What was your favorite tall building proposal that never happened?

[Paramount747]

I was just wondering when I was walking downtown this weekend what the skyline would look like if one of the proposals had actually happened. (Heights are approximate the best I can remember)

 

Here are just a few proposals over 30 stories that never happened:

 

Nashville City Center 2 40 stories and 596 feet.

 

Signature Tower 55 stories and 700 feet

 

Signature Tower 62 stories and 830 feet.

 

Signature Tower 70 stories and 1057 feet.

 

Ryman Center 47 stories and 600+ feet.

 

The Original 5th Third Bank Building (Suntrust) 35 stories and 536 feet.

 

The Office Tower In Union where TPAC now sit 48 stories and 600+ feet.

 

The Office Tower across from the James Robertson Apartments 45 stories and 600+ feet.

 

Columbia HCA Tower 50 stories and 700+ feet.

 

The Original proposal for the Renaissance 42 stories and 500+ feet.

 

The Tower for the Thermal Site 60 stories and 630 feet.

 

Sheet Music 36-41 stories and 400-500 feet

 

505 CST 38 stories and 605 feet or 60 stories and 750 feet.

 

The Nashville Tower 1 story and 750 feet.

 

The Sobro 32-33 stories and 360 feet.

 

I personally really wanted Nashville City Center 2 or the very first Signature Tower

 

 

 

[nashvylle]

for me I think if Tony first went out (around 2006?) with the 1,057' Signature Tower design, but at 750', we would have that now and it would be one of the prettier buildings in America. 

[fieldmarshaldj]

Big Sig, unquestionably. It's unfortunate as well that NCC2 didn't go up simultaneously with NCC1, as it would've made a nice twin tower block (and would at present be the tallest inhabitable floor in the city).

A lot of the other buildings were proposed, but had no renderings (or at least, I never saw them), such as the Columbia/HCA Tower (if I recall, there was some talk it would've been closer to 1000' feet in height).

It would be neat if someone could do a rendering of our skyline if the bulk of those had been built !

[TNinVB]

No doubt the taller of Signature Tower.  The 750' version would have been nice as well. 

[dmillsphoto]

Big Sig, unquestionably. It's unfortunate as well that NCC2 didn't go up simultaneously with NCC1, as it would've made a nice twin tower block (and would at present be the tallest inhabitable floor in the city).

A lot of the other buildings were proposed, but had no renderings (or at least, I never saw them), such as the Columbia/HCA Tower (if I recall, there was some talk it would've been closer to 1000' feet in height).

It would be neat if someone could do a rendering of our skyline if the bulk of those had been built !

 

But alas, FMDJ, there was a  render for HCA tower.

 

http://the-wood-family.org/tom/healthcare-history/

 

[captainwjm]

One that you didn't mention, that I wished had been built was the [i think it was called] Riverview Tower between 1st and 2nd on Church.  At the time, [around 1986] there was a warehouse for [i think] the old Washington manufacturing company on the site which burned around the time the project was being proposed.  As I remember it, it was supposed to be designed so as to fit into the historic row of waterfront buildings southward to Broadway.

[Paramount747]

One that you didn't mention, that I wished had been built was the [i think it was called] Riverview Tower between 1st and 2nd on Church.  At the time, [around 1986] there was a warehouse for [i think] the old Washington manufacturing company on the site which burned around the time the project was being proposed.  As I remember it, it was supposed to be designed so as to fit into the historic row of waterfront buildings southward to Broadway.

It was 22 stories I think? This was the one Gov. Lamar Alexander and Anne Roberts stopped from happening. The front page of the USA Today read: "Governor and Historic Commission stop tower..." This made national news, and since then all we have is a surface parking lot. This was a Republican free market governor stopping free enterprise and the free market!!!! If we listed all 20 story  towers that did not get built, the list would be pages upon pages long.

 

Just a few:

 

The above mentioned Riverview Tower 22 stories and 300+ feet

 

The Cumberland (The original proposal by Joe Rogers) 19 stories 300+ feet by developer Joe Rogers. Would have taken down what is now the Marriott Courtyard.

 

The Tower at the post office. 19 stories on top of the old post office which is now the Frist Center for the Arts.

 

WES  20  and 25 stories varying heights depending on what rendering was published. No comment.

 

University Towers 1 and 2  20 and 28 stories where the Adelicia now stands.

 

The tower at 19th and West End. a 30 story tower where the Arby's is on West End.

 

The American Center on 31st and West End was at one time a 24 story proposal, but because of the neighborhood suing, it became two 12 story buildings instead.

[fieldmarshaldj]

But alas, FMDJ, there was a  render for HCA tower.

 

http://the-wood-family.org/tom/healthcare-history/

 

Thanks, yes, I think John had posted that rendering in recent times. I should've said that at the time it was proposed (about 1994/95), I never recalled seeing a rendering (in either the Tennessean, or the Nashville Business Journal), and I was a big "skyscraperfanboi" at the time. Unfortunately, with that dome it makes it look like a giant deodorant roll-on stick.

[smeagolsfree]

I am just wondering what we would look like if they all were built.

[dmillsphoto]

I am just wondering what we would look like if they all were built.

 

PHofKS - we're gonna need your services for this one.

[titanhog]

Siggy.  Definitely Siggy. 

[franktown]

Siggy. Every time I walk by 5th and Church I'm sad for what could have been. 

[Neigeville2]

505 CST.  My favorite Nashville proposal of all time.

[volsfanwill]

big siggy, I was following it even though I was in knoxville at the time

[TNinVB]

But alas, FMDJ, there was a  render for HCA tower.

 

http://the-wood-family.org/tom/healthcare-history/

 

That's an old pic!  Batman is almost complete in the background.  The spires don't have there cladding on them yet and the South Central Bell logo isn't up yet. Didn't realize HCA had proposed a tower that long ago.

[mirydi]

 

^Good lord! The L&C tower is got to be the biggest turd of a building I've ever seen. It's almost as bad as that ugly red communications building down the street from the AT&T tower....

[TNinVB]

 

^Good lord! The L&C tower is got to be the biggest turd of a building I've ever seen. It's almost as bad as that ugly red communications building down the street from the AT&T tower....

I agree with you.  I never got the appeal of the L&C Tower.  It's so ugly and run down looking.

[BnaBreaker]

 

^Good lord! The L&C tower is got to be the biggest turd of a building I've ever seen. It's almost as bad as that ugly red communications building down the street from the AT&T tower....

Yes, and music by The Doors and Otis Redding and Patsy Cline is nothing more than dusty, boring crap for old people.

[Nashvillain]

I agree with you.  I never got the appeal of the L&C Tower.  It's so ugly and run down looking.

Probably because you never bothered to actually look at it. Like closely and stuff. 

[bigeasy]

I agree with you.  I never got the appeal of the L&C Tower.  It's so ugly and run down looking.

Those are fighting words on this site haha. I personally do not like it either, but I never knew the historical significance of the building. Now that I know the history of it, I have much more appreciation for it. That being said I still don't find it aesthetically pleasing when compared to more modern designs. 

[Paramount747]

Those are fighting words on this site haha. I personally do not like it either, but I never knew the historical significance of the building. Now that I know the history of it, I have much more appreciation for it. That being said I still don't find it aesthetically pleasing when compared to more modern designs. 

 

 

Probably because you never bothered to actually look at it. Like closely and stuff. 

The significance of the L&C Tower are mainly these:

 

1) The Greco/Classical architecture was new for the city for a high rise building.

2) The orientation was designed by a Vanderbilt astronomer to set the building to where the fins cool the building in the summer and allow sun to warm in the winter.

3) Once was the tallest building in the southeast. Even Atlanta did not have a building this tall in 1957

4) One of the few towers downtown that is welded steel with some portions being riveted. (Most are steel reinforced concrete.) Only the TPAC building in modern times is built like the L&C.

5) The letters are 25 feet tall and used to be color coated to show the weather.

6) The interior was modeled after the interior designs of many buildings in New York.

7) The Limestone Panels are approximately 16 square feet each.

 

There are many others, but when opened in 1957 this building was truly a wonder. 

 

BTW the steel girders are actually bright orange.

[Paramount747]

Check this out. If we in Nashville think we had a lot of cancelled projects, here are 54 cancelled projects for Atlanta!

 

http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?

 

Go to ATlanta, and then choose diagrams for cancelled projects only. They have 54!

[titanhog]

My question to everyone is would you rather have the 750 foot Signature Tower design at 505 Church...or the 750 foot 505CST current bldg. design?

 

I think I would have to go with the current 505CST design because I believe the entire building will be up to 750 feet, without a spire, which should give it a considerable presence in DT amongst the other structures.

 

I really loved the look of Siggy, but I'm pretty sure the 750" height would have been including the really tall spire...which had to be at least 100-150"...right?

[Nashvillain]

I prefer the new 505CST to the old Signature Tower. I don't think the Sig would have aged well, the design was somewhat cheesy to me. Maybe it was the gold-ish color. 

[Neigeville2]

Those are fighting words on this site haha. I personally do not like it either, but I never knew the historical significance of the building. Now that I know the history of it, I have much more appreciation for it. That being said I still don't find it aesthetically pleasing when compared to more modern designs. 

I think it's gorgeous, especially from the street level, it addresses its sloped street frontage very gracefully and it pulls your gaze up, if you stand at the corner across from it you can literally see the people walking along look up as it comes into view.  

 

I just don't get this attitude that everything should look new.  We're a city, not a suburban office park.

 

And when it comes to materials like stone, until they acquire a bit of a patina they don't look that great.  This fake stone crap you see on houses nowadays is tacky as hell IMO.  I predict in 20 years it will be severely out of style and lowering the value of those houses.  But then maybe 20 years is too old for a house anyway, tear 'em down and build new ones.