Nashville Bits and Pieces

[nashvylle]

just checked a few articles and it looks like Cleveland isn't going to do it, but reasons stated were the stadium being on a landfill, and since the stadium is enclosed, it would be hard to incorporate a retractable roof. 

Since the Titans stadium isn't enclosed, I think we should look into it

[farm_boy]

The Nissan Stadium is definitely bottom 5 in the NFL. The stadium has a poor design with almost 2/3 of the seats are located in the upper deck - this creates a lot of cheap seats and a shortage of high price seats. St. Louis is trying to fund and build a $1+ billion new stadium to prevent the Rams from moving to LA because the current dome does not meet the contractual obligations set when the Rams originally moved to St. Louis

Go to Soldier Field in Chicago or Dallas or Seattle or, even Indy, and you will very quickly realize just how bad Nissan Stadium is. The Kansas City Chiefs just finished a major renovation to Arrowhead Stadium that made it one of the best NFL stadiums, again; but Arrowhead Stadium already had a good design whereas Nissan Stadium needs truckload of dynamite.

But ....... if Nashville builds a new stadium for the Titans, make it a dome. A dome will compliment many of the current efforts to move Nashville forward. Retractable roof would be great.

[Rockatansky]

Football is meant to be played outdoors on grass. No dome. No roof. I'm supportive of other upgrades as long as it helps retain the Titans.

[tragenvol]

Nissan Stadium's design was drawn up during the period just prior to the wave of retractable roof NFL stadiums, e.g. Houston, Phoenix, Indianapolis and Dallas.  Adelphia Coliseum was probably the worst of its peer stadiums constructed in the late 90's and early 00's e.g. Cincinnati (which I believe is most similar to Nissan Stadium), Baltimore, Cleveland and Denver's stadiums.

It smelled of a sewer from Day One, and speaking as someone with personal knowledge of sitting in the stratosphere there for several years...it wasn't comfortable; the floors of the ramps to the sky were cracking only five years into its use.

I did experience Paul Brown Stadium back in 2000 and found it to be a nice facility, much nicer than its cousin in Nashville.

Edited December 9, 2015 by tragenvol

[ZestyEd]

FYI.  Populous (formerly HOK Sports Venue Event) was the Architect company for Nissan Stadium. I have listed below the other football stadiums they have designed and I have been to Gillette and it is a spitting replica of Nissan Stadium minus the Light house/bridge Gillette has. 

• Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida – Miami Dolphins; University of Miami football; Orange Bowl; Super Bowl XXIII, XXIX, XXXVI, XLI and XLIV (1987)
• EverBank Field – Jacksonville Jaguars; Gator Bowl; Georgia vs. Florida football game; Super Bowl XXXIX (1995)
• Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina – Carolina Panthers; Meineke Car Care Bowl (1996)
• Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida – Tampa Bay Buccaneers; University of South Florida football; Outback Bowl; Super Bowl XXXV and XLIII (1996)
• FedExField, Landover, Maryland – Washington Redskins (1997)
• M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland – Baltimore Ravens (1998)
• Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee – Tennessee Titans; Music City Bowl (1999)
• FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland Browns (1999)
• Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Steelers; University of Pittsburgh football (2001)
• Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts – New England Patriots (2002)^[23]
• NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas – Houston Texans; Texas Bowl; Super Bowl XXXVIII (2002)
• University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona – Arizona Cardinals; Fiesta Bowl; Super Bowl XLII (2006)
• TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota – University of Minnesota Football (2009)
• McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas – Baylor University Football (2012)
• Kyle Field (redevelopment plan), College Station, Texas – Texas A&M Aggies football (2012)^[24]
• Ralph Wilson Stadium (renovation), Orchard Park, New York – Buffalo Bills (2014)

[nashvillwill]

I'll agree that Nissan is a pretty dull stadium (to look at and to experience). Keep in mind that it was built as a budget stadium for an unproven market. The smartest thing they ever did was the PSL (personal seat license). It was intended as a way to "prove" that there would be ticket sales in in unproven market, but the result has been guaranteed sell-outs for an atrocious team. In hindsight, it was brilliant. 

Sure, the team may sell to new owners. Their performance may continue to be poor. But let's keep two things into perspective.

1. The lease expires in 2028

2. THE TEAM IS SOLVENT

Not all teams can be the Dallas Cowboys, but it is making money. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This is the way I see things playing out;

-2023-2024- Team spends big. Puts its best product on the field and begins to win.

-2025. The threats begin. "We are moving the team to Anytown, USA".

-2025-2028- Drama between the team, the city and the league.

2026-2029- Agreement is reached to build a new stadium. We will pay for it of course.

2028-2030- New stadium opens right next door to the old one and the East Bank remains a parking lot wasteland in the clutches of the team. 

 

[markhollin]

Metro Planning Dept. recommends developer incentives to create affordable housing:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2015/12/10/planning_department_consultant_recommends_developer_incentives_to_create_affordable_

[grilled_cheese]

Hate that the NFL teams all now demand a new stadium once every twenty or so years.  How can all of these 100 year old college stadiums be continually renovated and expanded but these No Fun League stadiums can't last more than three decades?

 

If they do build a new one I hope it's domed or at least covered, with exposed endzones.  If they renovated the current one I hope they close off the endzones as it would help to keep sound in.

 

If the day ever comes that they need to build a new Preds arena and they can't or won't build it in the current location I hope they build it across the river.  Make the east bank the defacto sports arena section and put a huge skyscraper in place of where the arena sits now.

[Guest]

Can anyone tell what is being constructed in this picture. It looks to be along 8th Ave S. which would lead me to say the Westin, but this looks to be bigger and does the Westin have 6 cranes???

 

[markhollin]

^ ^ ^  That's a photo from about 4 years ago of the Music City Center under construction.  The largest economic undertaking in Nashville's history. 

Speaking of the MCC, so far this fiscal year it has generated $169 million in economic impact for Nashville.  It is up 7% from same point last year:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/blogs/postbusiness/2015/12/11/mcc_generates_about_169m_through_fiscal_year

[Guest]

okay, a friend posted it today on FB and I could not figure it out. Thanks

[NashRugger]

That image was absolutely ridiculous. You just don't see that many cranes on one project in the US very often at one time. 

[UTgrad09]

Not Nashville, but a Nashville developer. I mentioned this a little while back, but this is Southern Land's proposal for Rittenhouse Sq in Philly:

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2015/12/11/a-very-tall-residentialbuilding-proposed-for.html

[fieldmarshaldj]

8 hours ago, UTgrad09 said:

Not Nashville, but a Nashville developer. I mentioned this a little while back, but this is Southern Land's proposal for Rittenhouse Sq in Philly:

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2015/12/11/a-very-tall-residentialbuilding-proposed-for.html

Gee whiz, why don't we get these projects instead of a plethora of shorties ?

[Paramount747]

14 hours ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

Gee whiz, why don't we get these projects instead of a plethora of shorties ?

I'll be surprised if we ever surpass the ATT Tower in height. 505 will still only be 545'. I have serious doubts if we will ever reach 600+ feet again. 700+ is a pipe dream.

[UTgrad09]

Let's not go throwing these words like "ever" around so lightly.

[bhibbs]

3 minutes ago, UTgrad09 said:

Let's not go throwing these words like "ever" around so lightly.

Aren't you used to the doom and gloom at this point?

[Nashville Cliff]

15 hours ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

Gee whiz, why don't we get these projects instead of a plethora of shorties ?

Because we're no Philadelphia.  Philly is the hub of an MSA of over 6 million people.  We don't even crack 2 million.

[Rockatansky]

Some content.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Rockatansky
repeat

[Pyramid Scheme]

1 hour ago, Nashville Cliff said:

Because we're no Philadelphia.  Philly is the hub of an MSA of over 6 million people.  We don't even crack 2 million.

I'm pretty sure that might change come 2020 census. Cracking 2,000,000 that is.

1 hour ago, Paramount747 said:

I'll be surprised if we ever surpass the ATT Tower in height. 505 will still only be 545'. I have serious doubts if we will ever reach 600+ feet again. 700+ is a pipe dream.

I thought someone mentioned something possibly coming to Midtown that was taller than the Caped Crusader Building. Maybe I just imagined it.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Philip

[Paramount747]

2 hours ago, UTgrad09 said:

Let's not go throwing these words like "ever" around so lightly.

Not being pessimistic. Just being realistic. We don't have the populations to fill those buildings residential or commercial.

1 hour ago, Nashville Cliff said:

Because we're no Philadelphia.  Philly is the hub of an MSA of over 6 million people.  We don't even crack 2 million.

Nashville Cliff is right. When we have 6 million in our MSA, we will have buildings over 700 feet. Until we have the MSA's of Philadelphia , Charlotte, Austin, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Dallas et. al. we will not have any towers any taller than what we have now. We also have such a large number of surface lots and blighted areas, we don't have to go up any higher yet. We could build fifty 30 story towers in the downtown loop and still have 100 surface lots.

 

Hell Shelby County/Memphis has 900,000 and their tallest tower is 430 feet in East Memphis 9 miles out of downtown.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Paramount747

[tragenvol]

Even Philadelphia was once hampered from building taller than City Hall, perhaps Nashville will build taller and taller some day as well.

[Pyramid Scheme]

4 hours ago, Paramount747 said:

Not being pessimistic. Just being realistic. We don't have the populations to fill those buildings residential or commercial.

Nashville Cliff is right. When we have 6 million in our MSA, we will have buildings over 700 feet. Until we have the MSA's of Philadelphia , Charlotte, Austin, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Dallas et. al. we will not have any towers any taller than what we have now. We also have such a large number of surface lots and blighted areas, we don't have to go up any higher yet. We could build fifty 30 story towers in the downtown loop and still have 100 surface lots.

 

Hell Shelby County/Memphis has 900,000 and their tallest tower is 430 feet in East Memphis 9 miles out of downtown.

Memphis is atypical I think. It has a similar population, but not the drive that Nashville has.

[Andrew_3289]

On 12/14/2015 at 0:36 PM, tragenvol said:

Even Philadelphia was once hampered from building taller than City Hall, perhaps Nashville will build taller and taller some day as well.

At one time there was a law that no building could be built higher than the town hall where William Penn stood atop, so that he could watch over the city. Once the law was overturned and buildings towered over him the curse of William Penn over Philadelphia sports began... This was rectified in 2008 when the Comcast building in Philadelphia placed a small William Penn statue on the top of it upon completion, allowing the Phillies to win the 2008 world series. 

Edited December 15, 2015 by Andrew_3289

[Nathan_in_DC]

6 minutes ago, Andrew_3289 said:

At one time there was a law that no building could be built higher than the town hall where William Penn stood atop, so that he could watch over the city. Once the law was overturned and buildings towered over him the curse of William Penn over Philadelphia sports began... This was rectified in 2008 when the Comcast building in Philadelphia placed a small William Penn statue on the top of it upon completion, allowing the Phillies to win the 2008 world series. 

If I recall correctly, it wasn't actually a law, just a gentleman's agreement that was broken with the Liberty Place buildings were constructed.