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« Just Arrived | Main | Tennessean Weighs In on Taxpayers Bill of Rights » November 20, 2004Conventional WisdomNashville's downtown convention center is too small, but a consultant's suggested options for expanding it are laughable. Expanding to the north involves the site owned by developer Tony Giarratana, who has proposed a 55-story skyscraper there. Giarratana made his first public presentation of the projected $200 million tower Thursday and didn't learn of the convention-center study's result until yesterday morning. "If modified, the plan could allow both projects to work," the developer said.Why not expand the convention center to the east? That way you only have to destroy one old church that is not even used as a church anymore. Just kidding. But on a more serious note, the notion that it would cost "less" to expand the existing center than to build new is ridiculous as it looks only at the bottom-line cost. But what would be the "cost" to downtown if we destroy one or two old churches, and perhaps prevent construction of a $200 million office/hotel/condo skyscraper in order to make the convention center larger - especially as there is ample vacant land in the downtown area where a new convention center could be built. What is the "cost" to the people of Nashville if you destroy the child-care and athletic facilities, the Christian Life Center and the rooftop garden at McKendree United Methodist and replace it with a large underground box? What is the cost to the fabric of downtown Nashville if you tear down First Baptist Church - which has anchored that part of downtown for years - and replace it with a place for sales conventions? If Nashville needs a new convention center - and I think it probably does - build an entirely new one. Then sell the old one for redevelopment. It might make a nice mall or something. Comments
Convention centers are highly overrated... just ask your friends in Knoxville. Posted by: CJ at November 20, 2004 1:13 PMDefinitely. We'll sell ours to Nashville; just name your price. Or, as Kramer would say, "interesting trades considered." Posted by: jw at November 22, 2004 9:08 AMNashville has had very good success with its convention center. It has been a big key to downtown's renaissance. I wouldn't use Knoxville for comparative purposes. Knoxville is a third-tier minor-market city with lousy and expensive air service. Nashville is a second-tier mid-major city which had an established place in the convention industry even before the center was built, and now is one of the top convention destinations in the country. It also has a major airport with ample and inexpensive air flights. We have a proven need for a larger convention center. Knoxville didn't even need the one it had, but built a larger one hoping that if they did, business would materialize. Dumb dumb dumb. Posted by: Bill Hobbs at November 22, 2004 9:35 AMFor that kind of money they should just buy the Renaissance Hotel and expand further into it's facilities... then hire someone to manage the hotel as a separate profit center. Posted by: jimmy at November 22, 2004 3:54 PMPost a comment
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