Proposed Guitar Shaped Building for Nashville

[lockmat]

I was thinking recently, it would be sort of neat to have a tower that resembled an oil derrick, one that sort of looks like the old Oilers logo. It doesn't have to be as detailed as this guitar building. It could be more subtle, sort of like everyone's false theory on the Wells Fargo Plaza being in the shape of a dollar sign.

I kinda like the guitar building, except the fact that it sits on top of a square building. I'd eliminate that if it was up to me.

http://www.ctbuh.org/News/GlobalTallNews/tabid/468/EntryId/4426/Developer-Seeks-to-Grace-Nashville-with-Guitar-shaped-Building.aspx

[Subdude]

I really like the guitar building though. I'm a big fan of mimetic architecture. Some well-known examples:

Longaberger Basket Co:

Hot dog stand:

That said, I have a hard time warming up to the idea of an oil derrick shaped building, unless perhaps it was the headquarters of an oilfield services company. I wouldn't want it as some sort of generic civic monument.

[Pleak]

That said, I have a hard time warming up to the idea of an oil derrick shaped building, unless perhaps it was the headquarters of an oilfield services company. I wouldn't want it as some sort of generic civic monument.

Not even with Jeff Bagwell and the space shuttle on it?

[lockmat]

A lot of people had voted in the poll, what happened to their votes?

Anyway, I was thinking of something subtle. When looking upon it, it wouldn't necessarily scream oil derrick like this guitar does. Like the color and sort of shape of the Sears Tower but symmetrical, and it would be tapered towards the top and have three or four incremental protruding notches.

[Pleak]

How about the Emperor Hotel:

[lockmat]

I was thinking something like this (note: 10 minute paint drawing):

[Pleak]

Why not an observation tower that looks like an oil derrick? It would be our version of the Eiffel Tower.

[luciaphile]

I'm a big fan of mimetic architecture...That said, I have a hard time warming up to the idea of an oil derrick shaped building, unless perhaps it was the headquarters of an oilfield services company. I wouldn't want it as some sort of generic civic monument.

Since you like that sort of thing I offer you this:

http://www.lileks.com/institute/motel/

it's kinda subtle, kinda tryptophantastic! And gone, but you'll feel not a shadow of remorse.

I'm not fond of deliberately kitschy iconic. If that guitar building were proposed for Austin, we would be roundly condemned for Trying Too Hard. I realize that Nashville is not a place where music careers go to die, or that's a little harsh, how about rest - did you see, Austin recently bagged Robert Plant? (and he's still active - or was!) - but I think it should give Nashvillians pause that they would even feel the need to rather tediously, not-all-that-creatively advertise something with which they are already synonymous. They have big colorful guitars all over town, or did. I can attest there is a guitar-shaped pool in a not-so-great (noisy anyway) Ramada Inn by the stadium.

The building that says "Nashville" to me is the Parthenon, complete with signs affixed to it requesting that you "Please Do Not Skateboard on the Parthenon," which is a fairly perfect epitaph for the glory that was Greece, and our inheritance therefrom. It was built initially for some sort of exposition, but it wasn't meant to be permanent. Its enduring popularity was unexpected: serendipitously iconic.

[LTAWACS]

The Gobbler, eh?

I'll up the ante with The GobbledyGooker.

[Subdude]

A lot of people had voted in the poll, what happened to their votes?

Anyway, I was thinking of something subtle. When looking upon it, it wouldn't necessarily scream oil derrick like this guitar does. Like the color and sort of shape of the Sears Tower but symmetrical, and it would be tapered towards the top and have three or four incremental protruding notches.

Maybe I'm missing something, but if one is going to build a building to look like an oil derrick (or a hot dog, elephant, picnic basket etc), wouldn't the whole point be to make it look as much like an oil derrick (or hot dog, elephant, picnic basket etc) as possible? As I said, I'm a big fan of mimetic architecture, but it isn't exactly a concept that lends itself to subtlety.

I'm not fond of deliberately kitschy

I am, in moderate doses of course.

[lockmat]

Maybe I'm missing something, but if one is going to build a building to look like an oil derrick (or a hot dog, elephant, picnic basket etc), wouldn't the whole point be to make it look as much like an oil derrick (or hot dog, elephant, picnic basket etc) as possible? As I said, I'm a big fan of mimetic architecture, but it isn't exactly a concept that lends itself to subtlety.

Personally, I don't want the Houston skyline to look tacky. A building that looks exactly like and oil derrick would be embarrassing.

Although false, people seem to enjoy thinking that the Wells Fargo Plaza is the shape of a dollar sign from above. I think people would also enjoy a building of a silhouetted oil derrick minus the extreme detail. Any detail that would add to giving away it's identity would be subtle, classy and tasteful.

I'd want a visitor to say, "hey, that kinda looks like an oil derrick, cool."

...just my opinion

edit: my idea was never to be as extreme as a the picnic basket or hot dog stand etc. The building would be more like a tribute, not a sculpture.

[luciaphile]

Re accidental likenesses: people sometimes see a Rice owl in the corners of the UT tower. There is another building in Austin that has been likened to a nose hair trimmer, or toenail clippers. (Perhaps when this was becoming painfully obvious, the builder added a clock that you would need a scope to read.)

It would be hard not to suggest a Dutch windmill instead of an oil derrick unless you made it quite slender. Everybody's a critic.

Thank you, Subdude, for posting that Longaberger basket picture. I sent it to my mother, who discovered that she had its exact twin in her closet.

[Montrose1100]

An Oil Derreck tower has been done at Six Flags over Texas. Mimic architecture where it belongs, in a theme park.

Although the Basket building is kinda cool. In Cologne, there's a building with a modern glass facade, and has a ice cream cone on the corner, melting. Don't know if I love it or hate it!

[lockmat]

An Oil Derreck tower has been done at Six Flags over Texas. Mimic architecture where it belongs, in a theme park.

Although the Basket building is kinda cool. In Cologne, there's a building with a modern glass facade, and has a ice cream cone on the corner, melting. Don't know if I love it or hate it!

http://en.wikipedia....ags_Over_Texas)

That's not at all what I'm proposing. See my masterpiece in above post. It would be an occupied building.

[TowerSpotter]

oswalds city or what