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

[jjbradleyBrooklyn]

4 minutes ago, Licec said:

I agree for the most part. I think this building should be redesigned completely. I'm also very disappointed with SoBro as a whole. Nothing there is actually appealing. The art work called Stix isn't. The towers currently there aren't. Circle South, the Ritz buildings, The One Hotel and the Embassy Suites are just glass boxes. The roundabout itself is a confusing mess traffic wise. And the convention center that spurred all of the mediocrity there is very underwhelming both internally and externally.

I do agree that the Stix artwork is head-scratching. I'm sure there's a great story behind its significance. I just think aesthetically, it does not look as good as so many other public art displays could look.

But I think the further and further Nashville gets into this skyscraper and development boom, that this area will get some nice designs.

This area is really primed for some solid architectural designs.

Edited March 22 by jjbradleyBrooklyn

[Baronakim]

42 minutes ago, Licec said:

I agree for the most part. The exception being is that I think this building should be redesigned completely. I'm also very disappointed with SoBro as a whole. Nothing there is actually appealing. The art work called Stix isn't. The towers currently there aren't. Circle South, the Ritz buildings, The One Hotel and the Embassy Suites are just glass boxes. The roundabout itself is a confusing mess traffic wise. And the Music City Center which spurred all of the mediocrity there is very underwhelming both internally and externally.

How much do you get paid to be an architectural critic?  If you expect the Sidney Opera House, the Pickle or the Shard, you are SOL bro.   When you come up with a way to make cut stone or brick as economical and insulative  as glass curtainwall, I am sure you will be the most successful architect since Frank Lloyd Wrong.

 

[Licec]

1 hour ago, Baronakim said:

How much do you get paid to be an architectural critic?  If you expect the Sidney Opera House, the Pickle or the Shard, you are SOL bro.   When you come up with a way to make cut stone or brick as economical and insulative  as glass curtainwall, I am sure you will be the most successful architect since Frank Lloyd Wrong.

 

 

The development companies are worth hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars. They can afford to develop stunning, iconic buildings that have flair. But they choose to be cheap and not do it.

Edited March 22 by Licec

[Pdt2f]

7 hours ago, jjbradleyBrooklyn said:

I do agree that the Stix artwork is head-scratching. I'm sure there's a great story behind its significance. I just think aesthetically, it does not look as good as so many other public art displays could look.

But I think the further and further Nashville gets into this skyscraper and development boom, that this area will get some nice designs.

This area is really primed for some solid architectural designs.

There’s not really much significance behind like any modern public art. I just don’t think modern society has enough to say to make good public art. I scroll through the public art thread in this forum pretty much every day and for the few pieces that aren’t idiotic and pretentious my reaction is mostly “huh, could be worse” or “eh, kind of clever.” In the past there was usually some sort of guiding ethos behind cultures that was glorified and beautified through art, but a culture where the average person spends 15 hours a day staring at some sort of screen just doesn’t have the cultural lead in its pencil for it. You could make the case that much of the beautiful art is on those screens, but that doesn’t really beautify public places for future generations like past examples. 
 

6 hours ago, Baronakim said:

How much do you get paid to be an architectural critic?  If you expect the Sidney Opera House, the Pickle or the Shard, you are SOL bro.   When you come up with a way to make cut stone or brick as economical and insulative  as glass curtainwall, I am sure you will be the most successful architect since Frank Lloyd Wrong.

 

lol not to make my whole post a Debbie downer but it’s interesting how differing perspectives can be. I dislike all three of your examples of desirable architecture, especially the London examples. The Shard is too inhuman to me for a city like London, and the Pickle (or Gherkin) is basically a 600 foot pecker. The Sydney opera house is probably better than the other two, but it’s no Bolshoi. 

[Baronakim]

51 minutes ago, Pdt2f said:

lol not to make my whole post a Debbie downer but it’s interesting how differing perspectives can be. I dislike all three of your examples of desirable architecture, especially the London examples. The Shard is too inhuman to me for a city like London, and the Pickle (or Gherkin) is basically a 600 foot pecker. The Sydney opera house is probably better than the other two, but it’s no Bolshoi. 

Well, as i am an architect, I am curious to what you (and Licec too)  would consider examples of what y'all consider more desirable.  I personally prefer the Chrysler Building, the TWA terminal bySaarinnien and Familia Sagrada but IMO genius seldom emerges but once or twice only in a generation.

 

[Pdt2f]

15 minutes ago, Baronakim said:

Well, as i am an architect, I am curious to what you (and Licec too)  would consider examples of what y'all consider more desirable.  I personally prefer the Chrysler Building, the TWA terminal bySaarinnien and Familia Sagrada but IMO genius seldom emerges but once or twice only in a generation.

 

I love the Chrysler building, it’s my favorite tower. I also love the Tower Life building in San Antonio. Almost every tower in Philadelphia is fantastic.  I personally don’t think that SoBro is as bad as Licec says, though. I mean, it’s a little utilitarian but better that than the parking lots, shady muffler shops and titty bars that were there before. 

[titanhog]

5 hours ago, Pdt2f said:

I love the Chrysler building, it’s my favorite tower. I also love the Tower Life building in San Antonio. Almost every tower in Philadelphia is fantastic.  I personally don’t think that SoBro is as bad as Licec says, though. I mean, it’s a little utilitarian but better that than the parking lots, shady muffler shops and titty bars that were there before. 

I would imagine the Chrysler building is near the top of most anyone with a sense of style…especially classic elegance.  But honestly…I love a little of all of it, except “brutal” architecture.  I would take the Chrysler, The Shard, Sydney Opera House, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Fallingwater, Taj Mahal, Burj Khalifa, Hungarian Parliament Building, Palace of Versailles, St. Peter’s Basilica, Big Ben, Freedom Tower, Scheimerhorn Symphony Center, Ryman Auditorium and the Tennessee State Capitol…and line them up all on the same street…and it would be badass! 

[Luvemtall]

11 hours ago, Pdt2f said:

I personally don’t think that SoBro is as bad as Licec says, though

I really believe Licec was being the sarcastic individual as always. 

[LOOOP-Y]

23 hours ago, Baronakim said:

How much do you get paid to be an architectural critic?  If you expect the Sidney Opera House, the Pickle or the Shard, you are SOL bro.   When you come up with a way to make cut stone or brick as economical and insulative  as glass curtainwall, I am sure you will be the most successful architect since Frank Lloyd Wrong.

 

I have friends from Tampa, Jacksonville, Austin, Charlotte who have all commented on how unremarkable and architecturally displeasing our current skyline is despite the surge of infill and vertical build. I believe what Licec may be pointing to is a complete lack of a 'signature' tower to not only add height, but also character to the plethora of cracker box shapes. The 505 is the arguably the pinnacle of our current skyline. Other than height, let's be honest, it's simply not the most visually appealing structure.  Don't get me wrong, infill is great, but I feel all of us who are experiencing Nashville's boom  are aching for that bold, unique design element our current skyline is begging for. 

[nashville born]

17 minutes ago, BNXS said:

I have friends from Tampa, Jacksonville, Austin, Charlotte who have all commented on how unremarkable and architecturally displeasing our current skyline is despite the surge of infill and vertical build. I believe what Licec may be pointing to is a complete lack of a 'signature' tower to not only add height, but also character to the plethora of cracker box shapes. The 505 is the arguably the pinnacle of our current skyline. Other than height, let's be honest, it's simply not the most visually appealing structure.  Don't get me wrong, infill is great, but I feel all of us who are experiencing Nashville's boom  are aching for that bold, unique design element our current skyline is begging for. 

This is a point I've been bemoaning on several strings.  Nowhere near hoping every new project is stylish and/or unique.  Just would like to see a few mixed in here and there to "lift" the profile of the skyline.

[subkyle]

4 hours ago, BNXS said:

I have friends from Tampa, Jacksonville, Austin, Charlotte who have all commented on how unremarkable and architecturally displeasing our current skyline is despite the surge of infill and vertical build. I believe what Licec may be pointing to is a complete lack of a 'signature' tower to not only add height, but also character to the plethora of cracker box shapes. The 505 is the arguably the pinnacle of our current skyline. Other than height, let's be honest, it's simply not the most visually appealing structure.  Don't get me wrong, infill is great, but I feel all of us who are experiencing Nashville's boom  are aching for that bold, unique design element our current skyline is begging for. 

I totally agree with everything you’re saying but Jacksonville and Tampa I think have awful skylines. Just my opinion 

[MLBrumby]

Agreed. I think I'd start a flame war if I made my comments on all the cities those "friends" are from.  Of the four, I'd say Austin has the most interesting (and promising) skyline, but it's a bit too one-dimensional ("residential" in Austin's case)  to be engaging. What do I mean by that?  Well, I like a mix of residential and office/mixed use, such as Philadelphia and Chicago (not to mention the big dog NYC and the dense cities SF and Boston). I think it's just something that comes with a critical mass and over a span of time. With a lot of the sunbelt cities, I'm not sure they'll ever reach that. I mean Houston is about as bland and unremarkable as any second tier city. Yes, it has density and the flat terrain around it makes it stand tall, but it's really too much glass (think "individual windows" versus a sheet of glass).  I think that's what the sunbelt cities (including Nashville) have against it.  I think that's why I personally like the looks of a lower rise city with a lot of density and variety than the glass/steel supertalls with less density around them (think Cincinnati as a good example of a midsize city skyline). OK... rant over! 

Edited March 23 by MLBrumby

[rolly]

Nashville is definitely overdone with flatop towers.  Hey, we love the quantity but could use more quality.

Hopefully development along the river will bring some game changers. 

The area around Vandy and Belmont could get creative.

Already Nashville Yards has some cool styles on the way (Amazon 3 / Pinnacle).  

And from the Gulch to the Convention Center we may get some signature towers that will try to stand out. 

 

[Armacing]

Personally, I would be satisfied if our skyline ends up looking like Calgary.  There's not really a major tower that defines that skyline, but the sheer mass of buildings causes people who see it to say "Wow, I guess there is a lot of business going on here!"  If we could have an unbroken chain of high-rises stretching from the riverfront to Vandy, I would consider that an absolute win even if we never get a supertall.

[jjbradleyBrooklyn]

12 minutes ago, Armacing said:

Personally, I would be satisfied if our skyline ends up looking like Calgary.  There's not really a major tower that defines that skyline, but the sheer mass of buildings causes people who see it to say "Wow, I guess there is a lot of business going on here!"  If we could have an unbroken chain of high-rises stretching from the riverfront to Vandy, I would consider that an absolute win even if we never get a supertall.

Yeah, good point. I just looked Calgary's skyline up, and was seeing how many skyscrapers they have now. Looks like roughly 40 over 400 feet, and another roughly 20-25 over 300 feet. So approximately 60-65 total over 300 feet currently. With several proposed and approved for construction.

Also, they have several skyscrapers with very good heights: 8 total between 600 and 810 feet. 

That's a very strong skyline. It reminds me a bit of Minneapolis' skyline, too.

I think Nashville will wind up having roughly 60-70 skyscrapers over 300 feet high, once the initial "boom phase" is done, in about 8-10 years. Then, each year, economy dependent, there will be another handful under construction or proposed, as demand allows. 

[natethegreat]

You guys have to remember that it wasn’t too long ago that Nashville’s peer cities were the tier of Memphis, Birmingham, Louisiville, etc. Only recently has Nashville been able to compete with Charlotte, Austin, Tampa, etc. It’s like going from Double A to Triple A - it’s going to take a bit to adjust.

That being said, Nashville metro grew faster than all of those peers (except Austin) in the latest census. Nashville also has a key advantage over a number of peer cities (Charlotte, Atlanta) in that it has a real leisure tourism industry. This leads to more hotel / restaurant development. I think Nashville already punches above its weight in the culinary department, and is now adding a bunch of high tier restaurants.

Nashville’s relative disadvantage is that it wasn’t booming in the 1970s-1990s, when many office towers were built. In the WFH era, it’s hard to envision as many pure office towers will be built.

In short, Nashville has an advantage going forward, but a disadvantage looking backward. The current skyline is a backward looking reflection, which is why Nashville many not currently be as imposing as its (newfound) peers.

[bnacincy]

6 hours ago, BNXS said:

I have friends from Tampa, Jacksonville, Austin, Charlotte who have all commented on how unremarkable and architecturally displeasing our current skyline is despite the surge of infill and vertical build. I believe what Licec may be pointing to is a complete lack of a 'signature' tower to not only add height, but also character to the plethora of cracker box shapes. The 505 is the arguably the pinnacle of our current skyline. Other than height, let's be honest, it's simply not the most visually appealing structure.  Don't get me wrong, infill is great, but I feel all of us who are experiencing Nashville's boom  are aching for that bold, unique design element our current skyline is begging for. 

Signature Tower would help.

[nashmoney]

1 hour ago, subkyle said:

I totally agree with everything you’re saying but Jacksonville and Tampa I think have awful skylines. Just my opinion 

I just moved to Tampa last week from Charleston. Originally from Nashville. 

Talk about being a skyscraper enthusiast in Charleston....lol. I loved the city, food, people, weather. But hey Charleston is Charleston. Great city! 

I have noticed Tampa reminds me a lot like Nashville 10 years ago. Ybor city is like Broadway, channelside/water street is like the gulch. Lots of apartments going up. Lots of potential. 

Tampa's skyline does look pretty good at night. Several buildings have cool light schemes. Plus they do have a building with an actual crown... The truist building.

One thing I do like is their version of cool springs is called westshore and it's only 15 mins from downtown. So you pretty much have the suburban offices and downtown all in the same vicinity. Makes the city look a lot bigger. 

Once I get settled I'll try to get some pictures. 

[Licec]

I agree with the prevailing sentiment here. Nashville is behind, if not far behind.

[Luvemtall]

Is the news about this project still forthcoming? I know sometimes, the development team ask that certain information get held back. 

[nashville born]

14 hours ago, Armacing said:

Personally, I would be satisfied if our skyline ends up looking like Calgary.  There's not really a major tower that defines that skyline, but the sheer mass of buildings causes people who see it to say "Wow, I guess there is a lot of business going on here!"  If we could have an unbroken chain of high-rises stretching from the riverfront to Vandy, I would consider that an absolute win even if we never get a supertall.

The Calgary skyline is awesome and if we ever get even in that neighborhood, I'll be grinning from ear-to-ear.   As JJBB pointed out, mixed throughout their skyline are several towers ranging from 600-800ft.  That's where we're lacking.  We have literally ONE tower over 600ft...and that's just barely over 600.  If the majority of the proposed/planned projects come to fruition, we'll definitely have the sheer volume for density and spread we all desire.  IMO, we need to add the sporadic height to pull off the visual variety that a truly impressive skyline (a la Calgary) offers.  This is why earlier in this thread I stated I hope 800 Lea doesn't change.  At 600', it would do wonders for the overall look of the skyline.  Both it and the YMCA tower are two musts in my mind.  Most of us, myself included, often get wrapped up in the look and feel of a singular tower, yet even more important to me is the overall look of the skyline.  One tower, no matter how atrocious, can be obscured or even consumed by subsequent towers, either via angles or greater height.  Yet it's the aggregate skyline that tends to be the city's signature.  Again, it's merely one person's opinion.  I think we need a few 600-750's to really flex into what's becoming a most impressive skyline.

Edited March 24 by nashville born

[BnaBreaker]

Yeah, pretty laughable that anyone from Tampa, Jacksonville, or any Florida city outside of Miami would have that reaction about the Nashville skyline.  

[Logan McCoy]

I wonder if this has anything to do with it??? HMM. It was sold to Lincoln Property Company though. 

Edited March 24 by Logan McCoy

[downtownresident]

8 minutes ago, Logan McCoy said:

I wonder if this has anything to do with it??? HMM. It was sold to Lincoln Property Company though. 

That explains the Lea Ave corporate filing I found tied back to Lincoln Property Co earlier this week. 
 

Edit: This lot is to the west of   the 800 Lea site. It had core drilling and surveys done a month or two ago. 

Edited March 24 by downtownresident

[Luvemtall]

This is going to get interesting , Lincoln & Tony G both major players in the game. Let’s see what transpires!!