Westin on Lower Broad

[tomcampion]

Isn't American Apparel supposed to open on Lower Broad next to Global Cafe? This means everyone can have a good time by enjoying a cover of "Family Tradition" at Tootsie's, some Confederate-themed garb at one of the souvenir shops, and a cotton t-shirt available in any color sold to you by a sexed-up hipster at American Apparel.

Man, I love this city.

[brownhound]

Improvements? Let's see: the Symphony Hall (let's not forget, however, that dreadful parking lot right in front of it), Shelby Street Bridge, and . . . ? Gee, the list is pretty short. LoBro's basically the same garish sleeze--minus the hookers and hooligans--that's been a-whoopin' and a-hollerin' for the past fifteen years!

Many buildings are vacant--the old furniture store, Seanachies, et al, and numerous storefronts between Kinko's and Robert's. Have you looked at the nastiness of the street scape on LoBro lately? (I walk it almost every day.)

Sure, Tootsie's, Robert's, and Ernest Tubb's are unique and welcome; but the tatoo parlors and junk huts are, what, charming local color? (And let's not forget about the Jesus-burger cafe!)

[ATLBrain]

Isn't the Jack Daniel's place going in one block away. Wasn't that the old feed store? Acme right?

[The Real]

Ha, Ha you go Dave...

Funny thing is that I am sitting here typing and listening to Jimmy Hendrix, I wish I was around to see him when he performed in Nashville. Was it on lower Broadway? or Printers Allley?

At the time Jimi was in Nashville, most of the R&B clubs were on Jefferson Street and, thus, he spent most of his time playing in that area. There is a lady named Marion James (that Jimi backed up during his Nashville stint) that still performs her blues around town. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend checking her out. Unassuming offstage, but incredibly powerful on, I love wondering how many people who stumble in off the streets to hear her perform know what they're witnessing. She truly is a living legend.

[Guest]

Thanks for the info, I will try to catch Marion's set.

[bnaflyer]

Call it what you like, but it's still junk--replete with toothless tourists. As much as I love the "idea" of Lower Broad, the reality of it makes me cringe. Call me a snob.

Call me a snob as well, but I'll take the current messy mix over some nondescript midrise hotel. This sounds like a really bad idea for height reasons and site placement alone. Lower Broad shouldn't be in the shadow of some anonymous hotel that will undoubtedly end up looking like it could be in Omaha or wherever. At least Lower Broad looks like Nashville. I don't think this project will ever be approved as proposed.

[satalac]

I've lived in Nashville for 15 years, and I see what I see: The area's a blight. Perhaps we don't need a Westin, but we need to do something to transform this junk heap into something spectacular.

i don't believe we should desensitize lower broadway to appease the rich and well to do. we can't just throw away the history of our city and lose our awesome identity. is there room for improvement? sure. but lets do it in a manor that doesn't destroy the face of nashville. we need the honkey tonks. we need the junk huts. we're nashville and damn proud of it. if not, there is always green hills.

[Richard Lawson]

Isn't the Jack Daniel's place going in one block away. Wasn't that the old feed store? Acme right?

Yes but it got hung up with politics on Capitol Hill.

http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2006/4/1...ck_named_thelma

Supposedly some sort of compromise was being worked out. I need to circle back around with Ken and the others involved on whether there has been any headway.

[LA_TN]

^ I was about to reply and say the JD Museum may be dead thanks to our wonderful rep Thelma Harper because she was not the 'queen' of the proposal...

[jice]

^ I was about to reply and say the JD Museum may be dead thanks to our wonderful rep Thelma Harper because she was not the 'queen' of the proposal...

How silly... Is it all about bragging rights or what?

[NewTowner]

I was about to reply and say the JD Museum may be dead thanks to our wonderful rep Thelma Harper because she was not the 'queen' of the proposal...

Maybe she needs a little Jack D's in her buttermilk. Guh-hyup!

[samsonh]

This board makes me laugh. We lament the spread of suburban sprawl and the negatives it brings. Then members of this declare the need for developers to put up "affordable" housing built of "quality" materials so we help them out by offering TIF. Then a developer proposes something and we decide that it does not fit in with the other buildings because it is too tall or looks too modern or some other complaint and we restrict the use of that land. Then a company decides to relocate to Cool Springs and we act outraged at their "shortsighted" decision. Perhaps some more incentives would show them how great downtown is. LOL. Surely I am not the only one that sees the irony.

[smeagolsfree]

An article from the Tennessean today. Many are concerned with what I have said about lower Broadway loosing the character it has. Mark my word, this project will not happen at this location. I am all for this project just not here. I am not going to respond tit for tat with a few on the board other than to say, the character of what is Nashville is at stake. I am not a fan of country music or the downtown nightlife, but I do realize this amounts to a lot of tourist dollars. If we start messing with what people come to see, then we could be cutting out own throats. I dont care for the "redneck country" atmosphere anymore than some of the others here, but I do know that is what got Nashville where it is now.

If the city allows one project to happen the it opens the door for others to come. If this were to be taking up the space that now has Legends, Tootsies, and Jacks, would you be for it. There are some buildings that are in disrepair on several blocks in the downtown area. Why dont we tear those down too? (sarcasm)

I stand where I may, not out of respect for the "redneck" atmosphere of Nashville, but out of respect for the City of Nashville.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS05/605240401

[Guest]

It seems many are staking position with limited information. Why not have reservations but wait for a rendering? Wait for a meeting? Wait to see what the heck they are even proposing? It may suck or it may be great. (It is too early to be too poetic )

This block (at least 2/3) is in awful shape. By this proposal we are at rick of losing surface parking, a non-descript masonry block building (Decades), a western wear store (one of many on Broadway) that has a barn facade, and an old wharehouse (maybe the best building in the bunch that sits off Broadway). This does not sound like it adds much to lower Broad. Comparing this block to the Tootsies block is night and day in my book.

I for one would love this project if it is sensitive to the district. It would bring more tourists, more tax dollars, better shops/restaurants, more business for great places like Big River, Past Perfect and Tootsies. Also this could spur some other boarded-up building with a little more value to populate. Also lets not forget that this is a redevelopment district so why put out the red carpet to developers and then turn a deaf ear before they even make the pitch.

[hayesmw]

The way I understand this project, the tower will be set 90' off of broadway. This project is about the same distance Commerce Center at 3rd and Commerce sits off of 2nd Avenue. That building is 173 feet tall and I can't say I've ever noticed it walking down 2nd Ave. At this time, I just don't see how the height of this building, at 220', setback at least 90', would have a negative impact on lower Broadway.

This is a really bad block which negatively impacts the health of Lo-Bro and the DISTRICT. At night, it's dark. People don't want to walk on the south side of the street from Big River up to Red Iguana or anything on the south side of the street. This would establish that connectivety and might even encourage the Red Iguana to be something else (keeping the building, changing the theme). Not only that, it would in effect draw people south on 2nd and 3rd into SoBro because the uses and facades would be inviting. This connection is critical. We want people to feel comfortable walking from Broadway to the south. As the buildings are now, that just will not happen.

I am told that the facade of the Trail West building would be preserved. I believe it's on the historic register. The Decades building is masonary block construction. It's not a pretty building. The sighting of the tower would also in effect preserve 3 more historic buildings. The Crab Shack building, the Pesca building and the Higgins law firm building on 3rd. The reason I say the other 3 buildings would be preserved is that the parcels would become too small to be redeveloped into a high rise, cannot be combined with parcels to the south because of the Shelby St Bridge, and the buildings have already been renovated, so from an economic standpoint, these buildings would not be viable to tear down for vertical construction. This proposal preserves at least 4 historic buildings. More importantly though, it gets rid of a surface parking lot and a masonary block building that does not fit at all within the character of lower Broadway, and provides an infusion of people into lower Broadway.

If the facade along Broadway is sensitive to the character of Broadway, which I have no doubt it will be if this is built, I think it could be a tremendous asset to downtown.

I'll wait to pass judgement until I see an oficial presentation, but I really believe if done correctly, this could be something that will really strengthen downtown.

We might see a presentation in a few weeks if the reports are correct.

Does anyone recall reading that the parent company of Trail West is in Bankruptcy? I seem to recall reading that a few months ago, but could not find anything this morning on the web.

[Richard Lawson]

An article from the Tennessean today. Many are concerned with what I have said about lower Broadway loosing the character it has. Mark my word, this project will not happen at this location. I am all for this project just not here. I am not going to respond tit for tat with a few on the board other than to say, the character of what is Nashville is at stake. I am not a fan of country music or the downtown nightlife, but I do realize this amounts to a lot of tourist dollars. If we start messing with what people come to see, then we could be cutting out own throats. I dont care for the "redneck country" atmosphere anymore than some of the others here, but I do know that is what got Nashville where it is now.

If the city allows one project to happen the it opens the door for others to come. If this were to be taking up the space that now has Legends, Tootsies, and Jacks, would you be for it. There are some buildings that are in disrepair on several blocks in the downtown area. Why dont we tear those down too? (sarcasm)

I stand where I may, not out of respect for the "redneck" atmosphere of Nashville, but out of respect for the City of Nashville.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS05/605240401

At this point the Ann Roberts is about the only voice of opposition. That's not to say others won't come. But in terms of the comment that this will allows to come, the others are already in the plans. The building would be about the same height as Encore and the Barry Cos. project on the other side of the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge apparently will shoot for 265 feet tall.

Somehow, I don't think anyone would get away with tearing down Tootsies etc. Remember what was at the corner of Fifth and Broad? The owners of those buildings had left them in disrepair for so long. It took a tornado to rid the eyesore. Rippy's isn't a bad replacement.

Some long-time owners have allowed their buildings to get in such poor shape that reviving them is financially prohibitive. The question then is what to do about those? Where do you draw balance?

If you can manage to achieve both in a development -- preserve facade and develop the tax base -- then why not do it?

I loved the TNSN story... Glad mine had a whole lot more.

[Guest]

Not suprisingly I agree with everything you posted.

[Richard Lawson]

The way I understand this project, the tower will be set 90' off of broadway. This project is about the same distance Commerce Center at 3rd and Commerce sits off of 2nd Avenue. That building is 173 feet tall and I can't say I've ever noticed it walking down 2nd Ave. At this time, I just don't see how the height of this building, at 220', setback at least 90', would have a negative impact on lower Broadway.

This is a really bad block which negatively impacts the health of Lo-Bro and the DISTRICT. At night, it's dark. People don't want to walk on the south side of the street from Big River up to Red Iguana or anything on the south side of the street. This would establish that connectivety and might even encourage the Red Iguana to be something else (keeping the building, changing the theme). Not only that, it would in effect draw people south on 2nd and 3rd into SoBro because the uses and facades would be inviting. This connection is critical. We want people to feel comfortable walking from Broadway to the south. As the buildings are now, that just will not happen.

I am told that the facade of the Trail West building would be preserved. I believe it's on the historic register. The Decades building is masonary block construction. It's not a pretty building. The sighting of the tower would also in effect preserve 3 more historic buildings. The Crab Shack building, the Pesca building and the Higgins law firm building on 3rd. The reason I say the other 3 buildings would be preserved is that the parcels would become too small to be redeveloped into a high rise, cannot be combined with parcels to the south because of the Shelby St Bridge, and the buildings have already been renovated, so from an economic standpoint, these buildings would not be viable to tear down for vertical construction. This proposal preserves at least 4 historic buildings. More importantly though, it gets rid of a surface parking lot and a masonary block building that does not fit at all within the character of lower Broadway, and provides an infusion of people into lower Broadway.

If the facade along Broadway is sensitive to the character of Broadway, which I have no doubt it will be if this is built, I think it could be a tremendous asset to downtown.

I'll wait to pass judgement until I see an oficial presentation, but I really believe if done correctly, this could be something that will really strengthen downtown.

We might see a presentation in a few weeks if the reports are correct.

Does anyone recall reading that the parent company of Trail West is in Bankruptcy? I seem to recall reading that a few months ago, but could not find anything this morning on the web.

Boot Country's parent is the one in bankruptcy. The store was supposed to have closed long ago. And I thought it had closed. Texas Boot's assets were purchased by McRae Industries and maybe the retail side was spared. I hadn't followed up on the deal since I wrote about the bankruptcy while at The Tennessean

[Richard Lawson]

This board makes me laugh. We lament the spread of suburban sprawl and the negatives it brings. Then members of this declare the need for developers to put up "affordable" housing built of "quality" materials so we help them out by offering TIF. Then a developer proposes something and we decide that it does not fit in with the other buildings because it is too tall or looks too modern or some other complaint and we restrict the use of that land. Then a company decides to relocate to Cool Springs and we act outraged at their "shortsighted" decision. Perhaps some more incentives would show them how great downtown is. LOL. Surely I am not the only one that sees the irony.

I join you in the I've heard folks say that they wished Healthways had stayed in Davidson County. Well, when Franklin opened the door with a $2 million property tax break to get CHS to move from Brentwood to Franklin, Healthways stepped up to the trough.

[jdavidf]

Ha, Ha you go Dave...

Funny thing is that I am sitting here typing and listening to Jimmy Hendrix, I wish I was around to see him when he performed in Nashville. Was it on lower Broadway? or Printers Allley?

Hendrix may have performed downtown, but I think you're probably thinking of Jefferson Street during its heyday -- Hendrix performed in the clubs there frequently.. May Jefferson Street rise again!

David

[smeagolsfree]

I had to drive and see the block in question. The buildings next to Trail West I have no problem taking down, But the Trail West Building is a great older building. The facade sucks. I tried to look on the Post article and I remember seeing something mentioned about the the building Joe's Crab Shack is in. I thought that was suppose to come down as well.

Don't get me wrong guys, I am all for downtown development. But if this goes through, then where is the line drawn. A dangerous president may be set.

I will reserve further negative comment till I see what is planned.

[Richard Lawson]

I had to drive and see the block in question. The buildings next to Trail West I have no problem taking down, But the Trail West Building is a great older building. The facade sucks. I tried to look on the Post article and I remember seeing something mentioned about the the building Joe's Crab Shack is in. I thought that was suppose to come down as well.

Don't get me wrong guys, I am all for downtown development. But if this goes through, then where is the line drawn. A dangerous president may be set.

I will reserve further negative comment till I see what is planned.

Joe's stays... The Trail West building I think is supposed to be spared, at least that's the attempt. It's ugly right now with all that metal crap on it.

[MidTenn1]

Hendrix may have performed downtown, but I think you're probably thinking of Jefferson Street during its heyday -- Hendrix performed in the clubs there frequently.. May Jefferson Street rise again!

David

I was once told he played at a club on Charlotte Pike near 12th or thereabouts.

[Guest]

You have every right to question the development, hell I may be right beside you in the end. On another note the Crab Shack building would stay along with some redone lowrise buildings on 3rd.

I had to drive and see the block in question. The buildings next to Trail West I have no problem taking down, But the Trail West Building is a great older building. The facade sucks. I tried to look on the Post article and I remember seeing something mentioned about the the building Joe's Crab Shack is in. I thought that was suppose to come down as well.

Don't get me wrong guys, I am all for downtown development. But if this goes through, then where is the line drawn. A dangerous president may be set.

I will reserve further negative comment till I see what is planned.

[CityHeart]

What ever happen to the Seanachies building being replaced by a Jazz Steak house Restraurant ?