Rebuilding Second Avenue

[UrbanWes03]

The restructuring of 1st ave looks pretty intense! Exciting to see a water taxi station in the plan. Great to see 2nd ave getting red transit lanes, a bike path, and upgraded ped/bike amenities for intersections. 

Really happy to see this opportunity being taken advantage of and having the focus put on pedestrians and the riverfront with these proposals. 

[Darwin]

This all looks really impressive. The last picture suggesting a change in rules so that alcohol can be served makes me wonder, what vibe should the city be aiming to create on 1st Avenue? It might be nice if 1st Ave was a little more sophisticated, or more family-oriented than Broadway.  Although even if it were just more honky tonks it would be an improvement. I don't know what tools the city has available to shape that sort of thing. Either way, to activate that space in some manner would be fantastic, arguably the river is not made use of enough, and the idea of putting an area for programming right there is exciting.

[Luvemtall]

Really like these ideas, although I agree we can do without making it a extended Broadway with more honky Tonk’s . Hopefully we get the more sophisticated, family oriented versions. There’s just so much one can take of country music “stars” putting their name on a otherwise dive bar. 

[downtownresident]

I don’t think they’re proposing sidewalk Honkey Tonks, more of a sit down restaurant/sidewalk cafe. Those establishments would also serve alcohol, so it would necessitate a server bringing it to them. 

[Luvemtall]

1 minute ago, downtownresident said:

I don’t think they’re proposing sidewalk Honkey Tonks, more of a sit down restaurant/sidewalk cafe. Those establishments would also serve alcohol, so it would necessitate a server bringing it to them. 

Do you think that there will be any National retail included ? Or just mostly restaurants/cafe’s ? I like the idea of it being renamed Market Street also. 

[MLBrumby]

They should look at the riverfront cafes in Cologne/Koln, Germany. 

 

 

[smeagolsfree]

I am just going to lay it all on the line and say we can just demolish Germantown and make it look like Cologne! You know I jest but we can’t have everything.

[MLBrumby]

2 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

I am just going to lay it all on the line and say we can just demolish Germantown and make it look like Cologne! You know I jest but we can’t have everything.

It's very doable!!! Everything you see there (except for The Dom) was built since 1945.  But frankly, we're talking concepts here. And the concept is precisely what can be done along First Avenue. 

[smeagolsfree]

But its out of character for 2nd too.

[MLBrumby]

I disagree. Titanhog showed how it can be done... and beats what's there now. I don't think Nashville has the will to do that, but it's aspirational and doable. I don't see how it would be out of character. What character?  What's there now?  

[Luvemtall]

12 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

I disagree. Titanhog showed how it can be done... and beats what's there now. I don't think Nashville has the will to do that, but it's aspirational and doable. I don't see how it would be out of character. What character?  What's there now?  

Totally agree! Titanhog nailed it in her vision of what 1st avenue could be!! Right now there’s not much of anything, especially character . Her vision, and concept are needed here. It’s a great way to expand the district and embrace the riverfront.

[henburg]

Have there been any updates to what changes will be made to the site of the bombing, the telecommunications building itself? I don't have a photo, but I work downtown and have noticed that the entirety of the building is surrounded with some type of scaffolding or something and it almost looks as if some kind of work is beginning on the exterior.

To be clear, I don't want to get anybody's hopes up since I don't have any sort of confirmation of this, it's just the impression that I have gotten this past week when driving by.

Edited November 19, 2021 by henburg

[VSRJ]

1 hour ago, henburg said:

Have there been any updates to what changes will be made to the site of the bombing, the telecommunications building itself? I don't have a photo, but I work downtown and have noticed that the entirety of the building is surrounded with some type of scaffolding or something and it almost looks as if some kind of work is beginning on the exterior.

To be clear, I don't want to get anybody's hopes up since I don't have any sort of confirmation of this, it's just the impression that I have gotten this past week when driving by.

  FYI: (I'm assuming this is still accurate.)

On 9/7/2021 at 11:51 AM, Bos2Nash said:

No timeline that I know of. But the drawings have been bid out and work is ongoing.

That being said in digging through the permits on this building we should not expect any wild changes. brick to match existing and the entire building will be power washed. *sigh*

 

[Luvemtall]

Yeah, they’re really using the insurance money and time to revitalize and renew this building into a beautiful structure that blends well with the neighborhood!! …. NOT!! What a missed opportunity to do something to at least the façade so that it looks more like a building instead of a HUGE brick wall. 

[markhollin]

Some renderings have been released for the reimagining of the exterior of the AT&T Network Equipment Building at 185 2nd Ave. North. Of the $60 million in damages incurred from the Christmas Day bombing of 2021, about $15 million is being sp[ent in association with the new facade.

Constructed in the 1960s and rising about 150 feet, the windowless structure suffered severe disfigurement due to the blast. Now, the building is being fully skinned so that a new exterior can be applied — a move expected to give the structure a more contemporary look and feel.

Comments from Joelle Phillips , President of AT&T Tennessee:

AT&T’s architect for the project is Exp US Services, and we have been collaborating with architects working through the Nashville Civic Design Center, including Cyril Stewart, Ron Lustig and Kem Hinton. The Civic Design Center team and Ron Gobbell reached out to AT&T earlier this year with some conceptual design proposals. That design concept was developed based on feedback from the Urban Land Institute, which the city engaged to conduct interviews with various stakeholders and provide input about how restoration and repairs to the area affected by the bombing could best serve the needs of the community.

Our building design has been developed in collaboration with the Metro Planning Department and in the context of the city’s overall vision for the area.

Our goal is to complete the project by late fourth quarter of 2022.

Until the city shared its design concept, we had not considered making such significant changes to the look of the building.  When I first saw a rendering of the city’s design ideas, I was intrigued. But I was concerned as a practical matter that such a significant pivot would result in either unacceptable delays or increased costs that we could not accommodate.

I was candid with Lucy Kempf, Metro Planning Department’s executive director and Ron Gobbell, the project manager overseeing the Second Avenue recovery, that we had a limited window of time to discuss such a different design. Supply chain disruption had already begun to impact the cost and availability of materials, and we would not be able to put our project on an indefinite pause while we explored new design ideas.  

Lucy and Ron connected us with Nashville architect Ron Lustig (who volunteered his time to assist the city along with Kem Hinton, a founder of Tuck-Hinton Architects) to see if we could make the city’s design concept work. Ron (Lustig) worked closely with our AT&T team on a myriad of specific issues presented by the city’s design, ranging from identifying alternative materials to innovative options for lighting the building and surrounding area. As a result, we arrived at a design that we believe works for AT&T and also advances the city’s goals for the Second Avenue area.

The adjacent building (painted in faint yellow) did not sustain the type of significant damage that required major repairs. Consistent with our goal to complete our work on Second Avenue as quickly as possible, we do not have any current plans for changes to that smaller building.

While changes to the adjacent building are not part of our current  Second Avenue project, our collaboration with the city on the design for the larger building has given us insight into the city’s goals and design preferences for the area. Those insights will be helpful as we consider any future changes to that building.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/when-i-first-saw-a-rendering-of-the-design-i-was-intrigued/article_2dc6c6a4-4978-11ec-adb0-87acdd7ec8c5.html


These 3 renderings are from 2nd Ave. North:

Rendering looking east from 3rd Ave. North:

A rendering of the building before it was built in 1968:

[smeagolsfree]

Say what you will, but still a huge missed opportunity AT&T missed the mark as always. It is better than what was there, but still crappy IMO as compared to what they could have done.

There is still a huge blank wall above the 40' mark and the Mural if you can call it that is just too subtle to count. 

Why go to Atlanta for an architect when there are many good architects here that have a better feel for what needs to be done on 2nd Ave.

You guys will probably disagree with me, but this is a sham and a shame IMO!

[CandyAisles]

Street condition is the biggest concern here.  "Wait and see" as always.

[Auntie Yock]

The whole thing needs to be moved elsewhere. It was remodeled in the 1990s with the red brick look to try to match its neighbors, but this updated design is even worse.

[smeagolsfree]

I would have rather they have done something temporary, like an attractive mural, than be concerned with supply chain issues and do a fix that many may not like. I do not think paint is that affected by the supply chain.

[CandyAisles]

7 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

I would have rather they have done something temporary, like an attractive mural, than be concerned with supply chain issues and do a fix that many may not like. I do not think paint is that affected by the supply chain.

Paint?  There's no paint in the proposal.  It's metal panel.

[smeagolsfree]

1 hour ago, CandyAisles said:

Paint?  There's no paint in the proposal.  It's metal panel.

I know that, and I am saying they are rushing into this too fast. That is why I am saying they could have waited and done a mural in the mean time to come up with a better alternative!

[Luvemtall]

I agree with Smeags, It’s something, but not right. That building needs to be transformed top to bottom with a faux facade, one made with real materials… like glass and metal ..etc. if they are not willing to move the damn thing, then it needs to be redone to look like a real building! It’s an eyesore, just like PSC . Traveling on the interstate and looking over to the core, it sticks out and smacks you like WTF is that ? 

[SJT]

Looks like it would be a great canvas for large scale video projection but otherwise pretty uninspired. 

[MLBrumby]

For all it's ineffectiveness and lateness to "the party", this is an example of something Historic Nashville could oppose and cause a stink about. This looks far worse than any building towering over Broadway. Not holding my breath. 

[Mr_Bond]

@titanhog, you are being honored here.  Your vision is coming to fruition!