Here’s the latest installment in the large development projects we’re following. It’s the first since July and a lot of progress has been made in each. Today we’ll focus on the 200 block of Gay Street.
The 200 block of Gay Street continues to evolve and develop into what it will become in its next phase. Originally a thriving block of commercial businesses lining each side of the street, the block was decimated by urban renewal in the 1970s. In its aftermath Summit Hill Avenue took a portion it will likely never return, while the western side became a parking lot and the eastern side, the portion that remained, became The Cradle of Country Music Park. Current efforts reflect an attempt undo some of the damage.
Today I have several photos from Hatcher Hill’s Lone Tree Pass project, so named after Cal Johnson’s bar and the tree it referenced, both of which were located on the western side of the 200 block. The project will eventually include 57 condos, four of which will be rentals at workforce rates. The project also includes 24,000 square feet of commercial space, with retail lining Gay Street as well as pedestrian corridor through the center of the condos and apartments.
Until I looked at the photos I didn’t realize how much the building had progressed since July when I last shared photographs of the project. My focus trained on the front building, whose construction has yet to start, I missed how much farther along the back building, adjacent to the Crowne Place, had come. Go back to that link to get an idea of the progress they’ve made in just three months. I’ve included two from the front view to show the contrast. Work continues steadily on the homes which are set to open next year. Watch for the portion adjacent to Gay Street to spring to life soon.
You might be surprised to see me mention the eastern side of the two hundred block, as I reported on it just a few days ago. While I gave the details of what we know, so far, in that article, my friend David Denton pointed out over the weekend that colorful objects had begun to form on the site. You can see them pictured here and I gave a wide shot so you could see the scale.
Strangely, I can’t look at the new “construction” and place it in the rendering. Can you? It’s as if they are building something different than what we expected. I’m sure that isn’t the case, but it will be fun to watch it emerge over the next weeks and see how it forms the structure in the renderings. Can you spot what I’m missing?