NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
It is one of the largest construction projects the city has ever seen, and it will soon change the landscape of Nashville forever.
For years, we have been hearing about the Music City Center, and 2013 is the year it will finally open.
The giant structure has now taken shape, and the convention calendar is filling up quickly as workers put in the final touches.
"The hammer is down for the next four months," said Music City Center Spokeswoman Holly McCall.
Outside the Music City Center, dozens of bushes and trees are going in the ground. And inside, signs and columns are up, and the last carpet is being laid.
"We are 95 percent done, but that last 5 percent is a doozie. We have a lot of detailing to do," McCall said.
Painting, furnishing, adding flat screens and a round of heavy-duty cleaning is still left to do, but project leaders say they are on schedule and on budget.
"It's important to remember when the construction is over on April 30, that does not mean we'll have a final accounting at that point, because bills will be coming in for months after," McCall said. "Again, we are where we need to be though."
It's difficult to miss the $585 million building if you are anywhere near it, but soon you can get a much closer look as Korean Veterans Boulevard will reopen in about a month.
The Omni Hotel next to the Music City Center isn't set to open until October, but when it does, officials expect it to be busy along with almost every other nearby hotel.
Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Butch Spyridon said he expects next week to announce the city has reached 800,000 room night bookings.
The goal by the Spring is 1 million, which is proof, he said, that more and more major conventions are choosing Nashville.
"The biggest problem we have right now is finding enough dates for when people want to come, which is just the best problem in the world to have," Spyridon said.
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