NASHVILLE — Spectrum | Emery and OliverMcMillan have partnered to transform the 1.9 million-square-foot Nashville Convention Center site at 500 Broadway in downtown Nashville into a mixed-use development featuring retail, residential, office, dining and entertainment. The planned redevelopment, which will reportedly cost $400 million, still has several municipal approvals to clear before construction can begin.
The developers are expected to break ground in summer 2015 on the project, which could take two and a half years to complete. The proposed development calls for the demolition of the existing convention center structure, which originally opened in 1987. The transformation will include 215,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and dining space; 350 apartments; an 18-story office tower spanning approximately 300,000 square feet; a 140,000-square-foot conference center; an additional 60,000 square feet of offices above the retail space; and the previously announced 40,000-square-foot National Museum of African American Music.
“This partnership will not only enhance this project, but also raise the bar for what downtown Nashville can offer both residents and visitors, further igniting it as the heart for commerce, creativity and convenience,” says Pat Emery, president of Spectrum | Emery.
Gresham Smith & Partners and Gensler are the project’s architects. The general contractor is Skanska and office leasing will be handled by Cushman & Wakefield | Cornerstone. Spectrum | Emery has until Jan. 31 to submit final plans to Nashville’s Convention Center Authority.
“Our goal is to make this a project that not only enhances downtown’s retail,” says Dene Oliver, CEO of OliverMcMillan, “but extends and amplifies its world-class entertainment offerings, its residential options, and meeting and office solutions.”
In September, OliverMcMillan opened the first three blocks of the $1 billion Buckhead Atlanta, a 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use development with 300,000 square feet of retail, restaurants and cafes; 130,000 square feet of custom office; and two luxury residential towers in the first phase.
OliverMcMillan has designed, developed and manages more than 8 million square feet of projects, with a total project value exceeding $3 billion. In addition to Atlanta and Nashville, OliverMcMillan currently has projects under development in San Diego, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Denver, Houston, Chicago and Phoenix.
— Scott Reid