Inner Loop - CBD, Downtown, East Bank, Germantown, Gulch, Rutledge

[CenterHill]

But I don't get why you are all underwhelmed. It pretty much looks like the rendering, minus the dozens of shadow figures.

UT, you're right the final product is more or less as was originally advertised in the renderings. My disappointment probably stems from the PR at the time of the announcement and my reading more into it than was intended. One article had this to say,

"Specifically, the arena's south entrance will be significantly modified, creating open space at the corner of Fifth Avenue South and Demonbreun. Two video boards — the one facing Demonbreun will be a prominent 16-by-20-feet — will be installed on the "barrel," the rehearsal hall at the southeast corner of the building. That barrel will also include LED lighting and graphics boards running 130 feet along the building's wall facing Fifth."

Nothing there about changing a big cold, concrete and sheet metal facade into something other than a big cold, concrete and sheet metal facade. I don't know if the video board is 16x20. 16x20, 20x30, whatever it is, the one installed on that enormous "barrel" looks tiny up on that big blank facade. Not sure it's video, either, in the sense of live action capability, appears to be a single image ad screen. I also misread the graphics board running 130 ft along 5th to be video. What's installed so far is just a paper billboard.

All that just to say, I expected more and am underwhelmed. Looking back, maybe I read too much into the promotion.

Edited January 10, 2014 by CenterHill

[UTgrad09]

All that just to say, I expected more and am underwhelmed. Looking back, maybe I read too much into the promotion.

 

I was pretty excited with the announcement...but when I saw the price figure (something like $7 million?), I knew it really wasn't going to be anything remarkable. $7 million sounds like a lot of money, but for commercial construction, it goes in a hurry.

 

I will agree that the initial announcement built it up more than the final product ended up being, but when I saw the rendering, I knew pretty much what was in store.

[CenterHill]

yep. "creating an open space at the corner of Fifth Avenue South and Demonbreun". LOL. guess i bought the snake oil...

[UTgrad09]

yep. "creating an open space at the corner of Fifth Avenue South and Demonbreun". LOL. guess i bought the snake oil...

 

Yeah....the restaurant patio....lol.

[CenterHill]

Really needs landscaping. I thought that when I saw the original rendering. Maybe they can still do that some day.

Exactly. What about a "vertical" garden? Ive seen a number of these in London and on trips in the EU. Great solution for big blank walls in the urban environment with native plants sodded into the wall from top to bottom. You're inexplicably drawn to a table and chairs beneath the greenery. That LCD ad board isn't going to draw anyone across the street from the MCC.

[BnaBreaker]

Yeah, I mean, I know they weren't attempting to create a new town square or anything, but that's a pretty cold environment for what is supposed to be a 'public meeting space.'

[nashvillwill]

Either way, I'm glad the Preds&Arena management are making an attempt to keep the place up. That's more than can be said about many venues around the country. Hopefully, Bridgestone will have a longer lifespan than the average modern arena of around 20 years. The location is priceless and I'm sure the organization is well aware of that fact.

[smeagolsfree]

A little news from a couple of days ago that I do not think anyone posted. Spectrum approved for old CC site.

 

http://nashvillepost.com/news/2014/1/9/authority_approves_spectrum_emery_for_redevelopment_project

[FrankNash]

Have you been by the sobro entrance at night? For the last couple of nights the new LED lighting on 5th ave. washes a purple/blue light up and down the blank concrete wall. when driving by yesterday the lighting guys look to be adding the same effect where the parking garage is on Demonbreun. My guess is a see thru screen over said garage with LED lighting to add a very dramatic splash of color from 6th ave. all the way to the new Preds retail store. Do a drive by in a week or two, you will be impressed!

[TheRaglander]

I went to the Ducks/Preds game last night and went through the SoBro entrance.  The lighting is pretty cool.  It's not as bad as everyone is complaining about on the boards.  It's not a "front entrance".  It was never meant to be and never will be.  The building is a lot better than the product they are putting on the ice.  

[timmay143]

I went to the Ducks/Preds game last night and went through the SoBro entrance.  The lighting is pretty cool.  It's not as bad as everyone is complaining about on the boards.  It's not a "front entrance".  It was never meant to be and never will be.  The building is a lot better than the product they are putting on the ice.  

Ouch!  But sadly, it is true.

[bwithers1]

On thing that I hope happens with 3rd Ave at that site is that it becomes a 2-way street all the way through downtown.  Presently, if you are coming south on 3rd Ave from MetroCenter, you come to that intersection within sight of Jefferson but have to make either a left or a right turn.  If you take the left, 2nd Ave goes under Jefferson Street toward downtown and dumps you at JRP, where a left turn is prevented by a median.  But if you turn right, you come to 4th Ave, which will also be cut off by the new ballpark.  Making 3rd and 5th Aves 2-way streets all the way up and down will eliminate some unnecessary traffic confusion.

[bwithers1]

I had that happen to me at my old house, luckily all the water went in the crawl space after the plumber doing a routine inspection found the leak.

 

My big question is when is Bob Muelller going to get rid of that 1970's porn star mustache! He has had that thing 40 years now!

Hey, don't be hatin' on moustaches!  Or 1970s porn stars for that matter.  Al Parker will live forever in some of our fond memories . . .

[CenterHill]

On thing that I hope happens with 3rd Ave at that site is that it becomes a 2-way street all the way through downtown.  Presently, if you are coming south on 3rd Ave from MetroCenter, you come to that intersection within sight of Jefferson but have to make either a left or a right turn.  If you take the left, 2nd Ave goes under Jefferson Street toward downtown and dumps you at JRP, where a left turn is prevented by a median.  But if you turn right, you come to 4th Ave, which will also be cut off by the new ballpark.  Making 3rd and 5th Aves 2-way streets all the way up and down will eliminate some unnecessary traffic confusion.

 

good point.   i can't think of a good reason that stretch of 3rd needs to be one way as it is now, or why it became that way.  

[BnaBreaker]

This is kind of a random question, but are there any current plans to redo Morgan Park in Germantown at all?  It'd be such a great asset for all of the families in that neighborhood, but last time I went by it a couple years ago it was really nothing more than an empty grass field.

[UTgrad09]

Either way, I'm glad the Preds&Arena management are making an attempt to keep the place up. That's more than can be said about many venues around the country. Hopefully, Bridgestone will have a longer lifespan than the average modern arena of around 20 years. The location is priceless and I'm sure the organization is well aware of that fact.

Amen to that. Keeping the arena updated is one of the reasons why it is able to outperform a lot of peer city arenas, and why we are able to land events like the SEC Tournament and Women's Final Four, when there are plenty of newer, shinier arenas out there.

The location is a key part of the arena's success, and the arena itself is a big, big reason for the transformation to that whole side of downtown. No single downtown building has had as big of an impact as the arena since it has been built. The location is so important, I think we have to keep it there if at all possible. Rather than build a new shiny arena in another 12 years (when the SEC Tourney contract ends), I think it would be best to invest that money in upkeep and eventually a major renovation.

New York (more specifically, Manhattan) didn't get rid of Madison Square Garden, because the location and infrastructure were far too valuable. Now, we don't have New York real estate values, or a subway terminal underneath our arena, but it's location is too important to lose it. Instead of spending $300-500 million (+whatever inflation) on a new arena in a decade or so, let's do what they did and have a major overhaul of the current one.

I went to the Ducks/Preds game last night and went through the SoBro entrance.  The lighting is pretty cool.  It's not as bad as everyone is complaining about on the boards.  It's not a "front entrance".  It was never meant to be and never will be.  The building is a lot better than the product they are putting on the ice.

 

Tough game. I was at the Sharks game on Tuesday. It was balls-freezing cold, but we won, so I was happy. I used that entrance, too. I normally opt for cheapo parking, but due to the weather, I ponied up the $15 to park at the MCC. Easy in, easy out.

[CenterHill]

Don't know. Morgan Park used to have an actual baseball diamond on it until a few years ago when that was ripped out and it became just a grassy lot. But softball games still happen there, as well as picnics and pick up games. Agree with you though, and would love to see the mayor's office spiff up the park with some basic improvements. What a great asset it could be for the neighborhood.

[NashRugger]

Apparently some announcement is coming this week for residential in the Gulch. No details given but "big and shiny" are words thrown out there. I'm wondering if it's a new project or maybe that The Laurel is converting to condos.

[UTgrad09]

I wouldn't be surprised if 12th and Laurel converts to condos, but everyone knows about that project. I don't think I would call that a 'big' announcement. Obviously it would be news, since it points to the health of the high end condo market...but I would think an actual announcement would be related to something new. Perhaps something on the old Griffin Plaza site (though that has been thrown around for hotel/office proposals).

 

Who knows, though...I certainly wouldn't mind another 20-30 story shiny announcement for the Gulch. At the rate things are going, though, I would expect a *new* announcement to take 1-2 years before groundbreaking.

[timmay143]

Didn't Hensler already turn some or all into condos?

[NashRugger]

Didn't Hensler already turn some or all into condos?

No, he only dropped the number of 1 bedroom and increased the number of 2 bedroom apartments and penthouses. 

[MLBrumby]

Don't forget that Mark Bloom wants to build a very tall condo/hotel tower.  http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2013/08/four-seasons-eyes-nashville.html

 

We could only hope! 

[Leif]

Apparently some announcement is coming this week for residential in the Gulch. No details given but "big and shiny" are words thrown out there. I'm wondering if it's a new project or maybe that The Laurel is converting to condos.

Didn't someone buy/contract the property across from NES on Church for apartments a while back? I'm sure that'll be marketed as in the Gulch.

[captainwjm]

No, he only dropped the number of 1 bedroom and increased the number of 2 bedroom apartments and penthouses.

Some units are being sold as condos. I am aware of at least 2 buyers.

[Paramount747]

Lot of work being done on the Gulch Crossings site yesterday. They were also working on the Fairfield Inn and the Hensler Tower. Must be making up for the bad weather delays last week.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Urban Architecture