a 1956 greyhound bus settles on the pool lounge rooftop of nashville hotel

a 1956 greyhound scenicruiser bus has been suspended on the rooftop of the bobby hotel in nashville, tennessee, providing an unexpected highlight for the guests. the project is part of the building’s overall renovation by castlerock asset management, who turned the 1970’s structure, previously used as an office complex, into a vibrant lifestyle hotel, complete with a rooftop lounge, a swimming pool, and an on-site restaurant.

all images courtesy of schweiss doors

the project intends to immerse guests in the quintessential nashville experience and to mirror musicians’ ‘life on the road’. castlerock has enlisted the hemphill brothers coach company to redesign the vehicle for its new custom use and placement. the bus was partly ‘gutted’, in order to widen its interior up to 12 feet, and host visitors comfortably. in addition, the vehicle features two hydraulic doors from schweiss doors, one on the side and the other at the rear, inviting customers to explore it.

a schweiss dual-pump system for each door, with its electric motors, were placed 60 feet away inside the swimming pool mechanical room. they operate, utilizing hydraulic cylinders to lift and close an 18-foot, 6-inch by 8-foot side door and an 8-foot by 9-foot rear bus door. the doors can be opened and closed with handheld remote openers. ‘we were kind of blown away by the size of the doors’ the hemphill brothers share. ‘there’s never been a bus with side and rear doors opening up and on top of a hotel, it’s a one-of-a-kind thing’.

the bus was somewhat stripped down from its original 20,000 pounds to lighten the load before hoisting it to the rooftop with a crane. a 5-inch I-beam structure frame was built, to generate a platform for the bus. where it’s situated, it looks like it could be driven off the building. the 1956 greyhound now serves as part of the rooftop lounge and maybe, more importantly, as a landmark for visitors and specialized clientele.