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Pantheon Park | PROPOSED


barakat

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I agree that the property value will have skyrocketed due to the construction of the convention center, particularly for hotel uses. But in terms of performance spaces, there is a lot of competition there already. Not that they couldn't fill that, but saying that you are adding a performance space in Nashville is like saying that you're a fan of Johnny Cash. Yawn!

But the whole grandiose scheme is what I'm not buying right now. The educational component at the high-school level would be nice but is already covered as I mentioned. And at the college level, there is already Vanderbilt and Belmont in Nashville with music and music business/performance programs, and MTSU has an outstanding music business and music recording/technology program. Plus, there are a bazillion other small educational things on these topics for those who don't want to pursue a traditional university education. I don't see what educational component of this project would necessarily add that could compete with those existing, nationally recognized, and accredited programs.

Even comparisons to Music Row are far fetched because right now there are more hair and clothing salons on Music Row than there are music businesses per se. That is an historic name (and a legacy of 1960s/1970s urban renewal) with as much provenance as calling the bus barns the "trolley barns." The music business in Nashville is spread out all around town and largely exists in places that have modest rents, which I'm sure would not be the case in a huge redevelopment. And pardon me, but you could put Steve Cropper and vintage recording equipment anywhere in town and that would be really cool (hello, Woodland Studios), but it also doesn't seem to require a massive redevelopment.

I'm still waiting to see what this venture is specifically going to add that is going to be a gamechanger and justify using that much money and land. If it were a hotel, office, retail or apartment complex, with meeting space and a music venue included, I would be persuaded. But this sounds like too much, too soon.

And please don't come looking for tax dollars.

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I agree wholeheartedly with your statements, bwithers, however this is the most critical point you make:

But the whole grandiose scheme is what I'm not buying right now. The educational component at the high-school level would be nice but is already covered as I mentioned. And at the college level, there is already Vanderbilt and Belmont in Nashville with music and music business/performance programs, and MTSU has an outstanding music business and music recording/technology program. Plus, there are a bazillion other small educational things on these topics for those who don't want to pursue a traditional university education. I don't see what educational component of this project would necessarily add that could compete with those existing, nationally recognized, and accredited programs.

The big question is "Why?" and I don't see a good answer to it.

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I agree that the property value will have skyrocketed due to the construction of the convention center, particularly for hotel uses. But in terms of performance spaces, there is a lot of competition there already. Not that they couldn't fill that, but saying that you are adding a performance space in Nashville is like saying that you're a fan of Johnny Cash. Yawn!

With one large exception. 75% of the groups that will occupy the MCC are in that 2500-3500 range. A 2500 seat performance hall means 2 things to those groups. First an excellent place for their general sessions and second a great space for their big evening events, especially music events. Usually groups use the ballroom at the hotel or facility for this. This scenario is a win, win for everyone. It frees the ballroom space for more food functions and it gives the groups a place that is a true theater with house sound and lighting for their needs.

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We appreciate the support, the interest and concerns. The developers are working with Tuck-Hinton. Both groups certainly relate to the old Nashville architecture and will make every effort to incorporate both the corporate structure and warehouse into the plans. Concept drawings are being developed. While speculation is fun, please be patient. We will have more news soon.

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We appreciate the support, the interest and concerns. The developers are working with Tuck-Hinton. Both groups certainly relate to the old Nashville architecture and will make every effort to incorporate both the corporate structure and warehouse into the plans. Concept drawings are being developed. While speculation is fun, please be patient. We will have more news soon.

It's a relief to hear that your plans will include the Methodist Publishing building. My 72 year-old aunt took her first job out of Vandy in that building, which she described as "so modern" and one of the few air-conditioned buildings in town at the time. It was only a couple years old at the time. She stood out at that corner in spring of 1963 as President Kennedy's motorcade drove by en-route from the airport (from Murfreesboro Rd. to Vanderbilt). The warehouse attached to it is also a "cool" example of earlier architecture. I hope it is as great a workspace for this project as it would seem from its outward appearance.

I like what I've seen designed by Tuck-Hinton.

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We appreciate the support, the interest and concerns. The developers are working with Tuck-Hinton. Both groups certainly relate to the old Nashville architecture and will make every effort to incorporate both the corporate structure and warehouse into the plans. Concept drawings are being developed. While speculation is fun, please be patient. We will have more news soon.

Thanks so much for your interest in Urban Planet and welcome to the forum. Many of us strive to see the older gems in the city saved for future generations and I thank you for having an ear to the community. All of us here want to see urban growth while striving for walk-ability, sustainability, and architectural excellence.

We are looking forward to the plans for this exciting new development for Nashville and please feel free to join us at our monthly meetings the first Saturday of the month at 10 AM, Casablanca coffee shop in the Gulch.

Waiting with anticipation

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We appreciate the support, the interest and concerns. The developers are working with Tuck-Hinton. Both groups certainly relate to the old Nashville architecture and will make every effort to incorporate both the corporate structure and warehouse into the plans. Concept drawings are being developed. While speculation is fun, please be patient. We will have more news soon.

Thank you for keeping your finger on the pulse. While many of us don't own property downtown, come from architecturaly/development backgrounds, we still hold great interest in development of Nashville. We love our city, and want to make sure that buildings like this are preserved. We've heard it before with the old Tower Records (then torn down) and with others, and certainly seeing that Pantheon picked Tuck-Hinton gave me relief. I second Ron's invitation to the forum meet at Casablanca. We look forward to hopefully having a representative come by. Our backgrounds and visions for the city are diverse, and would be a good sampling for feedback.

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So while you guys are still in the conceptualizing stage, I have always thought that a tall, graceful building should be built at the west side of the new roundabout... and dream of a pedestrian bridge or building bridging over the railroad to the Gulch. Joining the Gulch to SoBro would be awesome!

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We appreciate the support, the interest and concerns. The developers are working with Tuck-Hinton. Both groups certainly relate to the old Nashville architecture and will make every effort to incorporate both the corporate structure and warehouse into the plans. Concept drawings are being developed. While speculation is fun, please be patient. We will have more news soon.

Welcome to the forum! Always great to see developers stopping by here!

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We appreciate the support, the interest and concerns. The developers are working with Tuck-Hinton. Both groups certainly relate to the old Nashville architecture and will make every effort to incorporate both the corporate structure and warehouse into the plans. Concept drawings are being developed. While speculation is fun, please be patient. We will have more news soon.

Thanks for the reply. It can be tough to be patient, especially if there is little or no word after an initial announcement for quite a while. Sometimes when things are in the works, the media misses the story, and it leaves us all wondering and...speculating.

We eagerly await the concept drawings, and we definitely encourage you to continue posting (or show up at the monthly meeting) to keep us all informed of the progress.

I think it's a wonderful idea, and I truly hope it is successful.

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With one large exception. 75% of the groups that will occupy the MCC are in that 2500-3500 range. A 2500 seat performance hall means 2 things to those groups. First an excellent place for their general sessions and second a great space for their big evening events, especially music events. Usually groups use the ballroom at the hotel or facility for this. This scenario is a win, win for everyone. It frees the ballroom space for more food functions and it gives the groups a place that is a true theater with house sound and lighting for their needs.

Your point is well taken. While there are lots of performance/event spaces in Nashville, as I stated, I can see a facility at this location being used quite a bit. In fact, that would seem to me to be the most economically viable portion of the proposal so far, depending on fee structures, etc. But it still wouldn't take up that much land.

The educational component is one that gets me a little concerned. As I mentioned, charter schools have a patchy track record in Nashville, even when they do get approved by the Board of Education. And some of these proposals would seem to overlap quite a bit with existing offerings in Nashville schools (STEM, performing arts, etc.). If there is a college level proposed, again, there would seem to be quite a bit of overlap with Vanderbilt, Belmont, MTSU and others. Now if MIT or Berklee College of Music wanted to open a satellite campus at this location, then that would be one thing. But starting from scratch would be quite a feat. Collaboration between existing college programs may be a possibility. I'm open to this but wanting to hear more, I guess.

And certainly there is seemingly unlimited demand for gaming and electronic communication expertise. But the role that this project would play in bridging that gap seems to lack specifics.

On the other hand, the film component as proposed seems quite specific. Why is it economically desirable to build replicas of famous cities as screen backgrounds in downtown Nashville?

I am relieved to hear that those involved in the development are posting on this board. I am also relieved that plans are to reuse some existing buildings that are important to this corridor's history and character. I am concerned that this project is similar to the Medical Mart: it's a good idea that may have a challenge proving to the market that sufficient need for it exists to make financial sense.

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  • 4 weeks later...

McIntyre Ventures is in the process of acquiring additional acreage to develop the infrastructure and education components for Pantheon Park. Some of you noticed the described density would be a little tight. The parcels being considered are 100+ acre sites.

Just to fill in a couple of other blanks...the schools will be private academies with enrollment based on talent, not ability to pay. As private schools, including a boarding and family housing component, we will be able to attract and accept students from all over the world who have demonstrated a high level of talent in the performing arts (the "A" in STEAM), entertainment and/or related technologies. We will not be starting from scratch. There is no shortage of awesome talent in Nashville. Our goal is to give these groups much needed infrastructure.

The university program has changed. We will be focusing our attention on providing infrastructure and facilities for existing university programs enabling them to broaden their offerings and hands -on experiences. The additional land will enable us to construct film lots and studios.

Please stay tuned and thank you for your interest!

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I... I guess I will address you as Pantheon Park... or... Yeah. Representative of Pantheon Park: Question, a couple weeks ago there was an announcement about a "Production Row" on the East Bank off Cowan - is there any interest in keeping such acreage close to town or partnering on something like that?. In reading your update (thanks, by the way, you're awesome!) are we to presume that this project will be in addition to the UMPH properties, or are those out of the equation now?

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McIntyre Ventures is in the process of acquiring additional acreage to develop the infrastructure and education components for Pantheon Park. Some of you noticed the described density would be a little tight. The parcels being considered are 100+ acre sites.

Just to fill in a couple of other blanks...the schools will be private academies with enrollment based on talent, not ability to pay. As private schools, including a boarding and family housing component, we will be able to attract and accept students from all over the world who have demonstrated a high level of talent in the performing arts (the "A" in STEAM), entertainment and/or related technologies. We will not be starting from scratch. There is no shortage of awesome talent in Nashville. Our goal is to give these groups much needed infrastructure.

The university program has changed. We will be focusing our attention on providing infrastructure and facilities for existing university programs enabling them to broaden their offerings and hands -on experiences. The additional land will enable us to construct film lots and studios.

Please stay tuned and thank you for your interest!

Gotta say that the "100 acre" figure raised an eyebrow (yes, mine) as I don't see that much land available anywhere near that site. In fact, the Gulch is 60 acres, and this amount of space appears much smaller.

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Thanks Pantheon for keeping us updated. We are all looking forward to more news about this project and I know you have to keep some things confidential.

I am very interested in seeing this move forward and hearing much more about the project. When the time is right for you we would love to have you share with our group over coffee at some point. We all know there is a lot of work to be done.

Looking for updates soon and thanks for posting.

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Don't let that eyebrow get too far out of position...

The two campuses are not connected. Cost of real estate prohibits some of our future tenants to locate at SoBro.

That's what I thought. And I do find the educational/campus component to be quite intriguing.

I know you're probably not at liberty to discuss specific locations that Pantheon is interested in, but I do have a question, if you will:

We know that there are very few contiguous ~100 acre plots in Nashville/Davidson County...are you looking at a urban or near to urban (Davidson County) location, a suburban location (15-25 miles) or possibly something rural that is pretty far from town? I guess what I'm getting at is, what type of environment does Pantheon envision this campus to inhabit?

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Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Hickory Hollow area is a good site for the size (and price) but too far away from the SoBro facilities.

Good news for fans of saving classic Nashville architecture; latest plan calls for saving the Keeble building.

Still working on the warehouse / parking deck possibilties. Engineers say it will not hold much more weight due to construction method.

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Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Hickory Hollow area is a good site for the size (and price) but too far away from the SoBro facilities.

Good news for fans of saving classic Nashville architecture; latest plan calls for saving the Keeble building.

Still working on the warehouse / parking deck possibilties. Engineers say it will not hold much more weight due to construction method.

This is great news. Nashville cannot afford to lose anymore treasures. Thanks for the updates.

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