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.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Creating Places: Hyatt crane is in place

The tower portion of the Hyatt Place construction site crane was erected on Tuesday, and I would think the arm will be in place by the end of Wednesday. For those curious, the zenith of the crane appears to be about 200 feet. And, yes, it looks good — as do all soaring cranes. I would quaff a tasty Boddington's to celebrate but, alas, I have none.


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8 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2012 at 7:51 AM

    And where exactly is the site for the Hyatt Place Hotel downtown? I know it must be near the Music City Center, but a specific address or intersection would be useful information for this reader.

    How tall (floors & height) will this building be? Are construction cranes the same height as the bldg. under construction?

    Enquiring minds want to know.

    Ken

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  2. William WilliamsSeptember 5, 2012 at 10:47 PM

    Ken,

    The Hyatt site is located at the intersection of Third Avenue South and Molloy Street — just north of KVB and south of Demonbreun (and 1.5 blocks from the east wall of the MCC).

    Thanks,

    WW

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2012 at 1:59 PM

    So does that mean that the hotel will be 200 ft. tall? Is there a science to estimating the ultimate height of a building based on the maximum height of the construction crane(s)?

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2012 at 8:39 PM

      That's the question I wanted to know in the earlier reply. Sometimes the cranes will rise with the building and be dismantled when construction is done. Not sure how it works for smaller buildings. There must be different techniques and different types of cranes for different types of jobs and sizes and heights.

      I'm sure our wise William will know. If not, I know he will find out and explain. Thanks WW for everything you do!

      Ken

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  4. William WilliamsSeptember 6, 2012 at 9:46 PM

    Ken,

    Kind words. Thank you.

    The Hyatt will be (as I understand) approximately 170 to 180 feet tall. By comparison, Encore is about 210 to 215 feet tall at its four corners (the four penthouse units).

    It can be difficult to estimate an under-construction building's height by noting its crane height at any given time, as a tower crane (courtesy of a lift) can be raised (the crane actually inserts, using a hydraulic lift, a segment to literally raise itself).

    For Hyatt, it appears the crane is at its tallest point. Also, note the rather short arm extending horizontally from the tower (due to close proximity to Encore).

    WW

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2012 at 7:24 AM

    I'll bet some of the condos at the Encore will have their views at least partially blocked by the Hyatt, and also by the Omni Hotels now under construction. There could be even further limited views if the other proposed towers in that area are built.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2012 at 9:56 AM

    This crane will not be dismantled since they had to locate the crane inside the building due to lack of space. One will see the crane slowly disappear as floors go up. There will literally be a closet where one can walk in and the crane will be there like a stairwell. Of course the boom arm, cab, counter weights, and pulley system will be removed from the top.

    My uncle, now diseased, said this was common place when he hung steel in NYC for about 45 years. In lots of buildings the crane remains inside the building, and in the case of the Hyatt, this seems to be the case as well.

    13 stories and 176 feet is the official height from sidewalk to roof but does not include a spire or cap. I am thinking the building will be at 200 feet. Regardless the building is a nice piece of infill.

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  7. William WilliamsSeptember 11, 2012 at 10:16 PM

    Excellent update, Amous9:56AM. Very interesting crane info.

    WW

    ReplyDelete

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