NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's been nine months since the Christmas morning bombing on Second Avenue.
The hardest-hit area remains closed off in need of extensive reconstruction, but new plans are finally being unveiled in hopes of keeping the history of the street alive.
The new vision focuses on honoring the 140-year history and blending the new construction with what remains.
During a Metro Planning Commission and Metro Historic Zoning Commission on Thursday the Callen family, which owns four of the hardest-hit buildings, revealed design plans for the street. =
With the help of several organizations this summer, bricks, cast-iron columns and other historical materials were saved from the site. The plans involve rebuilding the historical area and creating a new pedestrian connector between Second and First Avenue.
The family said their intention is to reuse as much of the materials as possible and to replace the currently unsafe structures with ones that blend in seamlessly. The goal is to match the original look as best they can.
“The Second Avenue façades of these four buildings were blown to the ground on Christmas morning, and we have spent significant time sorting through the debris to salvage as much as we could of the historical material so that we can reuse them,” said Andre Callen. “We are excited about the plan we have developed and the opportunity to be a small part of this major revitalization of Nashville’s original Historic District.”
The new plan was created after a number of discussions with neighbors on Second Avenue, city leaders and people who care deeply about Nashville’s historic buildings. The plan must be approved by the Metro Planning Commission and the Metro Historic Zoning Commission.
