BROADWEST (former West End Summit), 36 story Conrad Hilton Hotel/condo tower, 22 story/510,000 sq. ft. office tower, 4 story/125,000 sq. ft. retail/office, 1 acre plaza, 2,500 car garage, $490 million

[BnaBreaker]

Let's be honest, folks. It's Midtown. Most buildings don't crack 200' there. I know the "original" plan called for something like a 400' tower, but were any of you really expecting a true skyscraper here? 

 

I'd be more happy if they worked on making the design more 2010s than late 90s-ish. 

 

 

And I think the omission of the hotel doesn't necessarily mean it isn't coming. 

 

Yeah, at this point I'm just happy to see these buildings rise, but it would definitely be nice if the design were updated some, seeing as how the proposal is almost a decade old at this point.

[smeagolsfree]

There is Dmills prediction about a  third element to this project and that being a 25 to 30 story hotel tower in the back. We will have to wait and see.

[MLBrumby]

The fact HCA signed the lease and the potential hotel doesn't mean anything in terms of the latter not being mentioned in above linked press release. They're just the lead tenant(s) and mentioning the hotel component would've been useless information really. We'vee seen the link to the apparent site plan or whatever and it clearly showed a third building labeled "HOTEL." I really wouldn't get so concerned over it's "omission" because it serves not purpose in a lease agreement announcement.

 

Oh, but I disagree that it would have been "useless" information.  J.R. Lind has a reputation as a thorough journo, and he even quotes Palmer on the size of the project.  So he talked with Alex S. Palmer. The site plan tells nothing about when, or even if it will ever happen.  It could be a mere provision for a future hotel.  Mr. Lind even goes so far as to state the original size of the office component (900,000 sf) in describing the proposal.  He even mentions the cost, which is quite low for three towers.  I think the fact that this forum is still wondering about the hotel component is evidence that such information would not have been useless.  So why wasn't it mentioned as even a "possible hotel" in the overall scope of the project?  

[dmillsphoto]

Lind also recognizes that when something needs to be kept quiet for whatever reason asked of him by developers or businesses, he abides. We all know and have seen other resources (Ron has them) that clearly point to an IC hotel as being part of this.

[MidTenn1]

A few thoughts on the aesthetics of the project as we know it now....

 

• The long rectangular floor plan, rather than a more squarish (Pinnacle Tower) floor plan allows more window space and prime office space on the interior. It will be a nice building to work in. We sometimes tend to forget that planning for office buildings is about the interior first.
• The 'Mohawk Haircut' shaped crown on top bothers me. It was designed for a taller building and looks totally out of proportion on the reduced size project. I think something along the lines of the Viridian with a flat roof and a short spire would be more appealing.
• If a third building in the 300' range is built, it will evoke a picture of a (much) smaller scale Rockefeller Center. A reference I am happy to make as RC is one of my favorite urban places in the world.
• Even at 22 and 17 stories, the buildings will still dominate the West End skyline due to its location on top of the hill. The tallest building should be about 340 ft tall and that is 80' more than the current tallest, Palmer Plaza.
• The location at the Broadway/West End split will be one step closer to being Nashville's Time Square. We need to see a tall 25+ story building go in the triangle with some distinctive signage. The nearby, pink painted deli was slated to be replaced with an 18 story condo before the economy collapsed a few years ago, so I hold out hope there are still grand plans slated for this area. (we never saw the Buckingham development coming, did we?).

 

This is an exciting project.

 

 

[MLBrumby]

I'm just saying there has been no recent mention of the hotel.  Even the official presser released yesterday has no mention of it.  Yes, the "apparent site plan" has a hotel plat. But when?  Why wouldn't JR mention that a hotel has been proposed? He could have mentioned that it will/will not be built with the offices or whatever without revealing confidential details.  The original proposal included a hotel and even an announced agreement with Intercontinental.  And now there's nary a mention? Very odd, especially given Palmer's propsensity for big announcements long, long before there's any substance to them. Given the previous announcements related to this proposal, it sure would have been nice to have the official statement include just any reference to a hotel.  

 

Look, I really hope Palmer puts a nice hotel there, but this speculating is getting downright comical. Given the latest reports, one would have to say that the hotel will not be a part of the first phase of this project, and that's assuming there will be a future follow-up phase. 

Edited January 9, 2013 by MLBrumby

[NashRugger]

Did you forget what came straight from Palmers' mouth in the NBJ the same week of the HCA announcement?

 

Palmer: West End Summit to include 225-room luxury hotel

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2012/09/27/west-end-summit-to-include-225-key.html

[MLBrumby]

I didn't forget... all the more reason to wonder why there was no mention of the hotel in this official announcement. Why wouldn't that make others here curious?  

[dmillsphoto]

I think it's because HCA has nothing to do with the hotel. That's what it boils down to.

[barakat]

That's correct, dmills. The office towers were part of the PILOT program, and the hotel is not. It's a completely separate piece of the development. I may be incorrect and can't search for info now, but I believe PILOT is similar to TIF, and the hotel is exempt for whatever reason. I'm curious about the hotel too, but it's already been said it would be a component.

[timmay143]

I'm not worried about the hotel.  The office portion is far more important for WES to begin.  The hotel shouldn't be a problem at all.  Although, I wish it was added to the shorter tower for height!

[UTgrad09]

I'm not worried about the hotel.  The office portion is far more important for WES to begin.  The hotel shouldn't be a problem at all.  Although, I wish it was added to the shorter tower for height!

 

I'd rather they add to the taller tower. Two towers of identical (or nearly identical) height just doesn't seem interesting to me. But two towers of the same style, and of noticeably different height, can be interesting.

 

In any case, I do really hope they freshen up the design. 

 

Is it just me, or did the old design fit better with the base than the new one?

old

 

 

 

I think I would actually prefer the facade to show the individual windows, rather than just have a glass wall. And with it being two shorter buildings now, perhaps something more interesting on the sides than a straight, flat wall. Even a cutout, or set back the back end (the area about 3-5 stories from the top, at the rear of the building) a few feet to give it a slimming effect. And I'm not sure what's going on with the crown. I don't particularly like that. 

[Nathan_in_DC]

I'm fairly convinced that's not a final rendering.  If you'll note, it's something of a cut-and-paste job (and not a very good one at that).  The lines on the front facing portions of the towers don't line up, the perspective is off, and, if you'll notice, the shorter tower is just a copy of the upper floors of the taller tower.  It's definitely not a professional rendering that I would want floating about if I were in charge of marketing the building to potential tenants, that's for sure.

[UTgrad09]

I'm fairly convinced that's not a final rendering.  If you'll note, it's something of a cut-and-paste job (and not a very good one at that).  The lines on the front facing portions of the towers don't line up, the perspective is off, and, if you'll notice, the shorter tower is just a copy of the upper floors of the taller tower.  It's definitely not a professional rendering that I would want floating about if I were in charge of marketing the building to potential tenants, that's for sure.

 

I do hope you're right. I just hope that the architect's final plans aren't quite along this vision. I'm honestly not expecting a landmark design (though that would be nice  )...but if Palmer is going to tout this as something that will anchor the transformation of Midtown (paraphrasing), then he needs to invest in something that will convey that image.

 

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong...but isn't he working with an architect out of Houston?

[dmillsphoto]

I can't remember who he's working with, but on the subject of architects - I would love to see another Pickard Chilton project somewhere in Nashville...

[MLBrumby]

I agree. That design does NOT work with the short towers. Not a bit!

[barakat]

Architect is Duda-Paine.

 

http://www.dudapaine.com/

[UTgrad09]

Architect is Duda-Paine.

 

http://www.dudapaine.com/

Ok...these guys look legit. We're not getting a Frost Tower, but that's impressive on their resume. The building in Columbia, SC is very attractive for 14-15 stories. Their DC building would look swell sitting at the Broadway/West End split. Even their suburban stuff is at least attractive or interesting.

This makes me look forward to a redesign. Hopefully we'll get something more modern out of it. And I like their use of glass and stone. Gimme some limestone or granite.

[timmay143]

Yeah, much better than Guitar or Fairgrounds renderings .  Anyone know what buildings are on this page?

 

http://www.dudapaine.com/15-years.html

 

2nd row, first and last buildings

 

The first one I think has been posted here before (HQ in TX?), the last one looks like the Wachovia (or what ever they are now, Wells Fargo?) building in Charlotte.

 

Found the first one.  On pg 9 in this thread.  Peir1 HQ in Fort Worth, TX.

[TNinVB]

I sent them an e-mail to see if they could say when updated renderings would be released.  Hopefully they will respond back.

[jdavidf]

Maybe we'll see something along the lines of Equus 333. That looks pretty swell..  kind of the old WES design, but freshened up

[UTgrad09]

Maybe we'll see something along the lines of Equus 333. That looks pretty swell..  kind of the old WES design, but freshened up

 

I like the tower design, but obviously they would need to do something to better incorporate the design in with the streetfront than what they did with that project. I like that as a 3 tower complex, though.

 

Assuming the hotel is going up on the same site, perhaps Palmer can rethink his placement of the buildings, though, with the two office towers forming somewhat of an L (the "short" end of the L fronting the street, with the taller building parallel and in the back), and with a separate hotel tower that fronts the street rather than takes a back seat in the rear of the complex (more square and slender in design than the office towers, and with a larger physical separation from the other two).

 

Just some ideas.

[TNinVB]

I sent them an e-mail to see if they could say when updated renderings would be released.  Hopefully they will respond back.

 

 

Well I received a response back from dudapain and they wanted to know what firm I represented lol.  I explained who I am and talked about the forum and my fellow posters and how eager we are to see new renderings.  I even invited them (Lynn E. Dunn, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Director of Business Development and Public Relations to be more specific) to join us on the forum.  Who knows what will happen but maybe we can at least get a time frame for when we can expect to see new renderings.

Edited January 12, 2013 by bruceman73

[UTgrad09]

Well I received a response back from dudapain and they wanted to know what firm I represented lol.  I explained who I am and talked about the forum and my fellow posters and how eager we are to see new renderings.  I even invited them (Lynn E. Dunn, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Director of Business Development and Public Relations to be more specific) to join us on the forum.  Who knows what will happen but maybe we can at least get a time frame for when we can expect to see new renderings.

 

Sounds cool. Even if we don't get renderings, I would love to get a little more info about what they have in mind.

[smeagolsfree]

Palmer creates Facebook site for WES

 

 

http://nashvillepost.com/blogs/postbusiness/2013/1/22/palmer_co_creates_facebook_page_for_wes