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…does Mr G really intend to build a tower there, is  any new building there incorporating part of the TSU building, is there a deal behind closed doors , that Tony builds on that TSU site and multiple floors of that new tower house the TSU campus? Yes this is intriguing and very interesting, hopefully we hear some more news on this soon. 

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1 hour ago, PillowTalk4 said:

NYC has built towers on smaller lots.  So, it is possible to say the least.  Minus those of us on this site, is Nashville ready for a tall skinny?  Will another tower blocking the view of the Capitol become an obstacle?  Will TSU argue that views from the windows on the north side of its building will be blocked and hire the City Lights lawyers?  Will the State of TN be angered by a tall building competing with the Snodgrass Tennessee Tower that is so iconic?  Will some organization somehow claim the existing building has some historical value because of it's modernistic design?  Will Nashvillians oppose a tall skinny building out of fear it will topple over as they are driving down MLK Jr. Blvd?  Will Tony oppose his own idea to build a tall skinny because it would block scenic views of the rolling hills to the north that will be seen from his proposed 60 story tower on Church St.?   

So many questions.  So few answers... :dontknow: ;)

Don't get me wrong here as I am not criticizing you but the questions here and just bringing some common sense to the conversation.

 

I would answer no to all of the questions. Metro has zoning rights in Metro and not the State. Besides, the State has stuck it to Metro so many times and this is a minor issue as this is on the south side of Charlotte or MLK. All of the restrictive zoning is on the north side of Charlotte and in some cases the north side of James Robertson. Sorry I am old school, as I do not recognize any of the name changes downtown whatever they are as they are confusing and if a street name is changed it should not be downtown as is causes confusion to visitors as some call it one thing and others call it something else. Example some call it 8th and others call it Rosa and others call it Rosa Parks, some call it 5th, and few call it Rep. John Lewis Way, & now they have changes 2nd S to Ronald Reagan Way...Give me a break...No one even knew. They are going to name another street to Lamar Alexander Street, and I do not even know which one that is. All of these people are great people, but build a statue, name a bridge or a new road.

I doubt the folks at the State would be angered that the Snodgrass tower is going to be outshined as it already will be with Alcove, Prime, 1010,: not to mention Pinnacle and Amazon 3. The only thing that makes it somewhat special is the height. The block is a huge waste of space with a lot of concrete open space that would never be allowed today. That was the 70's and I am sure the ST has its fans; I am not really one of them. I am not a fan of the international style of architecture.

TSU should not really care about their views as they are an academic institution, and they really do not need windows in the first place as a matter of property value.

I think Nashvillians are smarter than that as to think a building would topple over. If they were scared of that then they would be more scared of the James K Polk building, because of the way it cantilevers over the rest of the building

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4 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

Don't get me wrong here as I am not criticizing you but the questions here and just bringing some common sense to the conversation.

 

I would answer no to all of the questions. Metro has zoning rights in Metro and not the State. Besides, the State has stuck it to Metro so many times and this is a minor issue as this is on the south side of Charlotte or MLK. All of the restrictive zoning is on the north side of Charlotte and in some cases the north side of James Robertson. Sorry I am old school, as I do not recognize any of the name changes downtown whatever they are as they are confusing and if a street name is changed it should not be downtown as is causes confusion to visitors as some call it one thing and others call it something else. Example some call it 8th and others call it Rosa and others call it Rosa Parks, some call it 5th, and few call it Rep. John Lewis Way, & now they have changes 2nd S to Ronald Reagan Way...Give me a break...No one even knew. They are going to name another street to Lamar Alexander Street, and I do not even know which one that is. All of these people are great people, but build a statue, name a bridge or a new road.

I doubt the folks at the State would be angered that the Snodgrass tower is going to be outshined as it already will be with Alcove, Prime, 1010,: not to mention Pinnacle and Amazon 3. The only thing that makes it somewhat special is the height. The block is a huge waste of space with a lot of concrete open space that would never be allowed today. That was the 70's and I am sure the ST has its fans; I am not really one of them. I am not a fan of the international style of architecture.

TSU should not really care about their views as they are an academic institution, and they really do not need windows in the first place as a matter of property value.

I think Nashvillians are smarter than that as to think a building would topple over. If they were scared of that then they would be more scared of the James K Polk building, because of the way it cantilevers over the rest of the building

Good points.  But I was really being more sarcastic than anything else...   Sorry if my post came across as being serious.  Although, there were people concerned about the James K. Polk building toppling over.... (no joke).  People didn't understand the engineering that went into ensuring that wouldn't happen.

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Smeags, it’s ok. These days it’s easy to piss people off , just my looking at them. I guess I’m old school also, because I feel the same way about the street renaming. Totally great people, but as you said, put their names on something new. And Snodgrass isn’t the most exciting building around, and it definitely needs some neighbors! 

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The Snodgrass was fine when it was built in the 70's, but the concrete plaza wouldn't be allowed today and I wish the state would do an overhaul on it to at least bring it into the 21st century, but the State is still in the 19th century in some respects and has not even made it into the 20th century.

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8 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

Ah, I never know on this board when folks are being serious or not:tw_tounge_wink:

 

I probably just pissed a bunch of folks off about what I really think of the street name changes and what I really think of the Snodgrass tower!

I thought the City Lights lawyer thing might have tipped you off... LOL!!!

I understand with the street name changes.  Being that I've not lived in Nashville for almost 22 years, I'm used to all of the old street names.  I actually didn't know until this topic that Charlotte Pike is now MLK, Jr. Blvd.  Hell, it was bad enough when people consistently referred to it as Charlotte Ave instead of Pike.  And, we all referred to that main thoroughfare in East Nashville as Gallatin Road when it was actually Gallatin Pike.  I never remember seeing Gallatin Ave. as identified on Google Maps from Main Street to Cahal Ave.  And, Clarksville Pike is generally referred to as Clarksville Hwy.  No point in talking about pronunciations of certain street either...  LOL!!!

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2 minutes ago, nashville born said:

Shucks, given that it's an entire block with that crazy sized plaza, that's probably why it hasn't gotten any.  It didn't want one so it took up all the space! lol

In the 80's there were alleged plans to build a twin to that building.  That was supposed to have been part of the reason the building next to it was torn down.  Those plans were scrapped and the parking garage was built.

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29 minutes ago, PillowTalk4 said:

In the 80's there were alleged plans to build a twin to that building.  That was supposed to have been part of the reason the building next to it was torn down.  Those plans were scrapped and the parking garage was built.

Thanks, didn't know that.  Is the parking garage still there?  Looking on Google maps.

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3 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

The Snodgrass was fine when it was built in the 70's, but the concrete plaza wouldn't be allowed today and I wish the state would do an overhaul on it to at least bring it into the 21st century, but the State is still in the 19th century in some respects and has not even made it into the 20th century.

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill did the design for this when it was the National Life building. Personally I prefer its twin tower down in New Orleans, the Shell Tower or as it is known now, the Hancock Whitney Tower-also designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill though taller but without an HVAC  extension on top like the Tennessee Tower which I think makes the design a bit less dramatic and sleek.

If I were the State Government I would do with the Tennessee Tower as they are doing with the Polk Bldg., looking for a private buyer to take over and renovate the tower and return it to the private sector. Then use the proceeds from both sales to build more office space for the State on Deaderick Street and James Robertson Parkway.

Edited by bnacincy
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2 hours ago, nashville born said:

Thanks, didn't know that.  Is the parking garage still there?  Looking on Google maps.

Let me clarify... it's technically not a garage... it's a below grade parking lot that is enclosed on each side, and they also did a courtyard type of space with trees and other plantings.  There was a little outrage over the original building in that space being torn down and nothing of significance being built in its place.

32 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

Back to the topic in hand and that is 901 MLK of which there is no news right now.

Sorry, I just wanted to respond to the question about the parking at Snodgrass....  please forgive me for going off topic.  :tw_innocent:

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We've been saying that with Alcove and Prime and the Amazon two, Snodgrass at long last is getting neighbors.   It just dawned on me, with this tower, there will actually be a neighbor directly across the street (well, technically two streets, but you get the idea)!!  Snodgrass's run of standing alone is finally coming to an end.

Edited by nashville born
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Thanks Bos2Nash for  this information and perspective. Knowing how Tony G likes to think outside the norms , I’m holding out hope this will be a stunning design. I think he will come back over 50 stories, in a “pencil” sorta design cue. He might even push the over 700 feet spectrum. At least, that’s my hope . 

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16 minutes ago, PillowTalk4 said:

Bos2Nash, I was really trying to understand why windows could only be on two sides of a proposed building for this site because I've seen the Steinway Tower in NYC which is the tallest skinny building in the world and I remember seeing windows on each side and the lot it sits on is about 60 feet wide.  But, I found diagrams below and after reading about the building materials used, it helped me understand that some glass is incorporated into the cladding  on the east and west sides of the building but actual window space is very limited.  I wish Embassy Suites had done the same on the Broadway side of their building.  

Thanks for your insight!

 

I imagine a primary difference causing these projects to be handled differently is the height of each.  Steinway, with it's height, can reasonably expect to not be blocked and stand out for quite awhile, so the design team took extra steps to ensure it's aesthetics.  ES, with it's substantially less height figured it would be hidden on that side in fairly short order and determined the added expense wasn't needed.  Just my thoughts; I have no facts or knowledge.

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