.

"I know of at least one person who worked with both Anne and Rick and this person said they are nothing short of egotistical idoits who are more concerned with protecting their radical and facist agendas rather than doing anything positive for the city."

That was their quote , not mine...

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Nashvillain Burg

Nashvillain

Posted
Posted

"To hell with Anne Roberts and Rick Barnhart."

"They can lick their wounds under the Gateway Bridge for all I care."

Whose words are these?

I don't want to get in a fight with you that will inevitably lead to unwanted attention from MetroM, but a fallacious argument is a fallacious argument. Whether you refer to a second hand source or not, you still used personal attacks to discredit an argument. These people are doing their damndest to fight for a Nashville that's better than the one we've got now, and if the Westin is eventually built, whatever merit it possesses will be mostly due to efforts like theirs, and maybe to some extent to opinions from people like us made possible through websites like this. Don't be so quick to sell us short or dismiss the potential of what this website can do. Otherwise, what's the point?

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smeagolsfree Gigalopolis

smeagolsfree

Posted
Posted

Its a matter of opinion if Anne and Rick are fighting for Nashville for the people or their own vision. You either agree with them or you dont. Not to diminish anything said here one way or another. I do not know either person and have never met them, but one thing I know is that anytime you are in a position for a while, one tends to have tunnel vision and that may be the case here. I have heard a lot of things about these individuals but I will not comment because they may not be a reliable source. They may be and probably are decent people and John is a great guy as well. So many times on this forum we tend to get emotional and that comes with a passion for the subject matter. I am guilty of that as well. I think John cares just as much for the future of Nashville as do Rick and Anne.

I do agree this is not the place to slam anyone nor is it the place to slam people who slam people because you tend to do the same. Lets all calm down and talk about the relevance of the subject matter.

The whole issue is going to be in the hands of Metro Council and if we have any issues with it, that is the place to go to express them in the public hearing process.

I just want us to try to police ourselves here a little without bringing Metro M into the frey. Take a deep breath and calm down.

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smeagolsfree Gigalopolis

smeagolsfree

Posted
Posted

prguy, please help me understand the language of the agenda for the planning meeting. In the agenda the staff recommendations say disapprove due to inconsistency with the plan. Please explain what is going to or not going to happen here.

#10 on the agenda

ftp://ftp.nashville.gov/web/mpc/meetings/2006/111406.pdf

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smeagolsfree Gigalopolis

smeagolsfree

Posted
Posted

Well I guess everyone is afraid to post the results of the Planning Meeting yesterday. This from the Tennessean today and covers the public meeting held at the Symphony Center and the results of the Planning meeting. It passed 8-2.

http://my.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...556/MICRO021301

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...ESS02/611150417

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