Historic Preservation

[East Side Urbanite]

Excellent article. And, related to the "you can't trust developers" item (in which the writer gives various examples of beautiful buildings being razed and replaced with surface parking lots): Most buildings that replaced historic buildings are nowhere near as architecturally significant as those demolished historic buildings.

 

WW

[UTgrad09]

Wasn't sure where to put this, but the subject matter I'm going to discuss is more along the lines of preservation. I did not see anything else posted about this (it's relatively insignificant), but I could have missed it.

http://blogs.tennessean.com/business/2013/03/26/clothier-manuel-sells-midtown-building-will-move-in-july/
 

The building, at 1922 Broadway, was sold March 15 for $1.1 million to LandDevelopment.com Inc., according to the deed reflecting the transaction.

Benchley said she had no idea what the buyers intend to do with the property, which, she added, “was a brothel back in the day.”

 

This is an old house next to Noshville on Broadway. As you know, there aren't a ton of these left in Midtown...but it's not entirely alone in this section. It doesn't appear to be exactly "unique," but you never know what's inside. 

 

https://maps.google.com/?ll=36.149546,-86.798073&spn=0.000416,0.00066&t=h&z=21&layer=c&cbll=36.149546,-86.798073&panoid=rF-zV9mXsO-wEd41TAkaPg&cbp=12,10.75,,0,-3.56

 

I'm not sure how concerned I should be that this building would come down. On one hand, it's a small property, so the opportunity for a large building there is probably not too great (it's hemmed in by Noshville, and I kind of doubt they're going anywhere soon). But the price of $1.1 million seems like a bit for that building (though admittedly I'm not real savvy when it comes to real estate values)...and just the name of the new owner...LandDevelopment.com, makes me raise an eyebrow. When I looked them up on google, it directed me to Land South Tennessee, LLC...which seems to specialize in gigantic rural tracts.

 

This is from their website:

Land South TN LLC and its subsidiaries are operating in Middle Tennessee region and involved in various real estate Investments. We capture competitive values through careful analysis of each acquisition by having the current real estate market conditions as the main focus. Other factors are ability to create cash flow through strategic management of our natural resources . Our group has also a strong commitment to our environmental stewardship and habitat conservation. Every year we replant hundreds of acres of land with new seedlings and also implement Best Management practices and forest practices regulations to protect our water qualities.Our professionals are experts in timberland, wildlife and land management. We also work with highly skilled real estate professionals such as, foresters, surveyors, brokers and Attorneys who share the same ideas and common goals as we do.

 

I honestly don't even know what to think of this. They own several huge rural properties, plus a couple of resorts in Pigeon Forge. My initial impression is they just hold the properties, not necessarily develop them.

 

 

Hopefully my fears are unfounded. The other old houses seem to do well as bars/clubs in the area. I think that would probably work here as well. Hopefully there's a tenant moving in, not a wrecking ball.

[captainwjm]

Yes, the lot is hemmed in, and the neighborhood as a number of old buildings converted into honkey-tonks, but I'd put money on demolition and surface parking, at least for the short term.  Parking is a real concern for the existing restaruants and bars, especially with the Buckingham development taking away the parking for the South Street restaurants.

[BnaBreaker]

Yes, the lot is hemmed in, and the neighborhood as a number of old buildings converted into honkey-tonks, but I'd put money on demolition and surface parking, at least for the short term.  Parking is a real concern for the existing restaruants and bars, especially with the Buckingham development taking away the parking for the South Street restaurants.

 

I truly hope that isn't the case, because that would just mean more history disposed of for the sake of a slight uptick in convenience for drivers.  I truly hope that someday soon the residents of Nashville, and really, the residents of every city in this country to varying degrees, get over their constant desire to be able to drive absolutely everywhere absolutely as easily as possible and also be able to park right next to wherever it is they are going when they get there. 

 

In my opinion, that attitude really is a city killer.  And it's kind of funny to me when I hear Nashvillians express the need for more parking seeing as how Nashville probably has a higher ratio of parking spaces to residents than the vast majority of cities. 

 

I obviously have nothing against driving, and I know that in a place like Nashville often times there aren't really many other options, but in my opinion, if one insists on taking their own personal method of transportation into the city, they should be tolerant of the prospect of having to possibly walk a block or two to their destination rather than expecting the number one development priority of cities to be making sure drivers don't ever have to walk once they get out of their car.

Edited March 27, 2013 by BnaBreaker

[nashvillwill]

Amen

[bwithers1]

No new information here per se, but this is a nice article by East Nashville pioneer Christine Kreyling about the Cordell Hull building.  She makes an interesting point about the State pulling back from leasing buildings that they don't own in order to better use buildings that they do own.  But then again, the DO own the Cordell Hull building.  She also makes an interesting point about how there is nostalgia right now for Depression-era stuff, but the MidCentury buildings in Nashville aren't feeling the love.  Enjoy.

http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/in-architecture-as-plans-to-tear-down-the-cordell-hull-building-show-the-recent-past-gets-no-respect/Content?oid=3336721

[UTgrad09]

A lengthy article in the Tennessean about some of the recent losses we've had, as well as the ongoing battle. It's a pretty decent read.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20131019/NEWS01/310190032/As-Nashville-booms-older-buildings-casualties

 

 

The last line, a quote from Councilman Hollerman, pretty much sums up my views on what is happening:

 

 

“Individually, a lot of these buildings are not significant, but as we tear them down, one by one over time, we lose a lot of our city’s historic character.”

 

Some buildings that get torn down are unfortunate, but not tragic. "Oh, well that was a neat building. Too bad." But as these "not significant" buildings start to thin out, we start to realize that we're losing a lot of the cool, quirky, funky buildings that make some of our neighborhoods what they are. 

 

Yes, we should save the architecturally significant buildings first and foremost. And perhaps some old buildings are really just...old buildings. But we do need to find a way to protect ourselves from being overrun by Urban Renewal v2.0 (though this being primarily market/developer driven). Perhaps there can be a way to encourage preservation and adaptive reuse in areas with lots of old, semi-historic, non-protected properties, like Midtown.

[bwithers1]

For areas such as Midtown: preservation incentives. It's all about money anyway.

 

I'm not so much envisioning cash grants, but possibly property tax abatements or zoning variances. For example, you can build higher in the back of the property if you preserve the historic structure in the front of the property. Or, we will entertain a zoning variance allowing greater density (# of units) or a change of use if you agree to reuse the historic structures, subject to Historic Zoning design guidelines for similar properties/areas and subject to the normal Planning department public hearing process to address any neighborhood/traffic concerns.

 

Part of the challenge with conservation overlays is that they must be contiguous properties for several blocks. But if an historic property is surrounded by new construction and/or parking lots, the city council could entertain such incentives for individual property owners. There are individual building protections for a few buildings, such as Hume Fogg High School, but those are limited and for a few exceptional properties. But there are a lot of great buildings (such as the Mayfair) in the Midtown area that were quite average and "normal" for their time, but that are the last remaining testiments to the area's history and character today.

 

This is just an idea, but it is one that I hope the city would entertain.

A lengthy article in the Tennessean about some of the recent losses we've had, as well as the ongoing battle. It's a pretty decent read.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20131019/NEWS01/310190032/As-Nashville-booms-older-buildings-casualties

 

 

The last line, a quote from Councilman Hollerman, pretty much sums up my views on what is happening:

 

Some buildings that get torn down are unfortunate, but not tragic. "Oh, well that was a neat building. Too bad." But as these "not significant" buildings start to thin out, we start to realize that we're losing a lot of the cool, quirky, funky buildings that make some of our neighborhoods what they are. 

 

Yes, we should save the architecturally significant buildings first and foremost. And perhaps some old buildings are really just...old buildings. But we do need to find a way to protect ourselves from being overrun by Urban Renewal v2.0 (though this being primarily market/developer driven). Perhaps there can be a way to encourage preservation and adaptive reuse in areas with lots of old, semi-historic, non-protected properties, like Midtown.

Edited November 1, 2013 by bwithers1

[bwithers1]

The historic house/school at 1818 Eastland next to Walden is undergoing demolition prep.  The demo permit was pulled on Friday.  Architectural salvage is taking place.  This house is thought to have been built in the 1880s and served as the Spout Spring School for the rural Davidson County school district.  This area was not annexed to the City of Nashville until the first decade of the 20th Century as development progressed along the Eastland Car streetcar line that ran down Eastland Ave (originally Vaughn's Pike) and around the corner up Porter Pike to Greenwood Ave.

 

We all knew that this demolition was coming.  To his credit, March Edgerton did make an effort to save that building by offering it free to anyone who could move it to their own site.  Now moving buildings is very expensive and complicated (it requires a permit to block the streets along the travel route, among other things), and apparently can only be done at night.  It's too bad that noone was able to find an appropriate site for it, pour a footer and foundation, and get the house moved to that site. 

 

Around the corner, the little non-historic house at 209 Gentry where the Gentry Cottages development is proposed was moved offsite to a location in Robertson County.  The historic house at 207 Gentry will be incorporated into the Gentry Cottages proposal proper.  Woodland Street Partners is pretty good about saving historic houses and even non-historic houses that are usable.

 

It's a shame that a similar house-moving arrangement couldn't be worked out for 1818 Eastland in the Walden area.  But the original Walden SP that was filed almost a decade ago showed a new building on that site facing Eastland.  So this one is no surprise.  And at least the new building will be a good use of that land along Eastland instead of some tragic two-plop built on spec.

Edited June 2, 2014 by bwithers1

[Hey_Hey]

Ben Folds has penned a letter trying to save RCA Studio A. Evidently a real estate developer in Brentwood recently went under contract with the property.

www.nashvillescene.com/nashvillecream/archives/2014/06/24/ben-folds-may-be-forced-to-sell-rca-studio-a-pens-open-letter-to-nashville

[titanhog]

Yep...they're tearing down Music Row as fast as they can.  Surely something can be done to save more than just studio B on the row.

[samsonh]

I've said it before and I will say it again, very little of Music Row is worth saving. This building may be. Ben Folds surely has the ability to save it. Maybe he should have had conversations with the previous owner instead of lashing out.

 

Very interesting who people choose to get mad at.

[nashvillwill]

Ben Folds surely has the ability to save it. Maybe he should have had conversations with the previous owner instead of lashing out.

Perhaps he did.

[titanhog]

My real concern is that many, or most, of the "music businesses" on Music Row are being priced out by the market.  I guess there's really no way around that, as we're a free market society, rightly so.  However...there will come a day, sooner rather than later, when Music Row really no longer has any music businesses.  All will have moved to Berry Hill or Cool Springs (Berry Hill is almost full now with music offices and Cool Springs is quickly gaining more and more music businesses.)  From what I'm hearing, rental rates have tripled in the past 5 years or so on the row in many instances.

 

Pretty soon, there really won't be much of a reason to call that area Music Row.  If that's what the city and its residents want...so be it.  I just lament the change...though I have no idea if anything can be done to alter it.

 

(Btw...when I say music offices...I'm talking more about the small publisher and writer offices.  The bread and butter of the business.  The mom and pop businesses.  Not the big labels, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc.)

Edited June 25, 2014 by titanhog

[samsonh]

That change also has a lot to do with how the music industry has transformed over the past decade. The industry has been disrupted by new technologies and is not going to go back to the way it once was. We can either deal with reality or we can reminisce over past times

[titanhog]

Believe me, I deal with the realities of the music industry every day.

[samsonh]

Lol, so we should subsidize these businesses in a high rent district. Its easy to complain, much tougher to come up with a real sustainable solution without harming other parties. What is occurring now(business relocating to other districts) is the most equitable solution. It may not be what you like, but it makes the most sense.

[SoundScan]

'Fast Forward 20 Years'..."Welcome to Nashville, Music City Anytown, USA"

 

Perhaps a bit dramatic, but still...

[samsonh]

As a resident of the area, I can promise you there are not tourists up and down this area. There are a few NashTrash busses, and a couple ghost limos, but that is it. Many of these 'historic' houses are not maintained, the sidewalks are in disrepair, and overall the best part of the area are the trees the closer you get to Wedgewood! I say this as a life long Nashville resident!

[UTgrad09]

'Fast Forward 20 Years'..."Welcome to Nashville, Music City Anytown, USA"

 

Perhaps a bit dramatic, but still...

 

The Row is only one aspect of Nashville's music scene. I know what you are saying, but I do think that IS a bit dramatic. Like it has always done, the music scene evolves.

[Hey_Hey]

I don't have much sympathy for the sentiment that we save all of Music Row from the wrecking ball. Most are not historic and redevelopment would be good. However, there are some places that need to be saved because of their past contributions to American culture. Places like RCA Studio A have played a major role in the music of the 20th Century and helped create one of the largest genres in the world. "Music Row" may not play a significant role in the music industry going forward, and I'm perfectly fine with that. The music industry will transition to another neighborhood just like all the ad agencies have moved away from Madison Ave in Manhattan. That doesn't mean we can't take a targeted approach to saving certain key properties.

Just because something isn't economically viable at the time doesn't mean it isn't worth saving from a historical standpoint. At a point in the not too distant past we stood at a similar crossroads with the Ryman. Looking back at that tine now most people cannot fathom the thought that we were close to losing the Ryman.

[BnaBreaker]

I'm all for the preservation of history, but the nature of cities is that sometimes the purpose and character of certain neighborhoods evolve and change and sometimes there isn't much we can do about it.  How many Ukranian businesses do you think still exist in Chicago's Ukranian Village neighborhood? 

[titanhog]

Lol, so we should subsidize these businesses in a high rent district. Its easy to complain, much tougher to come up with a real sustainable solution without harming other parties. What is occurring now(business relocating to other districts) is the most equitable solution. It may not be what you like, but it makes the most sense.

There's a difference between complaining and lamenting the loss of something.  And...please tell me where I said anything about subsidizing any businesses.

 

LOL backatcha.

[Jamie Hall]

I've lived in Nashville for 7 years, and I've had many, many guests visit from out of town and ask me to drive them around and see the sites of Nashville. I've never once thought of showing them Music Row, and nobody has ever asked. I have utmost respect for the artists and industry folks who cut their teeth and started their careers in that neighborhood, but I don't see any of them (aside from Ben Folds) stepping forward and demanding to save or restore any of those buildings.

 

It would seem that repurposing existing artifacts and photographs from those sites and putting them in a centralized Music Row Museum could be more of an attraction these days than Music Row itself. There just doesn't seem to be much demand otherwise.

[bwithers1]

Well, the CMHOF's tours of RCA Studio B are popular.  It's too bad that Studio A wasn't included with those tours since many people visiting Nashville are particularly fascinated with the music publishing and recording aspects.  And you're right that it is too bad that there isn't an All For The Hall-type of fundraiser concert by music industry folks like there is for the Country Music Hall of Fame.  Or like the concerts that Emmylou Harris put on in the about-to-be-condemned Ryman Auditorium that led to its eventual refurbishment as one of the premier concert venues in the entire United States.  Maybe something like that will happen for RCA Studio A.  We'll see.

 

People write songs everywhere in the United States.  But many of the famous songs that everybody knows (and that are listed in the MCC's Songwriter's Hall of Fame) were plugged to publishing companies and later recorded in the actual buildings on Music Row.  There is something to be said about having a tangible sense of place where something happened.  That's how the Catholic Church created the travel and tourism business in the Middle Ages with pilgrims visiting churches to see real (or forged) relics of the Saints.  The same is true of Music City.  If all of the artifacts of our musical heritage exist solely in a digitized form that can be accessed anywhere, then what is the point of getting on a plane and coming here?

Edited June 26, 2014 by bwithers1