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Rebuilding Second Avenue


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A member of our forum, Ashlea Segroves Bergeron, gets some love in this feature about business owners around 2nd Ave. after the bombing. She lives/works 1.5 blocks from where the blast occurred:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2020/12/30/nashville-bombing-business-owners-get-first-look-damage/4075885001/


Also: nationwide debate emerges on how to secure communication networks in wake of Nashville bombing:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2021/01/01/nashville-bombing-debate-emerges-how-secure-communication-networks/4085784001/?for-guid=1eea646d-632b-4c47-87eb-062bb676cd8f&utm_source=tennessean-Daily Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing&utm_term=hero

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Looks like the bomber was a real crackpot who believed the moon landing and 9-11 were hoaxes, and the earth is controlled by lizard people.  The manifesto he mailed out to acquaintances just prior to the bombing haven't even mentioned AT&T or technology.

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/nashville-bombers-bizarre-writings-reveal-belief-in-aliens-and-lizard-people

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1 hour ago, jmtunafish said:

Looks like the bomber was a real crackpot who believed the moon landing and 9-11 were hoaxes, and the earth is controlled by lizard people.  The manifesto he mailed out to acquaintances just prior to the bombing haven't even mentioned AT&T or technology.

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/nashville-bombers-bizarre-writings-reveal-belief-in-aliens-and-lizard-people

That was a very strange but interesting article.  I appreciate the response by Channel 5 that their intent is to shed some light on the bombing without giving him too much notoriety.  I was working in Littleton, CO when the Columbine shooting happened and I feel very strongly that the intense media coverage of that event turned those two shooters into heroic figures in the minds of countless disturbed people all over the world who yearned for that kind of attention and it resulted in a string of copycat school shootings that went on for many years.  The same thing could happen in this case with the media and the internet perpetuating crazy conspiracies while countless lost and disturbed people like this bomber are looking for a way to go out in a blaze of glory.  We really don't want to give this guy too much attention! 

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47 minutes ago, FromParkAveToTN said:

I could care less about Nashville's brand. I'm trying to put my money into my retirement,  not 2nd Ave, the Gulch,  etc. Those areas are not even for a certain demographic in the city, but that seems to be where our tax dollars are focused.  Shameful!!!

Man, I guess you just don’t get it. Nashville’s brand , is the driving force for all the growth in the entire middle Tennessee region. It’s what makes it so special. Maybe you should move, I hear Alaska is quite cold . You should be good there.

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34 minutes ago, FromParkAveToTN said:

I could care less about Nashville's brand. I'm trying to put my money into my retirement,  not 2nd Ave, the Gulch,  etc. Those areas are not even for a certain demographic in the city, but that seems to be where our tax dollars are focused.  Shameful!!!

I disagree, the historical areas of Nashville are irreplaceable and every effort should be made to maintain them.  You can't rebuild the past with new construction and leveling that stretch of 2nd Avenue would be insane.  Tourists spend a fortune here and those tax dollars help all of us.  They're drawn to this city because it's authentic and you can't recreate it like it's a theme park or something.  I completely support rebuilding every damaged structure and I would expect that some of those costs will come from insurance companies but we owe it to our community to make sure it happens.  It's an investment in our past and also in our future.

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6 hours ago, Luvemtall said:

Man, I guess you just don’t get it. Nashville’s brand , is the driving force for all the growth in the entire middle Tennessee region. It’s what makes it so special. Maybe you should move, I hear Alaska is quite cold . You should be good there.

I definitely get it. As someone who spent six years in school to get my degree in Architecture, I'm quite aware of what 2nd Ave is.  The problem I have is using tax dollars to rebuild it. The owners of those structures should rebuild especially during a time where our property taxes are up, the city is already broke, and we're in a global pandemic.  I'm sorry a lunatic destroyed 2nd Ave, but our tax dollars have higher priorities. Maybe if the city invested in mental healthcare centers for the community instead of focusing on the well-being of tourists,  then maybe we wouldn't be having this discussion. 

Edited by FromParkAveToTN
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There will be considerble tax dollars spent probably just to repair infrastructure alone. This is an example of where TIF can be used to the benefit of the owners that need to rebuild along with what ever relief that a federal disaster declaration would allow.

However, when it comes to the actual rebuild of the buildings, that is the job of the insurance companies and not the job of Metro. This is very valuable real estate and for Metro just to come in and say we are going to rebuild it for you would be wreckless.

If this had been a tornado that came through, it would be the job of the insurance companies, not Metro as this would bankrupt the city.

Since this has not been deemed a terrorist act by the FBI, then the insurance companies will probabaly have to pay. A disater declaration would allow for short term low interst loans for what insurance does not cover and it would also cover what Metro has to pay for clean up and fixing some of the infrastructure. 

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I seems I remember reading somewhere years ago that 2nd Ave / lower broad is one of the longest contiguous stretches of Victorian era buildings in the US.  I tried a few google searches but didn't drum up anything conclusive.  Does anyone know if this is true?

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I believe that used to be true, until one of the blocks burned in the mid-1980s, started by a vagrant but believed intentionally set at the behest of the owners who couldn't get financing to renovate the buildings. Then they demolished the charred remains and it's been a parking lot ever since. This happened before my Nashville days, but when I saw that parking lot I had to investigate what happened. 

I recall hearing something many years ago that the longest block of uninnterrupted intact Victorian (Italian revival?) buildings actually is in Louisville (or was at that time). Personally, I don't know anything about Louisville, but I'd expect the longest row of Victorian buildings in the USA to be in NYC, Philly or Boston. Just a guess. 

Edited by MLBrumby
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5 structures will most likely require full or partial demolition due to damages incurred in the bombing according to an city analysis by Logan Petri Engineering:

- An unnamed four-story building at 176 Second Ave. N.

- An unnamed four-story building at 174 Second Ave. N.

- An unnamed three-story building at 172 Second Ave. N.

- An unnamed three-story building at 170 Second Ave. N.

- The Rhea Building at 168 Second Ave. N.

The engineering company clarified that its conclusions were based on a “rapid visual assessment” and that a “detailed survey of each of the affected buildings is beyond the scope of this report.”

On Jan. 6, the Metro Codes Department sent a letter to property owners mandating that they contract a structural engineer to evaluate the buildings individually. The contractors must then provide the department a report by Jan. 18, the letter says. The report must detail the structure's condition and a "reasonable plan" for its "prompt stabilization."

Metro previously said it would expedite both rehabilitation and demolition permit issuances for the affected buildings.

More at NBJ here:
https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2021/01/08/2nd-ave-demo.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_34&cx_artPos=3#cxrecs_s

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Turner makes it sound like he was the only one on Second Avenue in 1992.  Hmmm... I recall going to Second Avenue many times when I was at Vandy, and I graduated that year.  Of course, there were fewer establishments at the time, but there was already a burgeoning scene. Sure, I suppose crime rose after midnight, after the crowds left, but I recall that San Antonio Taco Co. had recently opened a new restaurant next to Demos' a block away. There was a lot of renovation going on along the west side of the street at the time. IIRC, at that time it was more bustling than Broadway. It even had a 'new' name to convey an entertainment hub, Market Street. I believe it was later dubbed "The District".  I had even heard that the block that burned down in the mid-1980s was intentionally set because the investors decided they could make more money from parking. That's just a persistent rumor I heard in the late 80s. 

Edited by MLBrumby
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