Creating Places: Fatherland Flats

A quick post as I tap the toes to Thin Lizzy's groovy live version of "Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" ... 

Earlier today, I drove by Fatherland Flats, Chris McCarty's 48-unit apartment project taking shape in East Nashville. McCarty and his team, once finished, will have spent about $1 million on the multi-building effort (a photo of which is seen below). And though the rehab of what had been called 400 Fatherland (a painfully outdated utilitarian residential complex) will not render the exteriors notably attractive, the new-look FFlats structures should offer an acceptable presence as seen from the street. In addition, the interiors promise to be quite nice. 

No doubt, given the original design, McCarty would have needed to flatten the buildings and start afresh had he wanted to deliver an exceptionally handsome building(s). But the former Seattle resident prefers reusing buildings and I commend him for taking that approach in this case. 

The rehabbing will be concluded by the end of June with the development 75 percent leased (read more here).

Creating Places: Belmont Close

As I decompress from the excitement of the Memphis vs. Oklahoma City NBA playoff battle, I offer a quick look at Belmont Close.

During the early construction stage of the residential building, located on Wedgewood Avenue and catty-corner from the Belmont University campus, I was concerned that the finished product would offer a hideous street presence. And though the building does contain some flaws and is painfully basic, it is at least a tad more attractive than I expected. For example, the two brick colors interact nicely. The thick base (looks like it might be split-face concrete block, a cheap substitute for stone) and pitched roof deliver a decent bottom and top sandwich for the mid-section, which — in addition to the cleanly contrasting colors — shows solid window-to-facade proportionality. Typically, I don't care for tiny front entrances with steps, but these are acceptable. I don't like the shutters, as they suggest (if you view them at close range) the type shutters found on rural homes.

In short, Belmont Close is very vanilla, with nothing distinctive about its form. But for this type design, I have seen far worse. Given that reality, any building that graded better than an F is a modest success.

Grade: C-minus

(Note: Thanks to local manmade environment enthusiast Ron Brewer for this photo.)

Creating Places: Saving Ben West

Christine Kreyling, inarguably the most skilled and experienced journalist covering this city's manmade environment, has penned a strong Nashville Scene piece regarding downtown's Ben West Building. Read here.

The following two-sentence flourish from Kreyling is a particular highlight:

"City officials should have learned by now that surface parking is toxic to downtowns. The lots erode the street wall and the pedestrian experience, bring walkers into conflict with cars accessing the lots, [and] contribute nothing but ugliness to the streetscape and little to the tax base, even if privately owned."

Perfectly put, Ms. Kreyling.

Creating Places: Congrats, ESa

The Spring 2013 edition of Learning By Design reports that Nashville-based Earl Swensson Associates, Inc., has received a Citation of Excellence Award for outstanding educational facility design for the renovation and adaptive reuse of Belmont University ’s McAfee Concert Hall,. 

ESa is one of only seven firms in the country to receive the award.

ESa repurposed an aging church sanctuary on the Belmont University campus into a contemporary music hall that serves both the campus and the surrounding community. Distinctive details were preserved, while ESa designed the facility to nearly double its volume by utilizing previously unused attic and floor space. (I've been inside and it's quite nice.)

In addition, Belmont's ESa-designed Randall and Sadie Baskin Center, College of Law, received an Honorable Mention Award. ESa is one of only three firms in the country to receive the honor. The center is one of the best examples of post-2010 traditional architecture in Nashville.

Creating Places: More tidbits

A few observations as the night concludes and I ponder whether I would be tempted to say, were I to meet him, Jonathan Goldsmith — the actor who plays The Most Interesting Man in the World in the TV commercials — the following: "I often drink beer and when I do, I prefer craft beer instead of mass-produced stuff like Dos Equis."

* The newly painted grain silo at Yazoo looks very cool. Take a look.

 

* Relatedly, and only a few yards from the Yazoo building, the Gulch structure home to Colts Chocolates is getting a mural. Reminds me — at least so far — of the tasteful mural on the side of the 12South building home to The Filling Station. I'm optimistic this will be a fine addition to Overton Street.

Here is a look at the proposed addition to the Centennial Sportsplex. I believe it will be oriented in such a way as to not — like the other buildings within the complex — address a public street. That's disappointing but not necessarily surprising given various factors, including the limited amount of space along 25th and on which any new building could front. Of note, this building looks vastly better than the existing structures on the site. But, so would about 99 percent of the buildings ever constructed in Nashville.

* The parking garage at the 23Hundred at Berry Hill site is quite tall. The developer told me during a recent phone chat that the apartment building could stand 60 feet at its tallest point.

* I've learned from a trusted source that more smallish residential infill is planned for Germantown and Salemtown.



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Creating Places: Tidbits

As the night concludes and I ponder which rock band with the word "black" in its name — Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Black Sabbath, The Black Angels,  or The Black Keys — I most prefer, I offer some quick hits:

* The first tower crane is being assembled for Ray Hensler's luxury apartment tower in the Gulch.

* And speaking of whom, I saw Ray in the Gulch recently and asked him the chances of his tower converting to condos before it opened. He smiled and noted he is asked that question frequently. Then he smiled again and we exchanged good-byes.

* And speaking of that, my gut feeling is Hensler will open his tower as originally planned, that is, as Nashville's first 20-plus-story luxury apartment building. There will be no competition and, as such, the units should rent quickly — despite the reservations of a handful of naysayers. The fact that the building should be of top quality and has an absolutely prime location (in the Gulch, convenient to the inner-interstate loop and within walking distance of Midtown and the central business district) will help the marketing process all the more.

* I noticed Monday that the Yazoo Brewing Co. grain storage silo (which had been a shiny white as seen in the image below) on the Division Street face of the building has been painted and looks fantastic. I'll take a photo and post soon. On this theme, and because both the silo and the building's retro logo offer a stellar appearance, I hope Yazoo mastermind Linus Hall will consider an exterior color scheme change for his building. The industrial warehouse currently sports an underwhelming combination of light-yellowish cream and maroon (the latter color is not seen in the image below). If you're reading, Linus, please don't take this harshly. You know I am a major fan of all your beers and what you have done for this city.

*  Hill Realty is demolishing its Hillsboro Village buildings to make room for the long-awaited MZA-designed replacement. I will miss the vintage structures, with my best memory involving them being the time my little brother and I visited Mill's Bookstore in (I seem to recall) 1980 to meet the late author Alex Haley. As a gangly and acne-suffering 17-year-old, I had the audacity to tell the legend I appreciated what he did with Roots — even though I never read the book.

Creating Places: Walking Demonbreun

As I listen to some instrumental music and enjoy a cup of chocolate soy milk, I ponder Demonbreun Street, circa 2016. Join me as we take a mental (and hypothetical) 1.5-mile stroll on a wonderful spring day.

Starting at the Music Row Roundabout and with the handsome Roundabout Plaza casting a shadow on the dancing nudes of Musica, we move east on the north side of the road and are immediately greeted on the right by Faison's 1515 Demonbreun and on the left by the hustle and bustle of the various shops and bars that highlight the block. We pass Tamarind, the stellar Indian eatery, and pause to remember Mo, the affable manager who has long since moved on. A few steps forward and on the left, Rhythm towers above us. We take a look across the street at  the updated (though still generic) Comfort Inn, which has seen its cartoonish facade fiddles long since removed.

Crossing the interstate is unpleasant but not as much so as is currently the case as some pedestrian improvements have been made since 2013. Once we get to the other side, we cross Demonbreun and admire both the Eakin and Hensler towers. Past the underrated Braid Electric Building we then traverse the Demonbreun Viaduct and are greeted by MarketStreet's Gulch Crossing building and, shortly thereafter, a semi-icon: Cummins Station.

At Eighth and Demonbreun, we note the classy modernist United Methodist Publishing House building. After pausing, we gaze skyward at Tony Giarratana's Marriott on the left while the massive Music City Center roller-coasters its way east to the right. At Sixth, we spot the shops on the back side of the Bridgestone Arena then, at Fifth, thrill to the one-two-three punch of the northeast corner of the MCC, the quirky Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the modernist Omni. Hall of Fame Park offers some soothing greenery on the left.

We reach Fourth and are greeted by the Schermerhorn on the left and both Encore and Hyatt Place on the right. One block later loom both Pinnacle on the left and Tony Giarratana's SoBro on the right. At this point, we have walked past 18 buildings of major note, with the final two blocks of our stroll offering a nice finish with the tasteful Market Street Apartments and Liggett Building serving as an entrance to the Ingram Amphitheater.

That was a nice "walk" and my faux milk is consumed. Good night.