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Virgin Hotel on Music Row, 15 stories, 262 rooms, music club


leggy77

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My wife is active with the Metro Historical Commission. She says the owner had been doing minor repairs for about 10 years and had been trying to sell it. Not sure how hard he had been trying. I look at the building renovated for Husk on Rutledge Hill - a wonderful restoration that now let's the public enjoy this incredible structure - and I say why couldn't that have happened with 1 Music Square? It would have been perfect for a restaurant and there is parking behind. Such a loss. Another poster child for the merits of historic or conservation overlays.

One funny thing today. I steered my run up to the roundabout to take a closer look. Several TV crews were there filming the rubble pile. Channel 4 asked if I would go on camera and I gave in, sweat and all. Told them I was disappointed in the owner and it was a shame. Voice of the common man.

Yeah right!  We know you were just glamouring for camera time  :P .  I kid, I kid.  Thank you for speaking!  Great job!  :good:

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Though I hated to see that home demolished, it most definitely is a great sign of things to come that Branson is building one of his first 3 hotels in Nashville.  I would imagine that will help spur some activity from some of the other "big brands" who have been sitting on the fence when it comes to investing in Nashville.

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Though I hated to see that home demolished, it most definitely is a great sign of things to come that Branson is building one of his first 3 hotels in Nashville.  I would imagine that will help spur some activity from some of the other "big brands" who have been sitting on the fence when it comes to investing in Nashville.

Oh without a doubt. When one of the world's most recognized brands plants in your city and is in an incredible rare breed where cities you'd expect to have something like this before us, like Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, you definitely get on the radar, big time. Oh, and it does perform well, expect an influx of other international services and/or retail, it's the nature of the beast. 

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What's the height limit at this location?

I'm wondering that as well.  Only a few hundred yards away they're allowing that 18 story building at the roundabout...and I'm thinking that bank building across Division from the Virgin Hotel and stretching to the Roundabout is something like 9 stories.

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The choice of location is baffling to me. If I was going to put up a luxury hotel I'd want it to be closer to the MCC and Nashville's downtown attractions (broadway, symphony, the future riverfront, etc) Go super tall in the core and you'll have lots of tourists taking notice of the Virgin brand for years to come. There's got to be some dynamics I'm missing (other than simply the name and number on the address) that led to this choice in location. 

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The choice of location is baffling to me. If I was going to put up a luxury hotel I'd want it to be closer to the MCC and Nashville's downtown attractions (broadway, symphony, the future riverfront, etc) Go super tall in the core and you'll have lots of tourists taking notice of the Virgin brand for years to come. There's got to be some dynamics I'm missing (other than simply the name and number on the address) that led to this choice in location. 

 

They are likely looking to play to the music industry crowd and are likely planning to host a lot of conferences and events involving the entities located on music row. I don't think they are shooting for the family of 4 from Springfield, IL coming down to see honky tonks. 

 

Not to mention the price of entry for the plot they are building on compared to the core. 

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It being a rather unique hotel, I don't think the actual proximity to "stuff" matters all that much. It's a short trip down what will now become the Demonbreun canyon to where the stuff is.

 

 

This specific spot seems to be more about address than actual location. 

Edited by UTgrad09
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Speaking of "Demonbreun Canyon"...you're right.  If you start at the Virgin Hotel (IF it's tall)...then you have Roundabout Plaza at 9 stories...1515 Demonbreun at 18 stories...1505 however tall that is...Rhythm...new Eakin building possibly over 20 stories...Bank of Nashville's new building...Turnberry project...Bridgestone Arena...MCC...CMHoF...then what's after that towards the river?

 

Are there any other parcels along Demonbreun that could hold a tower?  I'm assuming Tony has a couple of projects on Demonbreun slated, right?

 

I'm also assuming Deja Vu will eventually sell to the highest bidder and a tall building will go there one day.

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I think that the Virgin will be close to 200' - there is nothing about Richard Branson that says "make it blend in" and I don't think we'd expect differently as he starts to get into hotels. Also, given the size of the lot, vertical is really the only way to go.

 

While I do sincerely hate that we lost what we did, I am certainly curious to see what replaces it. I don't imagine a low quality product going in especially given the surrounding history.

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I think that the Virgin will be close to 200' - there is nothing about Richard Branson that says "make it blend in" and I don't think we'd expect differently as he starts to get into hotels. Also, given the size of the lot, vertical is really the only way to go.

 

While I do sincerely hate that we lost what we did, I am certainly curious to see what replaces it. I don't imagine a low quality product going in especially given the surrounding history.

One thing to consider is that the antebellum home is not the only structure to go.  The 2 structures next to that demolished home will also be demolished soon...and I'm thinking this will give them around an acre to work with.

 

http://www.wkrn.com/story/25273694/virgin-hotels-to-open-on-music-row-in-2016

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I really feel as if at least one more structure will come down as that is where the utility marking are. Neither one are vacant at this time.

I'm just going by what the reporter on News 2 said in that link I provided.  She mentioned that the other two structures next to the antebellum hotel would be demolished for this project.

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I'm just going by what the reporter on News 2 said in that link I provided.  She mentioned that the other two structures next to the antebellum hotel would be demolished for this project.

 

One of my friends has a studio next door - I will ask him. They just did a lot of work in his space there.

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Points:

1) Construction to begin before the end of the year with opening in 2016

2) 240 rooms.

 

How big of a building can be built in less than 2 years?

 

To compare:

1) the Hutton Hotel has 247 rooms.

2) Twelve-twelve will be built in just over 1.5 years (Feb 2013-Oct 2014)

 

Peace!

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Article in this morning's WSJ about Virgin Hotels. Mentions the recent choice for a Nashville location, citing the 'explosive growth and international interest'

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304626304579507463175723476?mobile=y

 

Good mention of Nashville.   The article describes Virgin's foray into hotels with a fairly cautionary tone.   

 

It does not escape us that the first Virgin hotel will be a painstaking renovation of the 1928 Dearborn Bank Building in Chicago.   No such preservation efforts in Nashville.  

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