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Commission backs modern obelisk design for Westlake gateway; asks for matched towers and historical text
Summary
The Planning Commission endorsed staff-preferred Concept C for a gateway sign on West Main — a tall Corten-steel obelisk with sail-shaped finial and rippled-glass backlighting — and requested a matched, shorter companion on the opposite side, inclusion of the city's founding year, and 'City by the Lake' copy.
The commission voted to advance a staff-recommended gateway sign concept for the Westlake / West Main entrance to Hendersonville.
Planner Timothy Whitten described three concepts prepared under an on-call contract with Gresham Smith and an environmental designer: a refined traditional monument (Concept A), a contemporary wide-base sign (Concept B), and a tall, narrow obelisk-like tower (Concept C). Staff recommended Concept C as "memorable," easy to place in constrained right-of-way and replicable at other city entrances.
Whitten said Concept C is roughly 20–23 feet tall, clad in Corten steel to echo the nearby bridge rail, and topped with a sail-inspired finial that references the city seal. The tower would have rippled-glass backlighting and a smaller paired sign on the opposite side of West Main. "It kind of transcends a sign — it's more of a monument," Whitten said.
Commissioners praised the concept for its distinctiveness and recommended two changes before final design: replicate the taller obelisk form on both sides of Gallatin/West Main (rather than a tall-and-short pairing), and incorporate the city's founding year and the phrase "City by the Lake" in the sign cap or base. Commissioner Silkwood said Concept A more strongly demarcates Rivergate from Hendersonville, but she and others supported Concept C provided designers incorporate a clear historical cue and match heights across the street.
The commission's motion approved Concept C with those modifications and passed 8–0. BOMA (capital projects committee) had already budgeted funds in the current fiscal year to begin design and construction work; staff said lighting and landscaping will be part of the next design phases.
Why it matters: the sign will mark a high-visibility city gateway, shape public perception of the Westlake district and can be replicated elsewhere along major corridors.
Next steps: staff will move the design into final drawings with the requested edits and coordinate construction timing with capital planning.
