Envisioning a Future for Historic Buildings on 2nd Ave

Helping a City Respond and Rebuild from Disaster

A CASE STUDY

On Christmas Day 2020, a bomb exploded in the heart of downtown Nashville’s historic Second Avenue. With 65 buildings damaged, an estimated 400 residents displaced, 1200 employees left without jobs due to more than 45 closed businesses, and the media attention of the nation, Nashville Mayor John Cooper called in GHP to manage response and recovery efforts.

Representing the City of Nashville, GHP jumped into action and developed a two-prong plan focused on immediate response and stabilization—followed by long-term visioning and community communication. At the end of the 13-month program management engagement, City stakeholders were equipped with a stabilized program, an informed public, and a clear rebuild vision.

“The Second Avenue project had a range of unique circumstances—a human-incited catastrophe, 150-200-year-old buildings, hundreds of stakeholders, public safety risks, and national media attention. However, at its heart, the central need was the same as every project—finding solutions to problems. And we were honored to be part of the team that brought solutions to the table for our community.”

—Dominique Arrieta, AIA, GHP’s President and Chief Executive Officer

Project Highlights

Services: Project Management

Timeline: December 2020 - February 2022

Building Ages: Many buildings were originally constructed in the 1800s

Project Scope:

Project management for the response and recovery of Nashville’s historic Second Avenue after the 2020 Christmas Day bombing
Assessed and stabilized 65 damaged historic buildings
Community engagement and communication
Long-term visioning for the rebuild

Project Outcomes:

32 historic buildings re-opened
23 buildings under construction
Under budget
Traffic flow restored
Stabilized, restored, and preserved historic buildings and materials where possible
Visioning underway to unite Second and First Avenues into a destination streetscape and riverfront district

Client

GHP represented and supported the Metropolitan Development & Housing Agency (MDHA) and Metro Nashville Planning Department, overseen by Nashville Mayor John Cooper.

Challenges and Objectives

Multiple Stakeholders

The Second Avenue bombing affected hundreds of people, requiring many stakeholders to be involved in Metro Nashville’s response and recovery efforts. These stakeholders included:

100+ private building owners and tenants
Mayor’s Office
Government Agencies (Development and Housing, Finance, Planning, Codes, Police, Transportation, FBI, etc.)
Insurance companies
Historic commissions
Public utilities and public works
Community organizations (Civic Design Center, Urban Land Institute, Nashville Downtown Partnership, The District, United Way, etc.)
Design, construction, site, engineering, and sustainability consultants and contractors
Nashville residents, workers, and tourists
Local, regional, and national media

Historic Building Damage

Lined by buildings constructed in the 1800s, Second Avenue is considered by many to be the “birthplace” of Nashville. Second Avenue has served as downtown Nashville’s main historic thoroughfare, at the heart of Nashville’s development since the city’s inception. Many of the district’s Victorian-era buildings sustained heavy damage during the Christmas Day attack, posing the question—how could they be saved?

Public Safety

Concerned citizens, curious onlookers, and looters converged on the site. But with buildings having shifted on their foundations, live wires, and other hazards, Metro Nashville needed to secure the area for public safety.

Traffic

Located adjacent to Nashville’s iconic Broadway district and in the heart of downtown, the closure of Second Avenue significantly obstructed traffic flow. New traffic patterns needed to be created, along with a long-term plan to re-open the street to transportation access.

Public Information and Engagement

The tragic bombing shook the community. Thousands of people in the greater Nashville metropolitan area were—and are—invested in the response and recovery efforts. Metro Nashville needed a way to capture the community’s feedback, keep residents informed, and ensure the community moved forward together.

Funding

As a historic district and a mix of public and private stakeholders, funding options for this project were complex and varied.

Supply Chain Delay and Labor Shortages

In a COVID-19 pandemic world, the project faced extensive delays in the supply chain and labor shortages. This challenged the team to make informed decisions on material and vendor selections, as well as remain in ongoing communication with stakeholders to respond to issues in real-time.

Vision for the Future

The Second Avenue bombing left the Nashville community reeling—ripping a figurative and literal hole into the downtown fabric. Metro Nashville was charged with repairing and reimagining that damage—creating a vision for the rebuild that would pay homage to Nashville’s birthplace while being, in the words of GHP’s President Emeritus Ron Gobbell, “the place where the next round of Nashville is born.”

Solution

In the wake of the Christmas Day attack, the community felt shock, confusion, and concern.

Understanding the need for order and thoughtful action, GHP began meeting with government, community, and non-profit stakeholders to map out project needs and determine next steps.

The resulting plan was divided into two-parts—focused first on immediate response, followed by longer-term recovery.

Second Avenue Response

The first stage of the project was dedicated to immediate support, coordination, and building stabilization. Within hours of contact from Metro Nashville, GHP was in full project management mode, establishing protocols and serving as a trusted point of contact.

Response efforts included:

Site Access Protocol: In response to a need for more than 40 different stakeholders to access the site, GHP created a protocol to map and communicate who is on site, where they are, what they are doing, and establish synergies where possible.
Public Safety Measures: GHP worked with local law enforcement and transportation authorities to create a secured zone around the most critically damaged buildings. The team also communicated with public utilities and works to ensure water, gas, and electricity were cut off in unstable areas. Over the course of the project, GHP managed a private security team and maintained frequent communication as issues arose to protect public safety.
Historic Building Stabilization: Structural engineers were mobilized quickly to conduct assessments on the 65 damaged historic buildings. Communicating with these engineers and Metro Codes, GHP’s team determined which buildings were structurally unsound. These unsafe buildings were secured temporarily for public safety—followed with more permanent demolition and stabilization solutions. All solutions were coordinated closely with the Metro Historical Commission to balance safety and redevelopment needs with the desire to protect historic building integrity.
Historic Building Materials Catalogue: With a passion for historic architecture, GHP sought to save as much of Second Avenue’s historic fiber as possible. During clean up efforts, the team assessed brick-by-brick historic material that could be salvaged. All materials were collected and catalogued for reuse in the rebuild.
District Building Map: A map of the district was created which detailed the 65 buildings effected by the blast, each building’s ownership and contact information, demolition/contractor information, and permitting status. This resource was maintained throughout the project, conducting frequent building inspections to verify project information.
Budget Dashboard: GHP’s team created and maintained a budget dashboard which included multiple funding sources and services to track costs. At the end of the project, total expenses came under the available budget.
Building Owner and Representative Communication: GHP conducted communication with all affected buildings which included local and out of state owners, building management, merchants, property insurance adjustors, and demolition contractors. Of the 65 damaged buildings, approximately 12 are considered structurally damaged and were a key focus of GHP’s coordination and communication. GHP guided building owners and representatives through varying levels of permitting, demolition, construction, utility connections, accessibility, security, programming needs, operational challenges, and all other inquiries.

“There were a lot of parties involved in the Second Avenue project. It felt really good knowing GHP was going to be a steward and shepherd for the project right out of the gate…It created a sense of comfort and confidence.”

—Ed Henley, Pillars Development Principal, Second Avenue Project Management Partner

Second Avenue Recovery

After Second Avenue was stabilized and immediate public safety needs secured, GHP began the project’s recovery portion. This second stage was focused on long-term visioning for the rebuild of Second Avenue—paired with and informed by community engagement.

Recovery efforts included:

Public Communication: GHP created a core Communication Team inclusive of PIO representation from the Mayor’s Office, MDHA, Metro Planning, NDOT, and the Nashville Downtown Partnership. This team met weekly to discuss media requests, press releases, public newsletters, site perimeter and security updates, Remembrance Events, and other public-facing communications. GHP also drafted all public newsletter messaging and materials.
Community Engagement Events: Partnering with Metro Planning and the Civic Design Center, GHP conducted six large-scale community engagements, along with an online survey. The approximately 450 participant responses collected directly influenced the visioning concepts for Second Avenue’s redevelopment. Three additional community engagement events were held that were focused on residents, businesses, building owners, and others directly affected by the blast. These events were held with the design team during the conceptual phases to identify functional needs.
Design Team Management: The project presented a unique opportunity to explore how Second Avenue could not just be rebuilt in its past visage but enhanced to meet the needs and desires of Nashville’s present and future. This vision process extended to include Nashville’s underutilized First Avenue. In addition to vision efforts, GHP developed budgeting estimates based on conceptual designs to be used in future capital improvement budget requests. Other design efforts included:
- Second Avenue Streetscape: GHP provided design oversight for the conceptual and schematic design of Second Avenue’s streetscape redevelopment. This included managing the contracted design team, providing a comprehensive project background, introduction to visioning goals, coordination among utilities, and general process oversight.
First Avenue Streetscape: GHP managed the contracted design team members which included processing community engagement feedback and incorporating into design concepts. GHP also helped coordinate complex waste management solutions.

Results

Adjacent to Nashville’s internationally known Broadway area, Second Avenue had become a sleepy street in comparison. It was a unique yet underutilized district that deserved a revival of its energy and offerings.

While tragic, Nashville’s Christmas Day crisis presented the community with a unique opportunity to marry Second Avenue’s storied past with a vision for its future. A vision that was confirmed through GHP’s various community engagement touchpoints.

Now, GHP’s response and recovery project management efforts have laid groundwork for this vision to be achieved. The team continues to coordinate with stakeholders to continue into the next phase of work.

Second Avenue response and recovery project results include:

Traffic flow was restored on Second Avenue
32 buildings were re-opened
23 buildings are under construction
Plans in development for 10 critically damaged buildings
Successfully partnered with historical commissions in stabilization, restoration, and preservation of historic buildings and materials
Visioning underway to unite Second and First Avenues into a destination streetscape and riverfront district for enhanced residential and tourist interest