by John Nix Arledge, Music Row Magazine
“They didn’t just build a couple of buildings, they built a city,” says Pinnacle’s Head of Music, Sports & Entertainment Andy Moats when asked about Nashville’s exciting new development, Nashville Yards. “It is a city within a city and it takes a lot of really smart people to pull that off.”
The 19-acre, mixed-use development project, situated in the heart of downtown Nashville, promises to be more than just a collection of structures. It is a meticulously-planned microcosm of Music City, albeit markedly less bridal.
Once complete, the Southwest Value Partners-led development will feature office space, retail, entertainment, hospitality and residential towers, all interwoven by lush, layered pedestrian pathways and plazas. At the core of the three million square feet of office space, 2,000 residential units, 1,000 hotel rooms and 350,000 square feet of retail, food, beverage and entertainment space will lie The Pinnacle.
Set to open in 2025, The Pinnacle is a state-of-the-art, 4,500-capacity entertainment venue that acts as the heartbeat of the Nashville Yards project. As Bridgestone Arena and Ryman Auditorium are to lower Broadway, The Pinnacle hopes to be to Nashville Yards. The event space, to be operated by AEG Presents, aims to fill the capacity gap in the city’s entertainment offerings and bring world-class live performances and events to Nashville Yards.
“The venue was a perfect place for us to plant our flag in the ground and let the world see that we support our artists, songwriters, labels, publishers and everyone in the industry. Nashville is synonymous with the music business and this was a piece of the music industry that was missing in terms of the size and quality of the venue,” shares Moats. “To be able to contribute to Nashville’s musical landscape and make sure that we stay the number one music city in the world is something that really lined up nicely with our giving back to the community.”
Each of The Pinnacle’s four stories boast innovative features and amenities designed to prioritize attendee experience. The indoor space will include a lifter floor to optimize sightlines, a horseshoe balcony with railside standing, VIP seating, bleachers on the balcony level, production capabilities for live streaming and televised events and more.
“I see The Pinnacle being one of the most active venues in the country and a place that artists really want to play—where they feel really comfortable. I hope that it becomes a household name, and I see no reason why it won’t be,” says Moats.
The Pinnacle is not the only future resident with plans to bring life to Nashville Yards. Entertainment powerhouses AEG Presents, Creative Artists Agency, Messina Touring Group and more are set to move into the three million square feet of office space surrounding the venue.
CAA alone is scheduled to occupy over two floors of the creative office building. Designed by CannonDesign, the agency’s offices will feature tech-forward indoor-outdoor workspaces, game and listening lounges, private terraces on each floor and a space devoted to collaboration between CAA’s music and sports divisions.
“Our upcoming move to Nashville Yards is a testament to the insane growth and opportunity we continue to see for our business and our clients in Music City, a community defined by its rich culture, history, and influence,” says CAA Co-Head of Nashville Music Jeff Krones. “Since 1991, CAA has been fortunate to contribute, wherever possible, to the city’s great traditions and its rapidly expanding global appeal.”
He adds, “At Nashville Yards, we’re creating a new home where the world’s best emerging and established artists will find the exceptional service and support they deserve. We get to build upon all of our successes in a fun, collaborative and inspiring environment for our colleagues and guests. We couldn’t be more excited as we look ahead to our bright future in Nashville and to the incredible features of Nashville Yards.”
Of the caliber of tenants, Cary Mack, Managing Partner of Southwest Value Partners says, “We are proud to have world class entertainment partners and tenants—Amazon, CAA, Pinnacle, AEG, PwC, Bass Berry & Sims, among others, which have formed Nashville Yards as a very unique, fulfilling and exciting environment where the tech, finance, entertainment and creative classes intersect. It’s great to see it all come together.”
With AEG Presents and its partner Messina Touring Group only floors away, Nashville Yards will house all three components to the live music experience, cementing it as a premier destination for the industry. But, even more so, the development promises to make an impact on the city and its residents.
Beyond the numbers and corporate tenants lies the true measure of the district, the experience of those living, working and visiting the development. Since its very inception, Nashville Yards has had these individuals in mind. For those both residing and working on site, there will be no need to leave the grounds. Complete with a grocery store, school, healthcare clinic, movie theater, over 60 retail and food and beverage offerings and a staggering 7,000 underground parking spots, every essential and amenity has been considered.
For visitors, the meticulous urban planning lends itself more to a pseudo-European square than a lifeless corporate street. Upon entry, each tower on the grounds greets visitors with an array of retail and restaurant spaces located on their lower levels and an abundance of outdoor seating, greenery and views animating the streets. Complete with an estimated 20,000 daily visitors, Nashville Yards will be a bustling, walkable square that residents and visitors want to be a part of.
With multiple major access points to the development, city-goers can easily detour through its plazas on the way to the more honky-tonk areas of the city. Because of this, the development feels simultaneously self contained and open—supporting easy entry and exit while maintaining its own character and atmosphere. However, this is not to say that it will stand in contrast to the rest of the city, either. On the contrary, Nashville Yards is precisely the sort of development that belongs in what The New York Times, GQ and Forbes have dubbed an “It City.”Mike DuCharme, AEG Presents’ Regional VP, comments on the project’s impact on Nashville.
“I believe concert tourism to be an exciting part of the music hub that is Nashville, and it feels like it’s only going to grow,” he says. “And, of course, our audiences will also be patrons of surrounding downtown businesses.”
DuCharme continues, “There are so many great venues in Nashville, and we hope to be thought of in the same breath as them. We want this to feel like home to everyone in Nashville and beyond—a home that comes with all the appeal that a bespoke, purpose-built music venue can offer. It is going to lead to people traveling here to see their favorite act, in a great venue, in a wonderful city where they want to spend the weekend.”