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Letter To Metro 7-1-21 (002) - Signed

The letter requests an expedited permit for controlled demolition of four historic buildings located at 170-176 2nd Avenue North in Nashville that were damaged in a Christmas Day 2020 bomb blast. Engineers observed that the facades of buildings 176 and 174 were structurally unsound and could collapse, endangering pedestrians. While the owners wanted to preserve the buildings, they concluded based on expert reports and observations that complete removal was necessary due to safety concerns, but they would salvage historic materials and aim to incorporate the history into a new development.

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639 views3 pages

Letter To Metro 7-1-21 (002) - Signed

The letter requests an expedited permit for controlled demolition of four historic buildings located at 170-176 2nd Avenue North in Nashville that were damaged in a Christmas Day 2020 bomb blast. Engineers observed that the facades of buildings 176 and 174 were structurally unsound and could collapse, endangering pedestrians. While the owners wanted to preserve the buildings, they concluded based on expert reports and observations that complete removal was necessary due to safety concerns, but they would salvage historic materials and aim to incorporate the history into a new development.

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FOX 17 News
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178 2nd Avenue North, LLC 176 2nd Avenue North, LLC

618 East Broughton Street 111 West Fortune Street


Savannah, Georgia 31401 Tampa, Florida 33602

July 1, 2021

Ms. Lucy Kempf, Director


Metro Planning Department

Mr. Bill Herbert, Director


Metro Codes Department

Mr. Tim Walker, Executive Director


Metro Historical Commission

Cc: Mr. Ron Gobbell


Second Avenue Project Manager

Dear Ms. Kempf, Mr. Herbert and Mr. Walker:

We are writing to make each of you aware of the status of the buildings owned by members of
the Callen family, located at 170, 172, 174 and 176 Second Avenue North. These are the four
buildings that were directly across the street from the bomb that exploded on Christmas morning,
2020, and therefore were the buildings most impacted by the blast.

The purpose of this letter is to request an expedited process to permit controlled demolition
of these buildings, which we believe are an imminent safety concern.

Since Christmas Day we have worked diligently to keep our property safe, while trying to save
what remained of these four beautiful structures. We chose what we believe to be the best team
in Nashville to assist us in handling this important project. Our team has worked to preserve the
sections of the buildings that are still tenuously standing, while carefully sorting through the
debris created by the blast.

During this process, we have placed safety first and worked to organize the debris in order to
save bricks that can be used again, as well as wood and historical items. These historic materials
are extremely valuable, and we have treated them with care. We have palletized the bricks by
hand and stored them in a secure location. We also have spent a significant amount of time and
money trying to stabilize and keep standing the portions of these buildings that are still upright.

Unfortunately, we have learned that the First Avenue façade of the 176 building is structurally
unsound and could collapse at any time, potentially endangering nearby pedestrians, so much so
that we have taken immediate steps for the safety of all in the area.
Our engineer, Tom Schaeffer with Structural Design Group, per his report provided to our
architect, David A. Johnston with STG Design, observed that the First Avenue facade of the 176
building could be moved “by simply pushing on it.”

In addition, Bill Fay of Tiny’s Demolition noted similar conditions in the First Avenue façade of
the 174 building where the wall could be moved by pushing it. The First Avenue façade of the
172 building, which was the shortest of the four buildings, was heavily damaged by the bomb
blast and was deemed a complete loss at that time. “The brick wall between 170 and 172 is badly
out of alignment and continues to partially collapse as the removal of the damaged structure it
supports has progressed,” per Tom Schaeffer’s report, further indicating that we will not find a
point of stability for the building at 170. Tom Schaeffer believes that removal is the best way to
proceed for expedience and safety. Our architect David Johnston concurs with Tom Schaeffer.
We have attached their correspondence.

After careful review and analysis of their reports and multiple additional discussions with our
team and with Metro and their professionals, we have come to the heartbreaking conclusion that
complete removal of the structures is required. The site is simply unsafe. As a result, we request
an expedited approval for a permit for demolition of 170, 172, 174 and 176 Second Avenue
North. We believe that these buildings are an imminent safety concern. They need to be taken
down and time is of the essence.

We will continue to work with the adjacent property owners to mitigate any further damage to
their buildings. We will salvage the bricks, wood and other historic materials, as we have from
the beginning of our efforts. In the near term, we are taking extra measures to stabilize the
internal structure supporting the First Avenue walls of the buildings. We have also erected water
barriers and positioned netting along First Avenue to protect nearby pedestrians. We believe after
careful consideration and further discovery of the instability of the remaining structures and the
threat of further collapse, we have no other alternative than to deconstruct these buildings as
expediently as possible.

It is best to take the structures down in a controlled manner, to save as much of the history as
possible, so that we can reuse it and rebuild even better for the future, incorporating the history
into our design. That is our commitment. We do not intend to sell this property or pave it over.
Our goal is, as it has always been, to create a boutique hotel on this site that is an integral part of
the historic fabric of Second Avenue. We had hoped to do that within the buildings we owned.
Now that those buildings are no more, our hope is to work with Metro and Historic Nashville to
create something new that blends into this beautiful urban setting and will stand for decades and
centuries to come.

This is an outcome that no one wanted, especially us. We wanted to save the original buildings.
But given the reports from the experts, what our own eyes tell us and what the buildings are
telling us, we have no choice. We are saddened by the reality of the conditions of our buildings,
and we are doing what we believe is the most responsible thing.

For this reason, we are requesting an expedited process to permit controlled demolition as soon
as possible.
Respectfully,

_______________________________ ______________________________
Heather E. Coleman, Manager Andre Callen, Manager
178 Second Avenue North, LLC 176 Second Avenue North, LLC

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