Taylor Place: Germantown Contemporary Living

In the heart of Nashville’s historic Germantown neighborhood, the transformation of the former Werthan Packaging industrial campus represents one of the city’s most thoughtful examples of adaptive reuse and community integration. The Hamilton and Hume House residences, part of the broader Taylor Place development, showcase how great architecture emerges when visionary design meets deep respect for place.

Smith Gee Studio approached this 14-acre brownfield redevelopment with a clear mission: to stitch together two historically divided neighborhoods while honoring the site’s century-long industrial legacy. The architectural firm’s master planning created a mixed-use community that preserves the area’s working-class character while introducing contemporary amenities that serve today’s urban residents.

The Hamilton rises four stories with select five-story elements, while Hume House stands four stories throughout, both designed to complement rather than compete with the historic Werthan warehouse buildings that anchor the development. Smith Gee Studio’s architectural vocabulary draws from the site’s industrial past—incorporating salvaged print rollers, gears, and rail tracks from the original Werthan Packaging Plant into the design narrative.

The landscape architecture, crafted by Nashville-based Hodgson Douglas, plays an equally crucial role in the development’s success. Known for their expertise in creating memorable landscapes that evoke a sense of place, Hodgson Douglas designed exterior spaces that enhance the industrial character while providing contemporary amenities. Their landscape design creates seamless connections between the residential buildings and the broader Taylor Place development, incorporating sustainable stormwater management practices alongside spaces for community gathering.

From an architectural photography perspective, Taylor Place offers rich opportunities to capture the dialogue between old and new. The interplay of Smith Gee Studio’s contemporary residential architecture against the backdrop of preserved industrial structures creates compelling visual narratives. The careful material selections—brick, metal, and glass that reference the site’s heritage—photograph beautifully in Nashville’s changing light, while Hodgson Douglas’s landscape interventions provide both intimate and expansive framing opportunities.

The Hamilton and Hume House represent more than luxury apartment living; they exemplify how thoughtful architecture can honor the past while serving the future. The project’s recognition through multiple design awards, including ULI Nashville’s Excellence in Development Award, confirms that great design emerges when architects and landscape architects collaborate to create places that feel both rooted in history and perfectly suited to contemporary life.

For both Smith Gee Studio and Hodgson Douglas, Taylor Place demonstrates their shared commitment to creating architecture and landscapes that strengthen communities rather than simply filling them. The development stands as evidence that Nashville’s growth can happen with intention, respect, and an understanding that the best new places often emerge from the bones of what came before.