Project Thread/New Construction/Photo du jour/Const. CAMs

[nashscan]

From din din last night at JW Marriott.  Glass must be double paned because I pressed my iPhone against the glass 

[Sean blackdog]

Today this evening. 

[markhollin]

TBT: Sudakem Building and Tennessee Theater (SE corner of 6th Ave. North and Church St.), 1952:
 

[MLBrumby]

The Tennessee Theater was a huge loss to the city. Mr. Giarratana could have built his very plain, condo box anywhere but chose that spot. Terrible shame. 

[Baronakim]

12 hours ago, MLBrumby said:

The Tennessee Theater was a huge loss to the city. Mr. Giarratana could have built his very plain, condo box anywhere but chose that spot. Terrible shame. 

I remember quite well visiting the Sudekum Building in the 1960s to offices in the upper floors. Whle the Art Deco exterior was quite a striking design, the floor plate was very small and not particularly very good.  Too many factors would have made this building a poor candidate for repurposing.  Because the lower floors were a cavernous but notable lobby and grand stair to the huge balcony, the access for exit stairs and elevators were ill designed and tiny.  IMO, looking back, there was no way this building could have escaped demolition, so don't y'all  blame Tony G. too harshly.  However I do criticize the POS condos he put up as fuggly.  These are the principal points that IMO doomed this building.   The floor plate of the tower was very small as the majority of the lower floors was a clumsy box for the huge auditorium...basically worthless after Nashvillians abandoned downtown for the suburbs.  Reuse of the upper floors would have probably require a total gut job and a new elevator system which was still developing for the trasition from operator controlled to self service.  The tech was not yet ready to be affordable.  The floor to floors were too short for a workable HVAC system,; they already were already installing window units and operable windows in a downtown building  are terrible.   There were FAR nicer buildings available for  repurposing, such as the majestic First American tower over on 4th, that would have veen much better choices to save.  Downtown in the 1960s was rapidly becoming a vacant shell.  Architects in the era also did not have very much experience compared with those in the big cities lie Chicago or NY.  I point out that the local architect (Keeble)  desigened a refresing new ian iconic L&C tower in 1956, he failed to adequately design the floor layouts (as did Wright in his tower) for safe use.  They had to add a second stair to the L&C post opening as occupany was not safe.  Therefore, I must firmly disagree that the the demolition was a "huge loss", but rather what was subsquently erected.  I think the building would have been more salvegable if it had been a larger floor size like the original 3rd National Bank (now Marriott).   Don't be too hard on Tony G.... his new projects allow much forgiveness I would think.

Edited February 18, 2022 by Baronakim

[arkitekte]

11 hours ago, Baronakim said:

I remember quite well visiting the Sudekum Building in the 1960s to offices in the upper floors. Whle the Art Deco exterior was quite a striking design, the floor plate was very small and not particularly very good.  Too many factors would have made this building a poor candidate for repurposing.  Because the lower floors were a cavernous but notable lobby and grand stair to the huge balcony, the access for exit stairs and elevators were ill designed and tiny.  IMO, looking back, there was no way this building could have escaped demolition, so don't y'all  blame Tony G. too harshly.  However I do criticize the POS condos he put up as fuggly.  These are the principal points that IMO doomed this building.   The floor plate of the tower was very small as the majority of the lower floors was a clumsy box for the huge auditorium...basically worthless after Nashvillians abandoned downtown for the suburbs.  Reuse of the upper floors would have probably require a total gut job and a new elevator system which was still developing for the trasition from operator controlled to self service.  The tech was not yet ready to be affordable.  The floor to floors were too short for a workable HVAC system,; they already were already installing window units and operable windows in a downtown building  are terrible.   There were FAR nicer buildings available for  repurposing, such as the majestic First American tower over on 4th, that would have veen much better choices to save.  Downtown in the 1960s was rapidly becoming a vacant shell.  Architects in the era also did not have very much experience compared with those in the big cities lie Chicago or NY.  I point out that the local architect (Keeble)  desigened a refresing new ian iconic L&C tower in 1956, he failed to adequately design the floor layouts (as did Wright in his tower) for safe use.  They had to add a second stair to the L&C post opening as occupany was not safe.  Therefore, I must firmly disagree that the the demolition was a "huge loss", but rather what was subsquently erected.  I think the building would have been more salvegable if it had been a larger floor size like the original 3rd National Bank (now Marriott).   Don't be too hard on Tony G.... his new projects allow much forgiveness I would think.

My career is in historic preservation, adaptive reuse and urban infill. Nothing about what you've stated above is unique to that structure in general. Hundreds of buildings are adaptively reused each year that face these same issues. 

The issue isn't that the building had issues (they all do, even new buildings). The issue lies with the property owner(s) and/or developer(s), their funding and capital, or lack thereof. 

This is a primary reason why historic preservation zoning and ordinances are important. 

[dragonfly]

17 hours ago, markhollin said:

TBT: Sudakem Building and Tennessee Theater (SE corner of 6th Ave. North and Church St.), 1952:

So if you look at the shop on that right side, I'm 99% sure that is Karl's (Fine? ) Shoes, although I can't read the whole sign. The proprietor was Karl Robinson who lived with his family next door to us when we moved to Currywood Dr. in '56. He was maybe 15 years older than my parents (45~50?) and pretty sure he built the house, one of the early stakeouts in West Meade Farms. Their house was the first one built on Currywood Dr, which at that time ran from Robin Hill Rd to Bresslyn Rd, two blocks.  When West Meade Estates was developed, approx 5 years later, Currywood was extended with an impressive descending run, coming out near Davidson Dr. & I-40.

Thinking about it, Karl was maybe one of the oldest guys to build in West Meade and the style looks it, I don't know of any other example in West Meade at the time with dormers and 1-1/2 stories and half basement/garage plus the large size. It sold last year for around $800k. The area was full of split levels, ranches and somewhat dreary boxy 2 story brick ones back in the day.  Plenty of teardowns there. Was Karl one of the first to buy into the subdivision, I think so. Our house was 6413 to the left. Sorry for the image size, maybe someone can tell me how to resize.

Edited February 18, 2022 by dragonfly

[MagicPotato]

17 hours ago, markhollin said:

TBT: Sudakem Building and Tennessee Theater (SE corner of 6th Ave. North and Church St.), 1952:
 

It’s funny because it wasn’t like Nashville had no room to build else where in the area. Nashville should have kept this building. The building could have been something historical like the Chicago theater. Maybe not as significant, but it could have add some flair to the city. Instead, it was replaced by a generic glass condo.

[donNdonelson2]

26 minutes ago, MagicPotato said:

It’s funny because it wasn’t like Nashville had no room to build else where in the area. Nashville should have kept this building. The building could have been something historical like the Chicago theater. Maybe not as significant, but it could have add some flair to the city. Instead, it was replaced by a generic glass condo.

Make that a generic faux stucco apartment building.

(photo from the Cumberland Apartments on Church website)

[Baronakim]

1 hour ago, MagicPotato said:

It’s funny because it wasn’t like Nashville had no room to build else where in the area. Nashville should have kept this building. The building could have been something historical like the Chicago theater. Maybe not as significant, but it could have add some flair to the city. Instead, it was replaced by a generic glass condo.

I very much agree with your points.  However I feel they are substantially valid only if the building had survived until present day.  There was no reason to preserve this building over so many others.  While the builing dates from the 1930s, the theater opened in 1952 and being mid 20th century, it lacked a graet deal of the interiors charm of older ones saved in other cities, like the Fox in Atlanta.   In Nashville, I mourn Loew's, the Paramount and the Knickerbocker much more than the Tennessee.  Also, unlike many of the great theaters saved, this one had all of the 1930s era offices over it.  There was just no market to justify saving this one in Nashville IMO.  We are fortunate that so much has been saved...the Arcade, 2nd  &1st Ave., the Presb. Church, the Ryman, Lower Broad (even though honkytonked up), etc..  Nashville never was going to be a mid continent Charleston or Savannah.  I am just so pleased that it is emerging  with a new 21st century core.  And yes, the Cumberland Apatments are dreadful.  They are lucky to have Haven to keep them off the bottom of Nashville's Nasties.

Edited February 18, 2022 by Baronakim

[chris holman]

[markhollin]

Courtesy of Tony Saria:

[Bos2Nash]

9 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

Make that a generic faux stucco apartment building.

(photo from the Cumberland Apartments on Church website)

Haven in the Gulch inspiration!

[MagicPotato]

18 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

Make that a generic faux stucco apartment building.

(photo from the Cumberland Apartments on Church website)

This building looks like it could’ve been built somewhere in South America. 

[MLBrumby]

I know, right!  Looks like the next strong rain will dissolve it. 

[chris holman]

[markhollin]

Courtesy of MyNashvillePhotos:

[markhollin]

Courtesy of musiccityproverb:
 

[markhollin]

Looking SW from Spring St. at I-24 inner belt:

[MLBrumby]

Anyone else having trouble loading the "Main" Topic Listing page for Nashville?  

[CenterHill]

11 hours ago, markhollin said:

Looking SW from Spring St. at I-24 inner belt:

 

What's up with the container?   Looks like it's stuck under I-24.    Might just be the angle.  

[Bos2Nash]

It's the angle. I believe this is the Ellington Parkway exit and the trailer is just in the foreground of this image.

[CenterHill]

Ah, see it now, thanks.    But geez what a vast amount of real estate that interchange consumes.   

[Binbin98]

The closest photo I could get to all of the Miami skyline. It’s really large and growing every day.

[donNdonelson2]

A favorite among my Sunday sunset shots, from the plaza on the north side of the Tennessee Tower. (About 1/2 hour before sundown.)

Edited February 22, 2022 by donNdonelson2
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