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South's Best Skyline?


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Best big skyline?  

291 members have voted

  1. 1. Best big skyline?

    • Atlanta
      76
    • Washington
      2
    • Miami
      66
    • Houston
      55
    • Uptown Houston
      9
    • Dallas
      22
    • Other (please specify)
      41


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I could ask the same thing about Jacksonville because Nashville's skyline looks a lot more dense to me.

I'm not sure what vacancy rate has to do with anything.

It means a lot.

First off the main concern is Blight. That is like saying vacant Big Boxes (ie vacant Wal-mart's and K-marts) really are not a concern. They are.

A great exapmle is cities that have a high count of buildings, but no one in them. This creates an environment for crime.

I do agree with you on height not being the holy grail and I also agree with you that older buildings add character. I have lived in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Philly and can personally tell you that I miss a lot of older architecture that those cities kept that Charlotte was insistant on tearing down.

The advantage in cities like Charlotte is that there is NO blight in downtown due to no buildings being left vacant for vangrants to occupy and call home. That is why having high building counts does not impress me. Vacancies in CBD's do carry a GREAT deal of importance though and do matter.

A2

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Martinman: Jacksonville doesnt have density??

And this shot doesnt show the 4 highrises under construction in downtown as we speak. I will put that up against Nashville any day.

Im no stranger to Jacksonville but IMHO no its not a very dense skyline. Nashville looks a lot more dense to me. That doesn't mean its not a nice skyline and thats a great shot of it btw.

Its cool that you like Jacksonville's skyline. I like it too. As I said before its a personal preference. I just didn't understand the idea that Nashville couldn't "surpass" Jacksonville as though J'ville had way more highrises. Thats what led to me posting the numbers from Emporis.

It means a lot.

First off the main concern is Blight. That is like saying vacant Big Boxes (ie vacant Wal-mart's and K-marts) really are not a concern. They are.

A great exapmle is cities that have a high count of buildings, but no one in them. This creates an environment for crime.

I do agree with you on height not being the holy grail and I also agree with you that older buildings add character. I have lived in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Philly and can personally tell you that I miss a lot of older architecture that those cities kept that Charlotte was insistant on tearing down.

The advantage in cities like Charlotte is that there is NO blight in downtown due to no buildings being left vacant for vangrants to occupy and call home. That is why having high building counts does not impress me. Vacancies in CBD's do carry a GREAT deal of importance though and do matter.

A2

Of course vacancy rates matter economically for a city but I was strictly speaking in terms of its skyline which I believe most people judge on appearance rather than building occupancy.

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Of course vacancy rates matter economically for a city but I was strictly speaking in terms of its skyline which I believe most people judge on appearance rather than building occupancy.

This is true. You know I am not trying to bust your chops Martinman, right ? :P

A2

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Im no stranger to Jacksonville but IMHO no its not a very dense skyline. Nashville looks a lot more dense to me. That doesn't mean its not a nice skyline and thats a great shot of it btw.

Martinman: We used to have even more density before the fools at the city let various landowners tear down many historic highrise structures. We are coming back. I think Nashville is a nice city too, by the way. I just think Jax has a bigger cluster of taller buildings downtown. Also, I was talking about density, not which buildings people like best. No hard feelings though, of course.

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Where are all of Nashville's skyscrapers? Are they in Franklin because they arent downtown based on the photos I have seen and trips I have made there.

There's much more to Nashville's skyline than the downtown shots you see. Nashville's CBD is tiny but the city has loads of midrises that extend out west just across the highway from downtown for a few miles in the West End and Midtown areas. Though there are not many tall towers if any, that area has literally tons of midrises and is actually pretty dense with more and more towers going up rapidly. Vandy and several hospitals are also packed in that area with all their midrises. It's a well established urban area that we rarely see completely laid out in photos on these boards. Perhaps this explains the discrepency?

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Martinman: We used to have even more density before the fools at the city let various landowners tear down many historic highrise structures. We are coming back. I think Nashville is a nice city too, by the way. I just think Jax has a bigger cluster of taller buildings downtown. Also, I was talking about density, not which buildings people like best. No hard feelings though, of course.

Hmm...according to emporis

Nashville's 10 tallest skyscrapers

1. 617ft

2. 490ft

3. 452 ft

4. 409 ft

5. 402 ft

6. 392ft

7. 385ft

8. 359ft

9. 354 ft

10. 300ft

Total: 4160

(When current proposals are built #1 will be 700ft and #6 will be 406ft...Nashville also has one building under construction that would be #10 at 378ft)

Jacksonville's 10 tallest

1. 617 ft

2. 535 ft

3. 447ft

4. 432 ft

5. 357 ft.

6. 309ft

7. 305ft

8. 299ft

9. 287ft

10.278ft

Total: 3866ft

(When current proposals are built #1 - #3 will be 675, 619, 619)

Nashville, as of right now, does have more tall buildings in the CBD. Jacksonville is catching up and depending on what happens could see a higher total number than Nashvilel but Nashville will have the tallest building and taller buildings still lower on the list. The skylines seem kind fo equal to me and while the aesthetics may please one more than another I don't think anyone can argue about which has more height or anything.

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Martinman: Jacksonville doesnt have density??

jaxskylinepanobeaver2ng.jpg

And this shot doesnt show the 4 highrises under construction in downtown as we speak. I will put that up against Nashville any day.

CREDIT: This photo courtesy of Lakelander from an earlier thread.

....and it would be a draw. Only one building stands out. And yes, the same could be said of Nashville. The real competition will be over the next several years and I'll have to admit Jacksonville probably has the long-term edge.

And you can take a picture of any city with comparable skylines like Jx and Nsh and make one look better than the other.

Hmm...according to emporis

Nashville's 10 tallest skyscrapers

1. 617ft

2. 490ft

3. 452 ft

4. 409 ft

5. 402 ft

6. 392ft

7. 385ft

8. 359ft

9. 354 ft

10. 300ft

Total: 4160

(When current proposals are built #1 will be 700ft and #6 will be 406ft...Nashville also has one building under construction that would be #10 at 378ft)

Jacksonville's 10 tallest

1. 617 ft

2. 535 ft

3. 447ft

4. 432 ft

5. 357 ft.

6. 309ft

7. 305ft

8. 299ft

9. 287ft

10.278ft

Total: 3866ft

(When current proposals are built #1 - #3 will be 675, 619, 619)

Nashville, as of right now, does have more tall buildings in the CBD. Jacksonville is catching up and depending on what happens could see a higher total number than Nashvilel but Nashville will have the tallest building and taller buildings still lower on the list. The skylines seem kind fo equal to me and while the aesthetics may please one more than another I don't think anyone can argue about which has more height or anything.

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For mid-size cities, if Tulsa really is in the south, would be among the best. Obviously not in the same class as Dallas, Miami, Houston or Atlanta, but probably right behind all of those.

Tulsa's top ten

1. 667 ft - BOK Tower

2. 648 ft

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If you go back to page 7, you can see some photos that show Nashville's density. In my opinion, it is more dense then Jacksonville's.

Actually, Nashville's Sig Tower will be at least 850 feet tall...not 700 as stated earlier. That will put it in the realm of Charlotte (until all those Charlotte projects go up and then they take a big lead).

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If you go back to page 7, you can see some photos that show Nashville's density. In my opinion, it is more dense then Jacksonville's.

This is atributed to Jacksonville splitting its Downtown into 2 sections, a northbank and southbank with a wide river (wide in accounts for a downtown river at least) well over 1000 feet at its narrowest so most images you see of downtown Jax is limited to just over half of the CBD. The southbank itself has 3 buildings under construction and another 6 planned (9 total) all over 20 stories and all within the same street corner/project.

I'll give Nashville credit for currently having some great density because they did well with infill towers. Smaller, not so flashy towers that filled in the area pretty well.

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  • 1 month later...

If you go back to page 7, you can see some photos that show Nashville's density. In my opinion, it is more dense then Jacksonville's.

I don't think either city's skyline is really that dense (compared to places like New Orleans, Richmond, etc.), but Jax's is a bit deceiving. Like Viper said, the river splits it, but most skyline shots of downtown are taken from the river. The problem with this is, the river is lined with the taller newer skyscrapers, which blocks the dense collection of old towers sitting a couple of blocks off the river. Here's some skyline photos from different angles to prove my point.

view from the new library

laurastreetaerialhorizontal5qf.jpg

Northbank & Southbank skylines

DTJacksonville-skylinePanoramic.jpg

Northbank pano, taken from the west

jaxskylinepanobeaver2ng.jpg

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^Great pics, Lexy. But to tell you the truth, when looking at Google Earth, both cities leave a lot to be desired. The skylines tend to be linear with a lot of surface parking lots mixed up in them.

Both seem to take a heavy hit during the urban renewal years of the 50s,60s & 70s. At this point, the main difference I see between the two is that most of Jax's surface parking lots don't consume the entire block (typically a couple of buildings still remain), while a larger portion of Nashville's does. Judging from the shadows, Nashville also appears to have more taller towers clustered in its core, while half of Jax's sit across the river, on the Southbank of downtown. Both CBDs should increase in density, in the upcoming years, as more infill projects take up those surface parking lots.

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^Great pics, Lexy. But to tell you the truth, when looking at Google Earth, both cities leave a lot to be desired. The skylines tend to be linear with a lot of surface parking lots mixed up in them.

Both seem to take a heavy hit during the urban renewal years of the 50s,60s & 70s. At this point, the main difference I see between the two is that most of Jax's surface parking lots don't consume the entire block (typically a couple of buildings still remain), while a larger portion of Nashville's does. Judging from the shadows, Nashville also appears to have more taller towers clustered in its core, while half of Jax's sit across the river, on the Southbank of downtown. Both CBDs should increase in density, in the upcoming years, as more infill projects take up those surface parking lots.

Hey thanks. I agree with your point on the parking lots. Hopefully both cities can get them gobbled up with development in the near future! I will admit that Nashville did take a hit in the urban Renewal days. Some treasures remain, but some have bit the dust unfortunatly.

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Hey thanks. I agree with your point on the parking lots. Hopefully both cities can get them gobbled up with development in the near future! I will admit that Nashville did take a hit in the urban Renewal days. Some treasures remain, but some have bit the dust unfortunatly.

Well, I do believe Signature and Veridian will add some depth to Nashville. Sig will especially add some contrast as Nashville's buildings are all close to the same height making the skyline appear sort of flat. (except Bellsouth and it relies far too much on the twin spires and the sign for height). Overall, Nashville does appear denser than Jacksonville.

But this thread is about the South's "best" skyline....whatever that means. So if the criteria are height, density, and appeal, neither Jacksonville nor Nashville are even in the running (for now). The only real contenders in the South are Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Miami (with Miami looking on the brink of a construction explosion).

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If you go back to page 7, you can see some photos that show Nashville's density. In my opinion, it is more dense then Jacksonville's.

I have always wondered why Nashville's downtown seemed to appear a little more dense and have more of an urban character than some of the comparable sized Cities I have visited. I did a little research on the Emporis website and found this interesting data:

Total number of completed high-rises

Atlanta 194

ST Louis 148

New Orleans 106

Nashville 101

Memphis 59

Louisville 57

Charlotte 53

Birmingham 52

Jacksonville 52

Nashville has more than half of what Atlanta has, far more than Memphis and Louisville and nearly twice as many as Jacksonville or Charlotte.

I think that is due to the large number of mid-rises that add to the infill between the towers. That and the compact downtown area and the narrow streets does give Nashville a dense look comparable to many larger Cities.

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It may also have something to do with Nashville being the capitol city in a state with only two 1 million+ metro areas. Jax has never really been a city of highrises. The CBD has a good collection of midrises (5 to 12 stories) and dense inner city neighborhoods resembling some of the ones that have made Savannah, St. Augustine and Charleston famous. Nevertheless, an impressive find. I never knew the difference in highrises between the cities was so big.

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By the way, I dont think those Jacksonville Emporis skyscraper figures include the beach communities within Duval County (and adjacent to Jax). Including these would add 15-20 skyscrapers to our totals. As for Nashville, it is a nice town. I just dont remember seeing all those highrises last time I was there. Good luck Nashville though! :)

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