Creating Places: Vista Germantown assessment

A recent visit to Germantown revealed that construction of Vista Germantown, its north face notwithstanding, is almost completed. And I must say the opinions from locals will vary wildly. Some will contend the building, designed by Nashville-based Southeast Venture, is outlandishly designed, an odd hodgepodge of shapes, materials and colors. For example, the north side (seen in the photo on near left and with cars) and the east side both have surface areas (not including doors, windows, signage and railings) with eight different colors. I was not so OCD enough to count the total number of colors between the two sides but it must be at least 10. Critics likely will lambaste this feature. (I can foresee the laughs: "It looks like somebody ate a bunch of crayons and vomited.") But somehow this multi-colored approach works for me, in part because there is no other building in Nashville with such a varied color palette. The colors alone render Vista Germantown truly eye-catching. Another interesting design feature involves the building's northeast and northwest corners. The former leads to a space that will soon house the restaurant Silo, while the latter (seen in the photo to the far left) takes the pedestrian into the leasing/marketing/management office. It's rare to see a Nashville building with two activated corners.

On a negative note, I'm a bit pessimistic about Vista Germantown's south side (which overlooks Jefferson Street), and the east side is noticeable for its parking garage entrance. Neither side shines. However, this big and bold building delivers nice height, massing and distinctiveness. And it will fill the streets of Germantown with young urbanites — a good thing. No doubt, Vista Germantown ranks among the most unusual of the city's post-2000 urban infill residential buildings.

Grade: B plus