The owner of Watermark said work will soon resume in the build-out of his upscale restaurant space in SoBro’s Bridgestone Americas Tower following a stoppage.
Jerry Brown told our sister publication the Nashville Post Thursday that he had previously self-funded the construction in the tower at 200 Fourth Ave. S., and expects to secure funding soon from a private equity group. This will allow work — which stopped in late January — to continue via general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie.
“We’re about to finalize the funding and are still targeting a June opening,” Brown said.
The Post could not determine the details of the work stoppage at the tower. Brown declined to offer specifics regarding his arrangement with Brasfield & Gorrie, and the company could not be reached for comment. However, it is not necessarily uncommon for such relatively small construction projects to start, stall and then restart, often due to payment concerns and/or labor shortages.
The build-out of the roughly 8,000-square-foot space, located in the northwest corner of the skyscraper and across Almond Street from restaurant Etch, has not been inexpensive. The most recently issued permit, about which the Post reported in August 2017, was valued at $3 million.
Previous media reports had Watermark opening in the tower in late 2017 or early 2018. However, Brown said he never officially finalized a target date, adding that the June opening has remained more realistic.
The restaurant previously operated in a Gulch space, in which The 404 Kitchen and Gertie’s Bar now are located.
Watermark opened to much acclaim in the Gulch in 2005 and was one of the district’s restaurant pioneers. It generally received positive reviews before closing in 2017.
Bridgestone Americas Tower is located at 200 Fourth Ave. S. Watermark will offer the skyscraper’s lone retail/restaurant space.
