800 Lea , 45 stories, 610', 120 (?) condos, 60 capacity underground garage)

[andywildman]

1 hour ago, smeagolsfree said:

Three units per floor which leads me to believe that there will be views out to the east and west. These will be high end high prices units and folks will want views to match to both sides. Forget the bland look to the west idea.

Gotta be something else in the works in that adjacent parcel.

Westward views would require massive rework of the gnarly monolith west elevation Mark mentioned (5 narrow windows visible in Unit 3 and hallway below).

Is it normal to have that significant iteration in exterior form from initial MDHA Design Review?

 

[Sean blackdog]

Nashville Post. 
 

The SoBro Roundabout is slated for a dramatically curving residential skyscraper, with Nashville-based development company Giarratana proposing the 45-story building seemingly to offer a limited number of very large units.

The eye-catching structure would be bathed in aluminum and glass and sit on an unusually shaped lot at 800 Lea Ave., near the Music City Center and other existing towers and planned high-rises. As designed, the building will rise 610 feet, making it the tallest occupiable structure in Tennessee were it standing today and eclipsing Giarratana’s 505, which rises 535 feet at Fifth Avenue North and Church Street. 

Led by founder Tony Giarratana, Giarratana (the company) has submitted its plans to the Metro Development and Housing Agency. The document notes Chicago-based Goettsch Partners is the architect, with Barge Design Solutions of Nashville handling land planning and engineering work. 

The document does not note the number of residences and if the building will offer for-rent or for-purchase units (or both). However, the document lists a "typical residential level" of the future building offering a mere three units — 2,168 square feet, 2,804 square feet and 3,354 square feet — suggesting luxury for-sale product.

Of note, Goettsch has designed Giarratana’s Alcove and Prime towers on Church Street and for which work is underway (read here).

Giarratana and its team will go before the MDHA Design Review Committee on Tuesday to seek approval for the exterior form and function of the building, a name for which is not listed in the document submitted to MDHA. If approved, the tower would rise across the roundabout from a planned Ritz-Carlton hotel project and a leaning office tower.

The site sits within MDHA’s Arts Center redevelopment district and, as such, design approval is needed. The 0.39-acre property is located in Metro Councilmember Freddie O’Connell’s District 19.

Roundabout Parking Partners LLC, which is affiliated with Giarratana, paid $1.85 million for the property in September 2015, according to Metro records.

Giarratana could not be reached for comment Friday about his latest plan.

[smeagolsfree]

18 minutes ago, andywildman said:

Gotta be something else in the works in that adjacent parcel.

Westward views would require massive rework of the gnarly monolith west elevation Mark mentioned (5 narrow windows visible in Unit 3 and hallway below).

Is it normal to have that significant iteration in exterior form from initial MDHA Design Review?

 

Will get the story from the man himself.

[smeagolsfree]

Not a blank wall. Details to come!

[MLBrumby]

53 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

Not a blank wall. Details to come!

Maybe a giant version of this?!?!? It's looking for a home. 

[downtownresident]

Don’t you wish that evil on us, lol. 

[LA_TN]

Please not the Texas cowboy peeing on the Smoky Mountains again 

[smeagolsfree]

New images.

 

[NashRugger]

And there it is, the disgusting western facade. 

[henburg]

Jeez, the two sides look like completely different buildings.  I still like the curve and the size is a big plus too, but it's definitely weird. 

[MLBrumby]

Sort of a mullet of buildings, except this one is party in the front and business in the back. So who would be willing to give up some height here if TG could secure the site behind it and expand the footprint? 

[markhollin]

Yep...just as I feared: fairly brutalist.  Let's just hope it is at least metallic siding on not all concrete. 

[nashvylle]

am I the only one that likes the western side more than the curved side? yes? ok I'll go back to hiding. 

[donNdonelson2]

Making my best effort at a positive spin on the design...it’s definitely NOT a boring blue glass box of a building.

[smeagolsfree]

We are also looking at a 2026 completion too. So don’t hold your breath for this being finished on a fast timeline. Tony  never could get first refusal on the property behind the lot, so that hideous structure will remain a halfway house.

[Flatrock]

8 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

am I the only one that likes the western side more than the curved side? yes? ok I'll go back to hiding. 

LOL. I like the curved side a bit more, but I definitely don't hate the western elevation.

[henburg]

6 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

We are also looking at a 2026 completion too. So don’t hold your breath for this being finished on a fast timeline. Tony  never could get first refusal on the property behind the lot, so that hideous structure will remain a halfway house.

That's an interesting timeline, appreciate the insight. Based on his past projects too, it's also pretty possible that this is only the first of many different design iterations for this project.

[nashville born]

13 minutes ago, Flatrock said:

LOL. I like the curved side a bit more, but I definitely don't hate the western elevation.

Agreed!  I'm pretty pleased with the western elevation.  @MLBrumby no sir!  I need EVERY one of those 610'.

[Armacing]

22 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

Tony  never could get first refusal on the property behind the lot, so that hideous structure will remain a halfway house.

This is where I question the motives of the charity... They could have taken the money Tony offered and built a much better structure elsewhere to house a larger number of people, but they didn't.  Plus most of the land is parking lot that can't help anybody.  So what exactly are they trying to accomplish?

[MLBrumby]

1 hour ago, smeagolsfree said:

New images.

 

 

I assume this is a view from LaFayette and around 5th Avenue.

[NashRugger]

1 hour ago, smeagolsfree said:

We are also looking at a 2026 completion too. So don’t hold your breath for this being finished on a fast timeline. Tony  never could get first refusal on the property behind the lot, so that hideous structure will remain a halfway house.

The city could likely force their hand if they need to at some point. The taxable value of that property is much higher than current use and will only increase. Plus, if they are able to trace criminal activity to users of that halfway house, such as the fatal stabbing last week, that would work towards the city's favor in kicking them out.

Edited April 20, 2021 by NashRugger

[Nash_12South]

I don't pretend to know how this building will get built, but the massive concrete western façade may be structural in nature. It is a very thin building and I don't think a steel frame alone would suffice. 

[MLBrumby]

That western facade could be a lot worse in both material and design. The segmented angles give it some visual character, and IMHO the separate windows will look much better than if there's no space/spandrels between them. I don't see how they can get away without putting the huge elvator shaft where it is because the site is so thin.  I think the angle from 8th Avenue looking northward will be very dramatic, especially with the height being nearly twice that of the Westin with the added benefit of blocking the woefully tacky Westin from a couple angles. 

[markhollin]

MDHA has approved the concept design. Also, Tony says that because parking is not required by downtown code zoning, he is only offering the minimal 60 or so spaces underground.  They will be seeking the bonus height to 610' via LEED Platinum Certification and blow-grade parking. 

"Importantly, our roundabout tower meets all MDHA, DTC, Public Works and Planning rules," Giarratana said, adding that 800 Lea (a working name) is one of two major mixed-use towers the company is actively pursuing (he declined to offer specifics regarding the other future high-rise).   "We want to build more condos," Giarratana said.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/mdha-oks-giarratana-sobro-tower-plan/article_781d11da-a1ea-11eb-9c27-4b6b1be2b3bc.html

Also:

Towers like this one need at least 18 months for design and another three years to build, Giarratana said in a statement to Nashville Business Journal.

He said Nashville’s booming condo demand, as well as an influx of completed and proposed developments at the roundabout, motivated him to jumpstart the project now.

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2021/04/20/giarratana-releases-additional-sobro-tower-details.html

[UrbanWes03]

Assuming this actually happens, if the property behind this gets sold after this is under construction/built, would it be allowed to be developed with a high-rise considering there are actually windows on the western facade? I don’t really know how all of that works and I am very curious because if it’s not allowed that seems like an enormously missed opportunity.