Blog

Couldn’t help but take this shot of the former Nissan Headquarters Building. The first time I saw it in 1982 it had both Nissan and DATSUN nomenclature on the fascia. So we’ll put this blurb under the “History, Heritage, and Yarns” section.

You remember way last year, Nissan North America moved its headquarters from Gardena, California to Nashville, Tennessee. They moved from a complex at the intersection of 190th Street and Figueroa. Not the best neighborhood, but withing shouting distance of the American headquarters of Toyota and Honda (both in adjacent Torrance). Nissan’s complex included the headquarters tower… a 1960s edifice that really is much smaller than it looks. The tower is visible from the 405 Freeway, 91 Freeway and the 110 Freeway. And as an added bonus, if your office was in right place you could stare the pilot of the Goodyear Blimp in the face as he jockeyed the blimp to its field just blocks away.
The NNA complex included not only the headquarters but also separate buildings for marketing, planning, engineering, vehicle storage and display… all things necessary to have a fully functioning automotive distributorship.

Well, NNA moved to Nashville into temporary digs in the Bell South Building. If you Google “Batman Building Nashville” you can find many images. While the Bell South Building is very distinctive, the Nissan folks are housed in typical cube farms with practically nothing to remind them that they are in the auto business. That comes next year when they finally get their own building in Franklin, Tennessee on the outskirts of Nashville.

No wonder they have been disoriented.