On a site that has been significant to Nashville since 1869, work is underway on Phase 2 of Taylor Place: Two multifamily developments named Hume House and The Hamilton rising four stories high, sharing a parking garage in the middle. Phase 1 was completed in 2015, which included the multifamily residential development The Flats at Taylor Place, upscale restaurant 5th and Taylor, and Class A office space at the Werthan Building.
The site plan calls for two distinct residential buildings, Hume House and The Hamilton, which are joined a shared parking garage. Amenities in both buildings will offer a fitness center, pool courtyards and common green space.
The project also shows an excellent use of green space. All of the sidewalks and pedestrian paths throughout the development are open and well landscaped, culminating in an open meeting area situated north of 5th and Taylor, in Phase 1 of the development. Here is the quick rundown:
Development Rundown
Taylor Place: Phase 2
- What’s Now: Empty lot
- What’s Next: Multifamily Residential Development
- Developer: SWH Residential Partners
- Architect: Smith Gee Studio
- Engineering Design: Catalyst Design Group
- Location: 602 Taylor Place
- Capacity: Approximately 350 Residences with Amenities
Construction Progress
Given the development’s location within the Germantown Historic Preservation District, new construction would normally be limited to two stories. But this site, the Werthan Complex Development Zone, is exempt from normal height requirements. Instead, new construction must take its context from the existing historic buildings, and may match the historic buildings’ maximum height of 65 feet. Here is a look at current construction progress.
View from Taylor Street – Photo Credit Coleman Gaines
View From Hume Street – Photo Credit Coleman Gaines
View from Press Place – Photo Credit Coleman Gaines
History
The site of this development first came to prominence in 1869, when local businessman Samuel Morgan built a clothing mill on the southeast corner of Hume Street and Rosa L Parks Boulevard (called North Spruce Street at the time). This mill is still standing and has since been repurposed as industrial-style lofts, and Morgan Park, sitting across 5th Avenue from this development, was named after Samuel Morgan.
Morgan’s business, Tennessee Manufacturing Company, continually added buildings to the site until 1928, when the land was sold to Werthan Bag Company. Werthan was a nationally known manufacturer of burlap and paper bags, and they too added buildings to the site, filling it out in 1965. In 1999, the six original mill buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Werthan Bag Company moved out of the space in 2010, eventually selling the land to SWH Residential Partners, and then moved to White House, TN, where it declared bankruptcy in 2016.
Presently, the site has been divided into two sections: the six historically preserved buildings that have since been primarily converted to residential units, and the newer section, which has mostly been demolished to make space for new development.
Be sure to check back for more on this and other Developments in and around Nashville!
