Set along a 14-acre stretch of the Cumberland River just north of downtown Nashville, the Neuhoff District reclaims a former meatpacking complex as a layered, public-facing landscape that bridges industrial memory and contemporary urban life. In the historic Germantown neighborhood, early 20th-century brick structures—later home to cultural institutions like the Nashville Jazz Workshop and the Nashville Cultural Arts Project—have been carefully adapted and interwoven with new construction to form a vibrant mixed-use district. Across the site, a network of pocket gardens emerges from the remnants of the factory fabric, where salvaged industrial artifacts and limestone boulders unearthed during construction root the landscape in both its recent past and deep geologic origins.

At the heart of the district, the landscapes surrounding the Curve Building—opened to the public in 2023—demonstrate a close collaboration between architecture and landscape. Strategic removals of the existing structure carve out a sequence of outdoor rooms that dissolve the boundary between inside and out. The River Terrace occupies the footprint of a former arcing building edge shaped by an adjacent rail line. Here, an amphitheater descends to a reclaimed brick plaza, framed by concrete planters, integrated seating, and embedded limestone that supports both daily use and public performance. Traces of rail infrastructure persist in the gardens near the Boiler Room, where exposed concrete trestles structure planting areas visible from Monday Night Brewing, anchoring new social life within the site’s industrial framework.

The Entry Garden orchestrates arrival through a dynamic interplay of movement and form. A scissoring ramp and broad stair weave through densely planted beds, guiding visitors into a central courtyard punctuated by existing concrete columns. These remnants, now overtaken by vegetation and subtly illuminated, evoke the atmosphere of a reclaimed ruin—at once infrastructural and immersive.

More intimate in scale, the Alley Garden threads between a historic structure and a new glass-and-steel tower. Here, repurposed site elements are reimagined as a water feature set within sunken planting beds, where the sound of water and layered vegetation create a sheltered, sensory-rich passage. This corridor links Adams Street to the Shed, a reclaimed steel structure that frames an outdoor dining terrace overlooking the river.

Throughout the district, the public realm is designed to prioritize pedestrian experience and continuity. Adams Street operates as a curbless, shared environment, where textured paving, planters, and integrated seating subtly organize movement while maintaining a human-scaled streetscape. Beyond, a sequence of connected spaces extends inland: the Pink Building Plaza, centered on a preserved service structure; the Western Steps, which negotiate a significant grade change through a series of terraces and ramps; and additional amenity spaces including a pool deck and dog park.

Looking ahead, the Neuhoff District continues to evolve, with planned expansions that extend the public landscape west of the Greenway. Future interventions include a floating park constructed from repurposed river barges and a landscaped terminus at Taylor Street, envisioned as a gateway to a new pedestrian bridge across the Cumberland River. Together, these spaces position the district not as a finished project, but as an ongoing framework—one that honors its industrial legacy while cultivating new forms of public life along Nashville’s riverfront.

Completed in collaboration with:
Owner, New City Properties
S9 Architecture, Design Architect
Smith Gee Studio, Architect of Record, Curve Building
HKS, Architect of Record, New Construction
Kimley-Horn Associates, Civil Engineer/Landscape Architect of Record
Uzun + Case, Structural Engineer
I.C. Thomasson Associates, MEP Engineers
Niteo, Lighting Design

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