Aertson Midtown (Buckingham) | 13 Fl Residential | 17 fl Kimpton Hotel | T/O

[Hey_Hey]

I guess the argument against those materials is that if they truly did improve the value of the building or improve the rent rates and total revenue then these developers would be using them. I guess Nashville could implement design guidelines, but that would threaten the financial feasibility of those projects to some degree.

[barakat]

Revised images in this large PDF toward the bottom.  Looks like it's mostly stucco.

 

http://www.nashville.gov/mc/pdfs/zoning/2013_calendar_year/bl2013_351_site_plan.pdf

[samsonh]

Obviously those materials leave something to be desired. But as someone who lives in the area I will be happier with this building than I am with the Wendys/crappy bar that changes tenants every three months.

[UTgrad09]

Revised images in this large PDF toward the bottom.  Looks like it's mostly stucco.

 

http://www.nashville.gov/mc/pdfs/zoning/2013_calendar_year/bl2013_351_site_plan.pdf

 

Good find.

 

Meh @ it being mostly stucco. I don't think it's any worse than exposed concrete, though (like Encore)...at least you can color stucco. And at least it's not vinyl siding.

 

And this rendering looks much more too scale...not quite the Disneyesque monstrosity displayed in the first one. I'm not crazy about the 5 story, nearly blank wall facing Grand.

 

And perhaps my eyes deceive me, but it looks as though it will be about 188' tall?

[SoundScan]

The plans indicate the ground level (and some additional levels) facade will be brick and cast stone, so it should look decent from street level. Overall, I like the design. I think they did a good job of aligning the public areas with the active streets (21st, Broadway, and 20th) while keeping the parking garages and infrastructure access facing the alleyway. Sucks for residents of 20th & Grand I suppose, but that was bound to happen at some point.

[MLBrumby]

If that's the case, it should look ok at street level... and hopefully the trees will grow tall enough to block the yucco-stucco of the upper floors from the view of pedestrians. There's a lot of that stucco crap in midtown Atlanta.  It sort of fades into the background if there's enough street-level activity to hold your attention.

[e-dub]

Good find.

 

Meh @ it being mostly stucco. I don't think it's any worse than exposed concrete, though (like Encore)...at least you can color stucco. And at least it's not vinyl siding.

 

And this rendering looks much more too scale...not quite the Disneyesque monstrosity displayed in the first one. I'm not crazy about the 5 story, nearly blank wall facing Grand.

 

And perhaps my eyes deceive me, but it looks as though it will be about 188' tall?

height planes on the first page says 193 feet. 

 

eric b

[UTgrad09]

height planes on the first page says 193 feet. 

 

eric b

 

Good catch. The text on the renderings themselves don't show up too well when you zoom. Fortunately the text does.

 

Should be a notable addition to the Midtown skyline, regardless.

[Neigeville]

_{I'm relieved there is a bit more detail than in the last illo which looked like a 60s college dorm.  Personally I liked the exuberant version.}

 

_{I do think it's wrong to blame stucco as a material for the unimaginative way it is often used.  The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg is stucco.  A lot of those beautiful mosques in Iran and Turkey are stucco.  You can do anything with it and it doesn't have to be that yellow stuff they put on cheap motels.  Personally I think even bland stucco is less oppressive than large expanses of brick, especially light tan brick (yuck).}

 

_{Likewise, in the right context exposed concrete is a wonderful thing.  It's too brutal for some settings, and Encore is definitely a borderline case.  I like the way it pioks up rusty stains and texture with age, and how that contrasts with expanses of glass.}

[henburg]

This proposal has actually grown on me a lot, and it looks pretty good based on those renderings. Sure, I would prefer to have it all look more like the hotel portion, but overall, I can't really complain. 

[Neigeville]

^{Stucco only works if you're not afraid to make a statement.  I'm not saying any of these would work in Nashville, I'm just saying don't be afraid of color and/or texture.  Isn't that purple and green stuff on Vista Germantown stucco?  I think it looks pretty good.}

Edited February 19, 2013 by Neigeville

[MidTenn1]

I spliced the two views (from Division St and 21st) to create one image. This project looks good!

[dmillsphoto]

It just continues to amaze me how massive this project is. I like it a lot, and cannot wait for it to get started.

[timmay143]

Massive is the ideal word for this guy!

[MLBrumby]

Council gave final approval for this project last night... $120 million-plus!  This thing's happening fast. It will be a nice anchor to start critical mass at that very important intersection.   From NP:  http://nashvillepost.com/blogs/postbusiness/2013/2/20/council_gives_final_approval_to_major_midtown_project

[FromParkAveToTN]

Exciting. I'm not sure where this is located, but looks amazing. Retail included. Shopping Weeeeeeeee. I can only hope that Armani and Versace are included in the retail portion.

[nashvillwill]

Is it just me, or is this a stupid name for the project? "West End". It's not on West End!

[ariesjow]

That can't be the final name. We already have The West End on West End.

[UTgrad09]

It's The East West End.

[smeagolsfree]

I had seen the latest renderings early week before last when they were on the Staff reports and I think it will be fine. I do not think we will have stucco according to sources but you never know, that may have changed.

 

I look for the thirty day notice to be served to the two remaining businesses soon, if it has not already been done and for demolition to start I would bet in April for the June start.

 

Looking forward to this one too.

[Guest 5th & Main Urbanite]

I have not quite warmed up to this yet, but I could see this area be the Nashville version of Buckhead bridging Vanderbilt, West End, and possibly The Gulch together, although that may be a stretch including The Gulch.

 

This appears to be a 3 year project by the expansive looks of it. I wonder if we will end up seeing a shorter version of this, however; the Vanderbilt community is a unique one and this could be a "Vanderbilt" development more than a "Nashville" project. In other words, I can see this development more constructed for Vanderbilt and it's employees, students, alumni, and supporters rather then the general surrounding community

[nashlocal]

Lots of shills posting here. It's too bad an out of town company is developing something in a city they know little about. It's obvious the PR company is at work. (Especially the folks who say "high density...high density!"). This should be half the height. And yeah, way too Disney looking. (Though it will come down to materials). All in all, I think it is a monstrosity. (Wonder if the "moderator" will even post this). 

[UTgrad09]

Lots of shills posting here. It's too bad an out of town company is developing something in a city they know little about. It's obvious the PR company is at work. (Especially the folks who say "high density...high density!"). This should be half the height. And yeah, way too Disney looking. (Though it will come down to materials). All in all, I think it is a monstrosity. (Wonder if the "moderator" will even post this).

Maybe you should come to the forum meet and meet with some of the "shills" here. A number of us are born and raised Nashvillians who are certainly not some part of a PR conspiracy. Many of the rest are transplants who just share a love for the urban environment and wish to see Nashville grow the right way. In fact, the entire reason why we post here is to discuss urban development.

You are certainly entitled to your opinions, and I have no issue with critiques of how a building looks or fits in a location, but I'm curious to why it should be half the height? As Midtown, Downtown, The Gulch, and SoBro continue to develop, you will see more and more highrises in the area. That's part of becoming a more urban city. I would much rather have our density concentrated in our urban core than spread out across a huge area a la Houston or Atlanta, where true skyscrapers stretch the skyline for quite a few miles.

Nashville is a growing city...and it's time we start growing up rather than out.

[BnaBreaker]

Lots of shills posting here. It's too bad an out of town company is developing something in a city they know little about. It's obvious the PR company is at work. (Especially the folks who say "high density...high density!"). This should be half the height. And yeah, way too Disney looking. (Though it will come down to materials). All in all, I think it is a monstrosity. (Wonder if the "moderator" will even post this). 

 

Yes, what better way for an out of town development company to influence the opinions of locals than to have a tiny handful of "shills" disguise themselves as urban planning nerds and talk amongst themselves about the project in question on a relatively small, little known message board that caters to urban planning nerds? 

 

Honestly, what is more likely?  That everyone here is a part of a poorly planned conspiracy, or that you simply disagree with the popular opinion of this project on this particular internet message board? 

[smeagolsfree]

No shill here either. Welcome to the forum nashlocal. I am not from Nashville like many on the board, but there are also a lot of locals that do post on here and are active at the forum meets. Your opinion does matter and I encourage discussion here as long as everything stays civil. I think all of us look forward to meeting you at a forum meet in the future as well. We have some spirited discussions there too.
Many of the developers in Nashville have not stepped up to the plate to do projects or do not have the resources either. Things are rapidly changing here and for the better I think.

Many of us have been posting here for almost a  decade now, before the Buckingham project was even a thought. I think the more high-rise development we have the better and that is also great for the tax base. The family that owns the land approached the developer and not vice versa I would bet. I think the design has changed a little as well. Understanding urbanization is crucial for the average citizen these days. I think the NasvilleNext meetings are doing a lot to inform the public on the issues this city is going to be facing over the next 25 years or so. The world is changing as is Nashville.

 

Come to a forum meet and meet us and you may understand a little better.

 

Cheers