[Updated]: Office Tower, Entertainment Venue Confirmed for Nashville Convention Center Site

A rendering of the redeveloped space at the site of the old Nashville Convention Center.

Nashville’s downtown convention center site will soon be redeveloped. A proposal from Cushman & Wakefield/Cornerstone, and a team led by Pat Emery, has been accepted by Metro, and will require the demolition of the existing convention center, to then be replaced by a tower boasting between 480,000 and 840,000-square-feet of office space. The new building will also include underground parking and entertainment complexes. A plaza-like setting along Fifth Avenue will provide a new showcase for the Ryman Auditorium. The projected cost for the new tower and plaza is $230 million.

“This plan maximizes this prime location in the heart of our downtown tourism and entertainment district by bringing in more places to shop, eat, visit and work,” said Mayor Karl Dean. “The retail component and office tower will round out what we know could make our downtown an even more vibrant destination. There is growing demand for high quality office space, and we also know that conventioneers, visitors and local residents want to do more shopping while they’re downtown.”

The project has a commitment to meet or exceed 20 percent minority or disadvantaged business throughout development and construction. The building will feature a 50,000-square-foot National Museum of African American Music and a 69,000-square-foot conference center. Two levels will feature up to 244,000 square feet of retail, entertainment, dining and activity space. The entire development is projected to top of 1.2 million square feet.

Emery-led Cushman & Wakefield/Cornerstone will oversee marketing and leasing of the office space portion of the building, while other team members include engineering company Gresham Smith and Partners, general contractor Skanska, PR firm Hall Strategies and landscape architecture company Hawkins Partners.

Construction is estimated to begin in 2017, with an opening tentatively slated for 2019.

A rendering of the redeveloped space at the site of the old Nashville Convention Center.