Nashville developer Bill Barkley had an early vision for the development of the Gulch in to a mixed-use community. Barkley and architect Manuel Zeitlin worked to transform the former Richards Records Storage building in 2000.  Barkley’s development team of Armistead Barkley then spent the early 2000s working to assemble the parcels of land in the Gulch piece by piece for development by a private investor.

 

When that investor fell through, MarketStreet Enterprises, led by private developer Steve Turner, purchased the 60+ acres and began developing the once derelict brownfields into a thriving economically and environmentally sustainable community.

 

Next to Steve Turner, MarketStreet Enterprises is lead by Turner's son Jay and lawyer Joe Barker. While the private sector drove the development in the Gulch, no urban redevelopment can be done without a partnership with the city. The Gulch is located in the Arts Center Redevelopment District.