Speaking of ivory towers, the Signature Tower planned for downtown Nashville is inching closer to becoming a reality. I walked past the proposed site at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Church Street–which is currently a parking lot–yesterday evening. Developer Tony Giarratana has posted advertising signage around the site that says, “Your Neighborhood, 2010″ and features a rendering of the tower as part of the current city skyline.

Standing at the corner, I couldn’t help but look straight up to try to picture the edge of the building rising toward the clouds. According to this recent City Paper article, buyers have reserved 146 of the tower’s planned 400 condominiums, more than half of the 250 Giarratana says he needs in order to break ground on the building this July.

This is not the first time someone has made bold plans for major changes downtown. (This isn’t even the first project Giarratana has proposed for this particular plot of land. Years ago, the developer called for an aesthetically pleasing parking garage complete with a large clock at the corner intersection.) As discussion continues on what to do with the east bank of the Cumberland and what should go where the former thermal transfer plant once stood on the downtown side of the river, it’s worthy of note that what would be the most significant addition, perhaps ever, to our city’s facade may begin to take shape sooner rather than later.