Creating Places: 12South rehab

The 12South building once to Harb's Oriental Rug Service is being given a very tasteful update. Unfortunately, the building's new-found attractiveness renders the adjacent structure (seen only partially on the right in this photo) even uglier than it originally had been (if that's possible). It is almost mind-boggling to think that folks in the 1960s and 1970s thought that buildings with with asphalt caps and multiple brick colors (I counted no fewer than five on the pathetic little structure) were actually attractive. But, in fairness, I thought I looked stylish, circa 1986, sporting pleated light-blue jeans, bulky all-white athletic shoes and a mullet. The lesson is simple: Buildings (and men) will always age well if given timeless exterior treatments.

Creating Places: Random tidbits

I offer a few quick hits after having just learned that the underrated Lane Motor Museum, located on Murfreesboro Road, has more Czech-made cars than any other facility located outside the former Czechoslovakia...

* Ray Hensler's tower is out of the ground and the flooring for level two is being created. Within the next three weeks, the building should be at least 30 feet tall and assuming some nice definition.

* Similarly, a segment of 1505 Demonbreun is out of the ground.

* Next door to 1505, the nondescript Comfort Inn is getting a major facelift. We can only hope that as part of the improvement, the tacky fiddles that pockmark some of the building's exterior will be removed.

* The Avenue of the Arts streetscape update is finished. I find the light poles to be of an attractive design and scale. Unfortunately, the poles don't include a lower cross arm to keep banners secured. As such, two (of the seven) banners were flapping wildly this past Saturday. When will Metro learn this makeshift approach to banner display simply does not work?

* A stat of note: There are approximately 12 buildings of 75 feet or taller currently under construction within no more than three miles of the heart of downtown.

* The Homewood Suites being built on the former FYE site has the potential to look much nicer than I had anticipated.

* The new Regions sign atop One Nashville Place looks very nice when lit at night. Not so much during the day.

* I'm not a fan of the two brick segments of the otherwise non-brick facade of Pine Street Flats in The Gulch.

* Full-scale work is now underway on the building that will be home to the future Metropolitan Bank Nashville headquarters. The former home to Bill Hudson & Associates is located on West End and across from the rising West End Summit. See photo below courtesy of Google Streetview.

Creating Places: USN's Hassenfeld Library

A quick post as I ponder who would be the the more noteworthy "unwitting hipster" were he, hypothetically, to wander into a random East Nashville bar: an elderly Mennonite gentleman or Fred Rogers, circa 1970.

The Hassenfeld Library on the University School of Nashville campus ranks among the best buildings constructed within the city since 2000. There are so many characteristics of the structure's exterior that I find appealing — include the brick color, the stone touches, the engraved "Hassenfeld Library" (seen in the lower photo along the roof line) and the 12-paned traditional windows.

But two elements stand out: 1. the building's contemporary segment (seen on the left half of Hassenfeld in the photo below) interacts effectively with the otherwise traditional design, thus allowing the admirer to realize that this is a "new building" that pays tribute to a timeless style. My only criticism is that the contemporary piece is a tad too large. 2. The building plays nicely off the other, and older, USN structures (they are not seen in the first photo). Given Hassenfeld, which opened in 2004, physically connects with its stately counterparts, a seamless symbiotic relationship is important.

If anybody knows the architect (I Google searched with no luck), please ID.

Grade: A-minus

Creating Places: West End Park addition

It's past midnight and slumber is not visiting me easily. As such, I thought I would make a quick post.

The building pictured below was recently completed in Historic West End Park. Fronting the T-intersection of Long Boulevard and Burns Avenue at an interesting angle, the three-story structure  (I don't know the name) is of a suitable height and width. I also like both the pronounced eaves (a commonly found feature on the buildings in this residential district) and the brick color.

Now for some design negatives:

* The windows on levels two and three look cheap, almost as if they were pasted on the exterior.

* The building's facade offers poor symmetry as the definition-lacking center (not very visible in this photo) looks awkward both by itself and in relation to the columns that frame it.

* On the proportionality theme, the balconies seem a bit small (perhaps I'm being somewhat picky).

*  The siding simply gives the exterior a bland (could be the ubiquitous neutral color) and generic feel, minimizing the otherwise nice effect of the brick. Though I acknowledge there would have been a cost consideration, the building would have looked much better clad fully in brick.

* The structure's sides, as is the case with so many residential buildings designed on a modest budget (which we can safely assume was the case here), are brutal.

During the past 10 years or so, West End Park has been the recipient of residential buildings representing a hodgepodge of styles. Some look quite nice, while others are painfully pedestrian. This building falls into the latter category.

I am curious to get others' thoughts on this design.

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.