Preserving and Enhancing the Integrity of Union Station
Honoring the Past while Reimagining the Future
A CASE STUDY
After first opening in 1900, the historic Union Station in Nashville, TN was one of the South’s busiest train depots. It later took on a second life as a boutique hotel. With a desire to restore Union Station as a destination for the local community and modern-day travelers, the new owners—Southwest Value Partners—invited GHP to partner in their vision. The resulting renovation restored Union Station’s long-forgotten, original Broadway entrance and reimagined an underperforming ballroom into an indoor-outdoor dining experience. Now as the Union Station Nashville Yards, the icon anchors the Nashville Yards entertainment district as a historic Marriott Autograph Collection hotel and modern dining destination.
“GHP helped us answer the question, how do you take a 120-year-old building and modernize it?”
—Joe Bucher, AIA, Director—Strategic Design with Southwest Value Partners
Project Highlights
Services: Historic Restoration and Interior Renovation
Timeline: Completed in 2021
Budget: $1.5 Million
Building Age: Originally constructed in the 1890s, registered with the National Register of Historic Places
Project Scope:
Gently preserved historic architectural features
Restored the original front grand entrance
Complied with Metro Historical Commission guidelines and current codes
Modernized an under-performing ballroom into an elegant restaurant and bar
Project Outcomes:
Expanded Union Station Nashville Yards’ clientele and services
Facilitated positive press for the Union Station Nashville Yards and the Nashville Yards development
Client
Southwest Value Partners is a privately held real estate investment company which invests in institutional quality real estate located in growth markets throughout the U.S. In a joint venture with AEG, Southwest Value Partners is a visionary behind the Nashville Yards—a world-class entertainment district in downtown Nashville, TN. Nashville Yards will feature more than 400,000 square feet of retail and entertainment offerings, including the newly renovated Union Station Nashville Yards.
Challenges and Objectives
The owners of Union Station had a dual objective—preservation and modernization.
With a reverence for the historic structure, the team sought to determine how to polish and preserve Union Station’s architectural details in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations.
In concert with these preservation efforts was a burning question—how do we revive the historic Union Station as a modern destination in Nashville, while honoring its historic roots?
These objectives posed a number of challenges including:
Working with a more than 120-year-old building
Meeting modern building code and ADA standards in a historic structure
Making modern designs and materials selections that protected the integrity of the historic architecture
Complying with relevant historic regulatory agencies
Solution
Understanding the importance of engaging regulatory authorities early and often, GHP partnered with the Metro Historical Commission as Union Station’s liaison.
Historic research revealed the hotel’s tired, outdated ballroom had once been the train station’s bustling front entrance. This inspired the return of the ballroom to its former glory as the building’s front door to the community—re-envisioning the space as an indoor-outdoor restaurant and bar.
Working closely with the Historical Commission, GHP’s design philosophy was to preserve the original architectural vocabulary while meeting the public’s expectations of modern hospitality.
This required restraint in design work, ensuring the final result allowed guests to still authentically experience the original architecture.
Project details included:
Elevation designs to comply with ADA needs while complementing historic aesthetics
Custom design of bi-fold windows for open-air dining and a modern take on the space’s roots as the station’s front porch
Thoughtfully cleaned and preserved delicate limestone masonry according to regulations
Selected building materials to align with historic photos
Infused modern designs with original architectural details, colors, and motifs
Uncovered historic granite stairs and restored the original entrance to function
“Along with an incredible knowledge base, GHP had a very soft and thoughtful approach about how to do a renovation like this, how to methodically assess and devise the right solution to a complex problem. ”
—Joe Bucher, AIA, Director—Strategic Design, Southwest Value Partners
Results
Evolving from Union Station Hotel to Union Station Nashville Yards, the renovation equipped Union Station to serve locals, hotel guests, and tourists. The new restaurant and bar—called “Stationary”—allows a wider audience to experience the space and diversifies Union Station’s service options.
With the polished exteriors and renovated front entrance, Nashville’s skyline was also enriched with the building’s distinctive Romanesque Revival style.
Ultimately, the revived Union Station Nashville Yards has become what it was always meant to be—a front door to the city.
Partners
GHP’s consultant partners on this project included: