Alexander Condominiums in Green Hills

[ATLBrain]

I thought this was a joke, but it appears to be under construction already. We've had a thread on this before, but I think that was before we learned that the developers of this P.O.S. have the gall to be asking $1 million for a view of a gas station for crying out loud. So why would anybody buy a unit at this place? Don't say location either... I'll take West End, Hillsboro and even other locations in Green Hills for the money.

It's truly ugly...

http://159.54.229.194/apps/pbcs.dll/articl...535/MICRO020701

[linclink]

Oh my gosh!!!!

That thing is HIDEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (that must have been how the design session for this thing was conducted).. hehehhehehe

[GreenSpace]

It looks to be made of cinder block....lol.

C'mon its Green Hills. People would spend a hundred grand to live live in a carboard box in that neighborhood. I personally don't get it ether. Traffic alone would discourage me from living there.

[barakat]

Architect 1: "So what condo features would do well in the Green Hills market? Contemporary? Edgy? Unique materials? Walls of windows? LEED certified?"

Architect 2: "I always thought a prison would look great in the middle of Green Hills."

Architect 1: "Agreed."

[ATLBrain]

C'mon its Green Hills. People would spend a hundred grand to live live in a carboard box in that neighborhood. I personally don't get it ether. Traffic alone would discourage me from living there.

[Rural King]

Okay, this is perhaps the most hideous design I have seen in a long long time. The wedding cake aspect of the design harks back to Soviet and Eastern Bloc design principles used decades ago.

I so hope this looks far better in person then in the rendering.

[Clark, you serious?]

It kind of looks like a paddle boat.

The first rendering I saw showed the color as a kind of hunter green. Still bad, but better than the grey that's there now. This kind of stuff makes me sick. You see developers putting up garbage condos, duplexes, all over Green Hills and asking insane prices. I hope they don't sell and he loses them to the bank.

[it's just dave]

Relax. I was by there yesterday. Sure, it's pretty ugly, but at least it's small and when it's all said and done, nobody will really notice it anyway. As far as fitting in with the other buildings on the corner at Hobbs, it fits in nicely. Doesn't make it great, but it doesn't have to be. The 70s office building, the 70s strip center, the gas station and this. Just close your eyes on your way to brigher pastures. This hardly deserves notice.

[jillr984]

I am new to the board....but just out of curiosity, why is everyone so quick to blame the architects? The architect provides construction documents, but nothing would be built without the owner's approval. I am willing to bet the owners and "developers" are the driving force behind the final design of this building.

Also....anyone know who the architect for this project is? They weren't mentioned anywhere in the article (as usual).

Thanks.

[ATLBrain]

You're exactly right... see my post (first one on this thread) and you'll see that I take an appropriate jab at the developer(s). After seeing what my mother and father just went through with an architect to build their winter home however, I know that architects love to leave "their mark" on their designs. They went with highly acclaimed architects too... and still they "suggested" some pretty crappy stuff. However, not taking from your point, I'm convinced that the developers are the ones who came up with this hideous mix of gingerbread and ziggurat. I don't know who was the architect on this one, and perhaps, he/she/they stipulated that his/her/their name would not appear anywhere in association with this garbage.

Yes, there will be a demand for this project... and they all will sell. Unlike Dave, however, I think it's a shame no matter how small this project is as I thought that the Nashville market had matured enough (especially in Green Hills) that this type of building would not even be dreamed up. I certainlly thought that it had moved past the point where pre-stressed concrete was considered classy. Didn't the Loews' Plaza jump the shark on pre-stressed concrete?

[The Tot Pack]

have any of you actually DRIVEN by the place to see what it looks like.. it looks way better than say the encore..

encore looks like an exactly replica of the viridian..

but the alex condos don't look half bad... and yes.. i would spend 1 million for the location..

why? cause i have the money and i'm a fat american..

thank you good night

[titanhog]

I swear I saw that same building in a movie a while back. It was based in Vietnam during the war and was smack dab in a prisoner camp with guards perched up on the balconies. I'm sure it was the same building.

[designspace]

Oh my gosh this thing is truly hideous. I feel sorry for the people in Green Hills who will have to live with this mess in their backyard. I wonder if they've been able to sell anything yet? The developers could have big trouble with this beast.

[ATLBrain]

I doubt if they'll have trouble. Remember that for every developer sitting on his tastes, there are at least a dozen buyers willing to be led by the ring in their noses.

[bnaflyer]

We can only hope that this project will fail. Maybe that will discourage future developments like this. Even worse, some perfectly fine old trees were cut down to build this eyesore.

(Also I would love to see the real quality of the finishes--or lack thereof. The Nashville market has allowed a lot of buildings to be called "luxury" which have the cheapest finishes imaginable. Every developer thinks that putting 2cm granite in a kitchen magically transforms a condo to "luxury" status. )

[ATLBrain]

My point exactly. Sadly, I thought the Nashville market had matured past that. As unlikely as it is, if this P.o.S. comes into a crowded market with John Rochford's projects and several others, then those looking for condos may have a chance to do some serious comparisons between these projects and end up rejecting these at the reported prices.

I know how it sounds, but if I were in the market and a realtor took me to this building, I would refuse to go in. Just looking at the outside, I'd expect the interior finishes to be cheap/bad.

[BnaBreaker]

The design is truly horrendous. But what irritates me even more than the design of the building is that it appears to be completely surrounded by not only a parking lot, but a large fence as well. What an unfortunate double whammy for Green Hills. Not only do they have to live with this piece of crap everyday, but they have yet another hole in what could potentially be an interesting urban space in the future.

[designspace]

Just curious... Have they actually SOLD any of these condos? I find it really hard to believe that somebody with this kind of money would invest in something that looks this awful!

[CandyAisles]

Just curious... Have they actually SOLD any of these condos? I find it really hard to believe that somebody with this kind of money would invest in something that looks this awful!

[Rural King]

I suppose to some people its a perfectly fine looking building, and who to say they are wrong. It takes all kinds.

From feedback here though, I think those who like the design would be in the minority.