Soho House Nashville

Project Overview
Cumming served as the development manager for AJ Capital Partners and provided project management services for the 97,000 -sq.-ft. development located in the art hub of Wedgeood Houston in Nashville, TN. The project included rehabilitation and conversion of two historic structures that were formerly a sock factory into a hotel and private members club. The members-only property features 47 bedrooms, a house kitchen, performance space, fitness club, swimming pool, yoga terrace, and a state-of-the-art screening room. Our team worked closely with all consultants and vendors throughout the covid pandemic to ensure all team members were working safely to deliver a successful project for our client and the hotel brand.

History of Success
Cumming was chosen to provide project management services based on our successful completion of prior projects with AJ Capital Partners, starting in 2016 with the completion of the Thompson Hotel in Nashville, TN. The property was one of AJ Capital Partners’ first projects in Nashville, and they sought a partner that, like them, had deep roots in hospitality, with local connections to general contractors, architects, engineers, and designers. Led by Joe Saatkamp, Cumming’s executive vice president, the Thompson Hotel was the start of a long partnership with AJ Capital Partners. Following completion of the Thompson Hotel, Cumming came on as the trusted partner for both Graduate Nashville and Soho House Nashville.

Unique Project Challenges
The hotel is located in what was once the May Hosiery Mill, a sock factory that dates back to the early 1900s. Preservation of the building’s historical integrity was extremely important to AJ Capital Partners. “This was not a traditional ground-up project management assignment,” said Heather Hill, Cumming’s Nashville-based senior director who led the project for the entire 18-month duration. “It was an adaptive reuse,” said Hill. Because of the building’s age, there were no square corners, no perfect lines, and no foundation to support the overall structure. The columns were sitting on packed dirt. In addition, there was concern there wouldn’t be enough head space in the kitchen due to its location on the lower level. We couldn’t build down, which created another challenge for the development. Our team worked with material and structural experts to salvage what beams we could by reinforcing them with additional support. We ultimately had to remove and replace the roof as well as replace several unsafe beams to create a sound and firm structure. “Collaboration with material and structural geotechnical experts and all the sub-contractors was crucial to the project’s success,” said Hill. As experts in managing complex and challenging construction projects, the Cumming team was well-suited to help with all aspects of the historical preservation of this building.