Ascend Amphitheater wins ULI Nashville's first 'People's Choice' award

• Awards recognize excellence in land use, design, construction and economics and honors collaboration among development team members.
• Earlier this year, touring industry trade Pollstar recognized Ascend Amphitheater as the best new major concert venue.
• Last year, the Nashville Downtown Partnership recognized Riverfront Park and Ascend Amphitheater among eight projects or buildings that made a significant impact on downtown.
• The nine Excellence in Development award-winning projects represent the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Chalk up another win for transformation of the city's former trash-burning plant site into Riverfront Park and Ascend Amphitheater.

The park and open-air music venue, located downtown along the Cumberland River, was among nine Middle Tennessee projects that the Urban Land Institute's Nashville District Council recognized with Excellence in Development awards on Monday night.

In addition to winning in the Public Sector – Large Project category along with the First Tennessee Park, home of the Nashville Sounds baseball team, Riverfront Park and Ascend Amphitheater walked away with the People's Choice award.

A vote by via text by the audience, estimated at roughly 500 ULI members and their guests, determined the People's Choice category, which this year was added for the first time to the award ceremonies held at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

The annual Excellence in Development Awards celebrate excellence in land use, design, construction and economics and honors collaboration among development team members.

“The redevelopment, new development and restoration projects we recognized... represent successful collaborations, diversity and creativity that define Nashville as we move beyond the It City,” ULI Nashville's Chairman Jimmy Granbery said in a statement.

Among other previous accolades, touring industry trade Pollstar earlier this year recognized Ascend Amphitheater as the best new major concert venue. Last year, the Nashville Downtown Partnership recognized Riverfront Park and Ascend Amphitheater as a world-class park with a world-class music venue among eight projects or buildings that made a significant impact on downtown.

There were 18 entries for  Excellence in Development Awards this year, according to the ULI. The nonprofit organization provides a forum for exchange of ideas and education about best practices in land use for Middle Tennessee’s public, private, educational and nonprofit real estate and land-use community.   .

Here are the nine winning projects representing the private, public and non-profit sectors plus their development teams:

Public Sector – Large Project

• Riverfront Park and Ascend Amphitheater

  Development team: Convention Center Authority; Metro Parks & Recreation; Skanska/SRS; Hawkins Partners Inc.; Harmonica Inc. dba Hodgetts+Fung; Jaffe Holden; Smith Gee Studio LLC; Schuler Shook; Civil Site Design Group PLLC; KS Ware LLC; EMC Structural Engineers P.C.; Domingo Gonzalez Associates; I.C. Thomasson Associates Inc.; TollesonMcCoy LLC

Non-Profit Sector

• Abe’s Garden

  Development team: Abe’s Garden; Manuel Zeitlin Architects; Skanska USA Building Inc.; Hawkins Partners Inc.; Barge Cauthen & Associates; SunTrust Bank; EMC Structural Engineers PC; Genesis Engineering Group LLC; Perkins Eastman; RPM Transportation Consultants LLC

Public Sector- Small Project

• Bellevue Library

  Development team: Nashville Public Library; Metro Government of Nashville & Davidson County; Hastings Architecture Associates LLC; Messer Construction Co.; Hodgson Douglas LLC; Barge Cauthen & Associates; EMC Structural Engineers PC; Power Management Corp.; greenSTUDIO

Private Sector – Small Project

•    Boot Factory

  Development team: Oceanside Investors; Chas. Hawkins Co. Inc./CORFAC International; Hawkins Development Co.; Harvest Construction Co.; Al Wilkinson Landscape Architecture; Kimley-Horn and Associations Inc.; Barge Cauthen & Associates; Renasant Bank; RPM Transportation Consultants LLC; greenSTUDIO

Public Sector – Large Project

• First Tennessee Park

  Development team: Nashville Sounds Baseball Club; Metro General Services; Populous; Hastings Architecture Associates LLC; Barton Malow Co.; Bell & Associates Construction LP; Harmony; Lose & Associates Inc.; Barge Cauthen & Associates; Professional Service Industries Inc.; Walter P. Moore; Logan Patri Engineering Inc.; Smith Seckman Reid, Inc.; DFH Services PLLC; GHP Environmental +Architecture

Private Sector – Large Project

• Gulch Crossing

  Development team: MarketStreet Enterprises; Gulch Crossing LLC; Earl Swensson & Associates; JE Dunn Construction; Hodgson Douglas LLC; Civil Site Design Group PLLC; Wells Fargo Bank; MetLife Real Estate Investors; RPM Transportation Consultants, LLC; TTL Inc.; TVG Environmental; I.C. Thomasson Associates Inc.; Structural Design Group; 4th Leaf Design Studio; SSRCx

Private Sector – Small Project

• Hill Center Acklen

     Development team: H.G. Hill Realty LLC; Manuel Zeitlin Architects; Phipps Construction Co.; Hawkins Partners Inc.; Barge Cauthen & Associates; EMC Structural Engineers, PC; I.C. Thomasson Associates Inc.

Private Sector – Small Project

• Richland Station

  Development team: Core Development; Dryden Architectures and Design LLC; Parkside Builders; Hawkins Partners Inc.; Dean Design Group; First Farmers Bank

Private Sector – Large Project

•    Taylor Place, Phase 1

  Development team: SWH Residential Partners; Smith Gee Studio LLC; RC Mathews Contractor; Hodgson & Douglas; Littlejohn, an S&ME Company; Wells Fargo Bank; Professional Service Industries Inc.; Genesis Engineering Group; KTD Engineers; DeJONG & Co.; Cessna Decosimo; Interior Design Services Inc.; CTG Lighting Design Studio; Southern Energy Management; TollesonMcCoy LLC

Reach Getahn Ward at 615-726-5968 and on Twitter @getahn.