Inside 440 - Berry Hill, Midtown, Vanderbilt, 12S, WeHo, Fairgrounds, etc.

[Nathan_in_DC]

Who the f*@# thinks it a good ROI to plop that suburban strip mall monstrosity on that prime real estate? Someone needs to smack the heck out of their investment company.

[MLBrumby]

And another letdown...

 

 

Going in the newly vacant lot  across from the just finished Renasant Bank on West End per the Tennessean...

 

 

The 1980s called... and they want their building back.

[titanhog]

Should have just left the gas station and Arby's.

[BnaBreaker]

Disgusting. Why did they even bother releasing a rendering? Like anyone was going to be excited to see that POS staring back at them? What an incredible waste of prime space. They didn't even make an effort to make it look the slightest bit interesting. This is an overall net negative for the neighborhood. At least an empty lot has the potential to become something greater.

[PruneTracy]

Should have just left the gas station and Arby's.

 

Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Cook Out is pretty awesome.

 

...

 

But yes, the scale of these two buildings is ridiculous.

Edited February 12, 2015 by PruneTracy

[gannman]

The 1980s called... and they want their building back.

 

They don't want it either.

 

Has anyone seen a site plan?

[Nathan_in_DC]

Did the city have to approve this structure, or is it outside any overlays that would require a more dense use of the land? Maybe I'm just having a bad day, but this absolutely infuriates me. There is zero reason that should be built on that corner. Honestly, if I had my money with FirstBank and knew they were making stupid moves like this, I'd pull it out in a heartbeat. Not only does this hurt the neighborhood and general development in the area, it is a poor investment on the part of the company.

[titanhog]

Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Cook Out is pretty awesome.

 

...

 

But yes, the scale of these two buildings is ridiculous.

I'm talking about the bank.

[CenterHill]

The 1980s called... and they want their building back.

You mean the suburbs called...

The grassy strips and foundation plantings (little palms?) just scream mall parking lot. I mean you could replace the FirstBank logo with "Krystal" and never know the difference.

Plus, doesnt the image have the corner reversed? Unless the "front" is facing 19th, which would be stupid.

Edited February 12, 2015 by CenterHill

[UTgrad09]

It's built to the street. It uses limestone and granite materials. 

 

 

That's about it as far as redeeming qualities go.

 

 

 

The thing looks like a mausoleum. Underutilized? Sure. I'd like a tall(er) building there. But even for a 1 story structure, this just screams bland.

 

Of course, we're thinking a bank would be building some kind of HQ (like Renasant), but these guys were just looking for a branch. A branch in Midtown would be fine....I just wish they would pick somewhere else than West End Ave if they aren't looking for a branch in the base of a skyscraper. This building, if on Hayes St, doesn't bother me so much.

[BnaBreaker]

It's built to the street. It uses limestone and granite materials. 

 

 

That's about it as far as redeeming qualities go.

 

 

 

The thing looks like a mausoleum. Underutilized? Sure. I'd like a tall(er) building there. But even for a 1 story structure, this just screams bland.

 

Of course, we're thinking a bank would be building some kind of HQ (like Renasant), but these guys were just looking for a branch. A branch in Midtown would be fine....I just wish they would pick somewhere else than West End Ave if they aren't looking for a branch in the base of a skyscraper. This building, if on Hayes St, doesn't bother me so much.

 

Agreed.  It's not as if anything built from here on out within the city limits must be two stories or more.  We just shouldn't be building these single use, one story structures on one of the most, if not the most important thoroughfare in the city.

[Bezoar]

It's built to the street. It uses limestone and granite materials. 

 

 

That's about it as far as redeeming qualities go.

 

 

At least it's not an Advanced Financial

[Vrtigo]

At least it's not an Advanced Financial

 

The signage in the rendering does say "24 Hour Banking"...

[nashvillwill]

I don't have any solid info, but based on the rendering, that things looks like tilt-up concrete. Are they planning to frame and cast those things over the sidewalk?

[barakat]

The Tennessean article says it's limestone and granite.

[smeagolsfree]

Talking to WW about this, I will have to say that having this on another street would be fine, but not on a high profile street like W End.

 

The materials will be fine, however the mass of the building is horrible. If the had done a larger mixed use site on the location, it would have been much better.

 

At least three stories, with no surface parking.

[Nathan_in_DC]

I agree that I'd be fine with it on another corner. I mean, though bland, it's not a terrible looking building. At least it has a level of permanence about it. But it's just a waste to be where it is.

 

Maybe some bad press will inspire them to build it elsewhere.

[gannman]

The one in Green Hills is super cute though.

 

 

 

[BnaBreaker]

Wow, right across from The Mall at Green Hills huh?  They sure do love to spoil prime urban development spots with their stupid runt buildings, don't they?  What's next, a branch on one of the large parking lots across from MCC?

[rookzie]

As long as 1-story businesses remain on that street and on nearby Bandywood Drive, I do not see that thing NOT being the norm for GH.  Bandywood and Green Hills Circle still have a number of old post-war 1-story bungalow matchboxes transformed into shops and "holes".  Historically, these older mini-strip malls, set back off Hillsboro Pk, as well as along Abbott-Martin at Bandywood, all comprise that "sub-suburban" practice of building disconnected and standalone flat structures as that new bank branch.  Besides it does fit in with the old First-American-Amsouth-Regions bank nearby.  If Southern Land does get its way and builds its tower at Richard Jones Rd and Hillsboro, then it'll be just a matter of time before these 1- and 2-story jobs will get replaced, to turn into a mini-Bethesda, MD of high rises, but I will long have been deep-sixed by then.

-==-

[SoundScan]

Updated site rendering for new FirstBank on West End:

 

 

[Bezoar]

Updated site rendering for new FirstBank on West End:

 

 

 

 

I found another one:

[Hey_Hey]

The Planning Commission just indefinitely deferred the 16th Ave Apartment project just south of Edgehill. There was a lot of opposition from the music industry and preservationists. On the neighborhood side of things the developers screwed up and never met with residents until this week. That didn't help anything. The Commission has tasked Staff to study and implement a detailed plan for the entirety of Music Row. While they have not issued a moratorium on rezoning it sure sounds like it will effectively be one unless something changes.

[rookzie]

 

I found another one:

 

Did you Lego that snazzy thing, or did it come as model RR diarama scenery?  Reminds me of way back in Columbus, Oh.

-==-

[smeagolsfree]

The Planning dept has deferred the 16th Ave apartments indefinitely. This next bit of info is third hand at this point, but it looks like there may be a 12 to 18 month moratorium on new applications for development on Music Row.