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100 Oaks Mall being sold

Richard Lawson

By Richard Lawson
in Nashville

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BnaBreaker City

BnaBreaker

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Glad to see changes to that thing...but here is a novel concept...since it is already almost smack dab in the middle of a large urban area (Nashville) why not just tear the whole thing down and reintigrate it into the surrounding neighborhoods? Outdoor malls are plastic, fake streetscapes for suburbia where there are no real life street scapes. Why not tear down the mall itself, and still built retail but integrate it into the neighborhoods around it? Make this an actual extension of the neighborhood itself instead of its own entity.

I'm sorry, but even though this is an improvement, there shouldn't be any room made for large suburban style malls so close to the central city.

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Richard Lawson Hamlet

Richard Lawson

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Glad to see changes to that thing...but here is a novel concept...since it is already almost smack dab in the middle of a large urban area (Nashville) why not just tear the whole thing down and reintigrate it into the surrounding neighborhoods? Outdoor malls are plastic, fake streetscapes for suburbia where there are no real life street scapes. Why not tear down the mall itself, and still built retail but integrate it into the neighborhoods around it? Make this an actual extension of the neighborhood itself instead of its own entity.

I'm sorry, but even though this is an improvement, there shouldn't be any room made for large suburban style malls so close to the central city.

They probably wouldn't tear it down because of the amount of money they are paying for it. That would be an expensive tear down. The city has the land appraised at $11 million and the improvements at more than three times that.

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rocky top buzz Hamlet

rocky top buzz

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I thought the mall changed hands to the current owners who setup the industrial look?

I don't think parking spaces had anything to do with the upstairs 'failures.' I've never had a problem parking.

I don't know what they could do to improve that place, although I'm interested to hear the ideas. I know there are a lot of successful new developements around there. I think tearing the building down really is probably best.

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Justiceham Hamlet

Justiceham

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I thought the mall changed hands to the current owners who setup the industrial look?

I don't think parking spaces had anything to do with the upstairs 'failures.' I've never had a problem parking.

I don't know what they could do to improve that place, although I'm interested to hear the ideas. I know there are a lot of successful new developements around there. I think tearing the building down really is probably best.

I agree, tearing the mall down would probably be best, the current structure is too outdated to renovate. I think it would be cool if the mall was turned into a high end retail center with Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, IKEA, Neimen Marcus, Lord and Taylor etc. and the adjoining sea of parking space being turned into a few parking garages, a pedestrian bridge over interstate 65 that loops around the whole center, and of course tons of green space!This should be Nashville's largest and premier mall!

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BnaBreaker City

BnaBreaker

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Folks,

This mall's been a dump for forty years. I don't think new mgmt will change its perception. Speculate all you want, but the place will still be three quarters empty and dumpy after whatever change takes place.

Unless the space is turned into a livable, workable, playable, shopable traditional neighborhood development. That space has been proven itself not to be suited for a development like a mall. You can dress the place up however you want, but it still won't be a success. I guaruntee that. Like others have said as well, I really think the best option would simply be to weave that land back into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhoods like it probably was BEFORE 100 Oaks Mall and the surrounding sea of parking was constructed. I think this new neighborhood could definitely include some chain retail. However, I think that as long as the surrounding population is physically and psychologically cut off from that land, they will continue to pass it by.

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fieldmarshaldj Burg

fieldmarshaldj

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Folks,

This mall's been a dump for forty years. I don't think new mgmt will change its perception. Speculate all you want, but the place will still be three quarters empty and dumpy after whatever change takes place.

Not 40, but 20 years. It was certainly a more desirable place when I was a kid in the '70s and early '80s, but it went into freefall by then (worse even then the now-extinct Harding Mall, which still remained viable to some degree). As for what should definitely be done with it, who knows ? The current incarnation isn't working. Back in the mid '80s, there were plans to convert it to a "Galleria" style mall, but that never came to fruition. It's all kinda depressing to me, all my childhood places gone, declined, or changed beyond recognition... :cry:

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LA_TN Burg

LA_TN

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I don't think a re-generated re-urbaned infill residential neighborhood surrounded by industrial/commerial on 3 sides plus a cementary, plus a stones throw from 2 interstates and the main railroad/switchyard would qualify as highly desirable place to live. Let's be realistic...

I like Justiceham's proposal for 'a high end retail center with Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, IKEA, Neimen Marcus, etc.' I've always wondered why this was not the location of the premier mall in Nashville tapping Green Hills, Belle Meade, Nashville, and Brentwood while drawing the rest of metro w/ easy access. Seems only the Gulch/West End could possibly top this location

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NewTowner Hamlet

NewTowner

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Unless the space is turned into a livable, workable, playable, shopable traditional neighborhood development. That space has been proven itself not to be suited for a development like a mall. You can dress the place up however you want, but it still won't be a success. I guaruntee that. Like others have said as well, I really think the best option would simply be to weave that land back into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhoods like it probably was BEFORE 100 Oaks Mall and the surrounding sea of parking was constructed. I think this new neighborhood could definitely include some chain retail. However, I think that as long as the surrounding population is physically and psychologically cut off from that land, they will continue to pass it by.

This truly would be the best approach. It is a shame that the name "100 Oaks" was taken from the antebellum plantation that was demolished to build this piece of $#!+. That building could have been tied into a truly urban project in a mighty and magnificent fashion. But, them's the Modernist breaks. Wipe away the past, build something nasty in its place.

It would be totally acceptable to put some high-end retail on this site--as long as this retail took the form of urban, walkable fabric. Drop a little town square in there and flank it with pubs, a four-story urban IKEA, a post office, and the like. Baja Burrito would see a lot more foot traffic, that's for sure. I just think it would be a waste to replace an ugly-ass shopping mall with an ugly-ass stripmall, no matter the name-brand

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brownhound Unincorporated Area

brownhound

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This truly would be the best approach. It is a shame that the name "100 Oaks" was taken from the antebellum plantation that was demolished to build this piece of $#!+. That building could have been tied into a truly urban project in a mighty and magnificent fashion. But, them's the Modernist breaks. Wipe away the past, build something nasty in its place.

It would be totally acceptable to put some high-end retail on this site--as long as this retail took the form of urban, walkable fabric. Drop a little town square in there and flank it with pubs, a four-story urban IKEA, a post office, and the like. Baja Burrito would see a lot more foot traffic, that's for sure. I just think it would be a waste to replace an ugly-ass shopping mall with an ugly-ass stripmall, no matter the name-brand

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BnaBreaker City

BnaBreaker

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This truly would be the best approach. It is a shame that the name "100 Oaks" was taken from the antebellum plantation that was demolished to build this piece of $#!+. That building could have been tied into a truly urban project in a mighty and magnificent fashion. But, them's the Modernist breaks. Wipe away the past, build something nasty in its place.

It would be totally acceptable to put some high-end retail on this site--as long as this retail took the form of urban, walkable fabric. Drop a little town square in there and flank it with pubs, a four-story urban IKEA, a post office, and the like. Baja Burrito would see a lot more foot traffic, that's for sure. I just think it would be a waste to replace an ugly-ass shopping mall with an ugly-ass stripmall, no matter the name-brand

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brownhound Unincorporated Area

brownhound

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Absolutely. I don't think Nashvillians are yet used to the idea of 'mall-style' retail in a non-mall or strip mall setting. Like you said though; why get rid of the mall in exchange for a strip mall? It's simply a bad location for that in general.

As for those who say it isn't a good location for a residential neighborhood...see The Gulch. Nuff said. If The Gulch can be transformed into something not just tolerable, but desirable and trendy, then so can this mess of space. Hell, it doesn't need to even be trendy to be successful...but honestly...isn't anything better than another strip mall? Just because this land was laid to waste doesn't mean we have to keep it in that state of waste...it can be brought back if people have the insight and courage to do so.

The Gulch is cool; 100 Oaks suffers from a not-so-favorable past: crime, less-than-desirable neighborhoods, poor access from the interstate, and an overall junky location. The Gulch has downtown and midtown as a selling point. Frankly, I don't see the urbanites and trend setters setting up shop in 100 Oaks. The place was, is, and will be a dump.

Consider Hickory Hollow--that mall, too, is beyond repair. I can't imagine any high-end retailer EVER joining the lineup or any "movers and shakers" taking up residence. Period.

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rocky top buzz Hamlet

rocky top buzz

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I don't think Hickory Hollw Mall needs to be high end. I too wrote them off for dead, but the addition of Steve and Barry's and the new age restrictions have really cleaned up that area.

I never thought about it, but brownhound is right in the fact the I-65 really divides upscale from the low end. I used to live off Nolensville Road, and that place is a dump. But just jump to the other side of I-65 and you've got... Hillsboro Road and all the upscale living and shopping.

Where I'll differ from most of you is saying that it's the people, not the location, that make the area what it is. You don't have dumpy car lots and check cashing stores all over Hillsboro because the people in hillsboro don't want it. All it takes is a few people off Nolensville to decide they want to take their community back, and then you might see an upscale developement replace 100 oaks.

Why don't they just tear down the mall and build a 60 story sky scraper?

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BnaBreaker City

BnaBreaker

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The Gulch is cool; 100 Oaks suffers from a not-so-favorable past: crime, less-than-desirable neighborhoods, poor access from the interstate, and an overall junky location. The Gulch has downtown and midtown as a selling point. Frankly, I don't see the urbanites and trend setters setting up shop in 100 Oaks. The place was, is, and will be a dump.

Consider Hickory Hollow--that mall, too, is beyond repair. I can't imagine any high-end retailer EVER joining the lineup or any "movers and shakers" taking up residence. Period.

I understand what you're saying, but what i'm saying is that it doesn't even necessarily need to be "trendy" or catered to "urbanites". Just make it a well-planned neighborhood...whats wrong with that? Besides, people will care less about connections to interstates etc. (which can be fixed) if they can get most of what they need in their neighborhood itself.

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franktown Hamlet

franktown

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Not to be a downer but....This area had SUCH a bad reputation in so many areas, and that'll be a hard thing to fix. I know that the adjoining movie theatre is considered unsafe by everyone that I know, so redevelopment into something that isn't a mall might be tough. The only thing that could save this thing in my opinion would to be to attract a really big name to draw people in....like Crate and Barrell, otherwise I doubt it would draw people in from other areas.

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BnaBreaker City

BnaBreaker

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Not to be a downer but....This area had SUCH a bad reputation in so many areas, and that'll be a hard thing to fix. I know that the adjoining movie theatre is considered unsafe by everyone that I know, so redevelopment into something that isn't a mall might be tough. The only thing that could save this thing in my opinion would to be to attract a really big name to draw people in....like Crate and Barrell, otherwise I doubt it would draw people in from other areas.

Perhaps i'm taking your words out of context, so please correct me if i'm wrong but I completely disagree with the logic that once an area has 'gone down hill' then it should never be touched again. If it can slip into the condition it is in, then it can be lifted out of it. I don't exactly have an answer as to how one goes about doing that, but in my opinion the worst possible thing we could do is to just ignore it and leave it as is.

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memphian Hamlet

memphian

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I think too many people have too grand a plan for the area. The biggest bang for your buck would be a village type mall with just a few stores and easy-to-get-to services. Maybe a Belk (gag me) would be able to give it one anchor that would appeal to a broad range of people on both sides of 65. I always kind of visioned this area becoming the design area of town - especially with the EXPO center and all. I'd really prefer to see that type of development. Can O'Moore College of design be moved away from Franklin or offer design classes in a new building in this area?

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