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

[jmtunafish]

2 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

I wish I could find a photo of the Holiday Inn Express building when it was new, as Sheraton Nashville, I believe. Seems I recall it was a dark brick. I’ve had no luck finding anything so far, but perhaps someone has better Google search skills (or luck). I suspect it looked better before it was painted.

Yes, it was a red-brown color back in the day when it was a Sheraton.  I don't know when it was built, but when my family and cousins first visited Nashville when I was a kid in 1976, we stayed at the Sheraton, and I remember it being brown or red brick.  It certainly wasn't battleship gray or whatever color it is now.  Coming from a small town in Florida I thought it was pretty posh.  One of my cousins found some coins left in a cigarette vending machine and we thought we'd hit the jackpot.  I do lament what's become of that formerly posh hotel, but I agree with East Side Urbanite that it shouldn't be demolished just because it doesn't meet the current standard of what's considered attractive.  Maybe repaint it?

[East Side Urbanite]

16 minutes ago, jmtunafish said:

Yes, it was a red-brown color back in the day when it was a Sheraton.  I don't know when it was built, but when my family and cousins first visited Nashville when I was a kid in 1976, we stayed at the Sheraton, and I remember it being brown or red brick.  It certainly wasn't battleship gray or whatever color it is now.  Coming from a small town in Florida I thought it was pretty posh.  One of my cousins found some coins left in a cigarette vending machine and we thought we'd hit the jackpot.  I do lament what's become of that formerly posh hotel, but I agree with East Side Urbanite that it shouldn't be demolished just because it doesn't meet the current standard of what's considered attractive.  Maybe repaint it?

The most recent color scheme had blue and creamish (almost faint Pepto Bismal feel). I feel it looks much better now but it's subjective.

I vaguely recall when it was a brown brick.

 

[donNdonelson2]

33 minutes ago, jmtunafish said:

Coming from a small town in Florida I thought it was pretty posh. 

I did find an old postcard online picturing the lobby from the early days. Maybe THIS is the posh look you recall.

(Sorry for the screwup, I deleted the photo after noticing the fine print that it was actually the Sheraton Music City near the airport.)

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by donNdonelson2

[East Side Urbanite]

No doubt, T-Hog, that any future building will be  an upgrade to the Holiday Inn building in terms of street activation, energy efficiency, ease of access for those with physical limitations, technology/connectivity, etc.

In a specific sense, the H-Inn building is not worth saving. But in a general sense — and going well beyond the bland and generic exterior design — there is so much to be said for our city offering a diverse and quirky array of buildings. Sometimes the oddball buildings are needed to make the top-notch buildings pop even more than otherwise.

I don't care for the H-Inn building in an of itself as much as I do for what it symbolizes — kind of like the TSU building with its brutalism and the Municipal Auditorium with its "space age modernism" and the Sheraton with its "spaceship" cap. They give our city some personality. Charlotte has very little of that personality. So it's the "theme" or the "symbolization" or the H-Inn building I like — and not the design per se (though I like, in a general sense, buildings largely skinned in brick).

Another example of "quirky": the Blue Parrot Bar building at Fourth and Molloy (if construction is ever finished). What a distinctive building. Odd shape. Charcoal brick. It's almost so ugly that it's beautiful. The Diner building at Third and Demonbreun is similar but not as "in your face."  I like that you don't see buildings like that very often. I was just in Minneapolis and saw no building like The Diner building.

I don't want every building to be perfect in every way. The imperfections and oddities provide character.

One more thing, and Smeags knows this better than anybody: When the Holiday Inn building is replaced, it will be with a large-scale building. Would not make sense to do a 10-story structure on that site after spending millions to acquire.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by East Side Urbanite

[donNdonelson2]

We still have plenty of empty lots to fill before tearing down and replacing  “imperfect,” but serviceable buildings.

[Luvemtall]

Yeah, it’s all perfectly understandable. But in the same discussion, most of , if not all of the old Lifeway campus was still very usable and had its own potential. But look at what’s replacing it, Nashville Yards is totally a better alternative. Definitely need a good diversified mix of buildings, but let’s just say , maybe not a bland box. 

[East Side Urbanite]

3 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

We still have plenty of empty lots to fill before tearing down and replacing  “imperfect,” but serviceable buildings.

I strongly agree.

[markhollin]

Looking NE from 28th floor of Embassy Suites:
 

[PillowTalk4]

19 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

I wish I could find a photo of the Holiday Inn Express building when it was new, as Sheraton Nashville, I believe. Seems I recall it was a dark brick. I’ve had no luck finding anything so far, but perhaps someone has better Google search skills (or luck). I suspect it looked better before it was painted.

I've searched, because to be honest I think the original brick color of the then Sheraton Hotel would have worked better with the newer stuff going up around it today.  If I recall correctly, it was a really dark brown brick color.  The entrance to the hotel actually sat a little closer to the corner of Broadway and I believe it had brass railings and columns.  Don't quote me on that part.  That may have come later in a renovation.

I'm not sure when the building was built.  But, in the 1960's and 70's that hotel was one of the top hotels in Nashville.  The large SHERATON sign  atop of it was iconic if you were driving eastbound on Broadway, especially at night when it was lit-up.   Until the Hyatt Regency (now a Sheraton) was built, the Sheraton on Broadway was considered the go to hotel for events because it was the largest for quite some time.  There wasn't any other hotel in the downtown core that had the location and amenities of that Sheraton.  The Sheraton struggled once the Hyatt Regency opened and when the Opryland Hotel opened in the late 70's.  That was shortly followed by the Radisson opening in downtown.  So, the Sheraton found itself in a battle to stay relevant.  A battle that it just couldn't win by the time the Loews Vanderbilt opened and even smaller, but more updated properties along West End.  Newer hotels like the Marriott  and Embassy Suites in the airport area also hurt.  The only real savings grace was for a hotel operator to take over it and reduce it to a modest hotel property.  

[East Side Urbanite]

1 hour ago, PillowTalk4 said:

I've searched, because to be honest I think the original brick color of the then Sheraton Hotel would have worked better with the newer stuff going up around it today.  If I recall correctly, it was a really dark brown brick color.  The entrance to the hotel actually sat a little closer to the corner of Broadway and I believe it had brass railings and columns.  Don't quote me on that part.  That may have come later in a renovation.

I'm not sure when the building was built.  But, in the 1960's and 70's that hotel was one of the top hotels in Nashville.  The large SHERATON sign  atop of it was iconic if you were driving eastbound on Broadway, especially at night when it was lit-up.   Until the Hyatt Regency (now a Sheraton) was built, the Sheraton on Broadway was considered the go to hotel for events because it was the largest for quite some time.  There wasn't any other hotel in the downtown core that had the location and amenities of that Sheraton.  The Sheraton struggled once the Hyatt Regency opened and when the Opryland Hotel opened in the late 70's.  That was shortly followed by the Radisson opening in downtown.  So, the Sheraton found itself in a battle to stay relevant.  A battle that it just couldn't win by the time the Loews Vanderbilt opened and even smaller, but more updated properties along West End.  Newer hotels like the Marriott  and Embassy Suites in the airport area also hurt.  The only real savings grace was for a hotel operator to take over it and reduce it to a modest hotel property.  

Interesting history regarding the building. Thanks for sharing!

[Baronakim]

1 hour ago, East Side Urbanite said:

Interesting history regarding the building. Thanks for sharing!

i stayed there back in the mid 80s with a complementary room.  King size bed, big hot tub spa in the bedroom with a mirrored ceiling of all things.  Pretty kinky for Nahville at the time.

[MLBrumby]

Weren’t there a lot of rooms like that in Nashville at the time… like especially around music row and music valley?

[bnacincy]

The Sheraton was a very dark red brick color that would look good now but at the time people did not like it.  I remember that as my Godfather was the contracter on that job.

[PillowTalk4]

28 minutes ago, MLBrumby said:

Weren’t there a lot of rooms like that in Nashville at the time… like especially around music row and music valley?

Nashville, Gatlinburg and pretty much any vacation spot.  Hotels at all levels  tried to create mini-resort like rooms.  Some went waaaaaaaaaaay too far.  Especially in the Pocono's....  this was the prize suite and it still exist (though they've taken away "some" of the 80's features... LOL!!!

[chris holman]

Happy Friday 

[markhollin]

Looking north from Encore:

[MontanaGuy]

9 hours ago, markhollin said:

Looking north from Encore

I've been looking online at condos at the Encore and the Viridian for quite awhile now.  I'd love to have that view, I'm just trying to decide if it would be worth that high HOA to sell my house and buy one of them!

[donNdonelson2]

Fox 17 webcam 7:50 pm Saturday night. (Some filters were applied to enhance the dramatic visuals of this shot.)

[MagicPotato]

A Ferris wheel in downtown wouldn't look so bad. 

[titanhog]

Great shot from 5+B rooftop.

 

[markhollin]

Courtesy of barclaytrey:

[smeagolsfree]

9 hours ago, MagicPotato said:

A Ferris wheel in downtown wouldn't look so bad. 

That one needs to be about 4 times the size!

[BnaBreaker]

2 hours ago, titanhog said:

Great shot from 5+B rooftop.

 

Great shot indeed... so crazy to me though to see cars and busses in the middle of that sea of people... why we haven't shut those few blocks to vehicular traffic, at least for weekend evenings and nights, I'll never understand.  

[andywildman]

17 hours ago, MontanaGuy said:

I've been looking online at condos at the Encore and the Viridian for quite awhile now.  I'd love to have that view, I'm just trying to decide if it would be worth that high HOA to sell my house and buy one of them!

I have the same thought. Had a colleague who lived at the Encore for a while… apparently a bit of noise comes in from tourists / Broadway / Ascend - be sure to check out noise levels on a Friday night before you buy.

[MontanaGuy]

31 minutes ago, andywildman said:

I have the same thought. Had a colleague who lived at the Encore for a while… apparently a bit of noise comes in from tourists / Broadway / Ascend - be sure to check out noise levels on a Friday night before you buy.

I've actually been more concerned about how loud the neighbors might be and if a lot of the condos are short term rentals where every night is a party!  That would be a nightmare!  I'm really thinking about it though!