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A restaurant that made a name for itself serving Nashville for decades was demolished this week, paving the way for a potential new high-rise in Music City.
Rotier's Restaurant closed for good in 2021 after nearly 75 years of serving Nashville from its Elliston Place location, per the Tennessean. Since then, the building has stood as a reminder what the community lost and raised questions of how the landscape of Music City will continue to change. That all changed this week when the restaurant, which was popular among locals and nearby students, was torn to the ground, News Channel 5 reports.
Michael Wynn, a relative of the Rotier family, mourned the loss of the restaurant, both in service and with the building being razed.
"What makes this even sadder is we'll never have this type of thing again," said Wynne. "Good food. A lot of laughs."
Paul Kingsbury was a loyal patron of Rotier's, which he said had "killer" milkshakes and tasty cheeseburgers. He has "mixed feelings" about the future of the space, saying the community is "losing a bit of our identity."
"So many memories of dates with beautiful women, and hanging out with friends here from college," he reminisced, adding, "I feel like it was a great place, family run place, the Rotier family — they were wonderful, very friendly, great food, great times. Ya can't stop change though."
But what change can residents expect for the now-demolished space? The general consensus seems to be it could make room for a new high-rise at the corner of West Avenue, however new building owner and Brentwood-based developer GBT Realty has not revealed plans for the future of the location.