Creating Places: A Citizen Observer's Look at Nashville's Built Environment


Writer's Note: William Williams' interest in the manmade environment dates to 1970, at which point the then-young Williams started a collection of postcards of city skylines. The collection now numbers 1,000-plus cards. Among the writer's specific interests are exterior building design, city district planning, demographics, signage, mixed-use development, mass transit and green/sustainable construction and living. Williams began his Creating Places column with The City Paper in February 2005. The column in its original form was discontinued in September 2008 and reinvented via this blog in November 2008. Creating Places can be found on the home page of the website of The City Paper, at which Williams has worked in various capacities since October 2000.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Creating Places: Village variation


This old-school building in Hillsboro Village (the building home to Fido is barely seen on the left) is being altered, and I'm not sure why. I do recall the previous iteration of the building (home to a bridal shop) was ghastly, as it sported a wood shingled appendage that covered the cool Mills Bookstore signage portion of the facade. I also believe the brick portion of the face had been covered with stucco. To see the original brick exposed is very encouraging.

On the Mills Bookstore theme, I'm old enough to recall when Mills operated from the Village. However, the little bookstore last conducted business on the other side (the west side) of 21st Avenue. I once saw Roots author Alex Haley at that Mills. Impressed by the TV mini-series, I told Mr. Haley he did a fine job with the book -- despite my never having read it. To this day, I feel a bit guilty about that.

 If anybody has any info on this project, please let me know.


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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 1, 2012 at 7:52 AM

    Wow what a blast from the past to see the old Mills Book Store sign. Yes, I recall that they had locations on both sides of 21st over the years. Nashville had two successful local book stores for a long time, Mills and Zeiberts. Mills later had another location in Belle Meade Plaza where the current Cheeseburger Charlies is now located. I very much look forward to the new HG Hill Realty development in Hillsboro Village -- they do really nice developments.

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  2. William WilliamsMay 1, 2012 at 8:58 AM

    I now recall the Belle Meade Plaza Mills, too.

    Thanks for that reminder, A-Mous.

    WW

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  3. AnonymousMay 4, 2012 at 8:24 AM

    And I beilieve too that there was a Zieberts Bookstore in Green Hills at one point (in the Telephone Bldg., near the B&W Cafeteria) I recall. What a flash from the past in that picture.

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