29 E. Reno (http://goo.gl/maps/SIO5b)
architect=AHMM
sq. feet=38,700

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/plowwiki1.jpg
Information & Latest News
10/25/13: $4 million building permit (http://www.okc.gov/Access/Cap/CapDetail.aspx?
Module=Permits&TabName=Permits&capID1=13BRE&capID2=00000&capID3=12153&agencyCode=OKC&IsToShowInspection=)
8/29/13: Life set to return to Rock Island Plow (http://m.newsok.com/life-set-to-return-to-the-last-boarded-up-building-in-downtown-oklahoma-city/article/3877090)
Links
Official Website (http://plowokc.com/)
County Assessor Record (http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/AN-R.asp?ACCOUNTNO=R020029575)
Gallery

I don't know much, but I'd like to see something done with it. I drive by it everyday too and from work. Wish they would do something to it.

that's funny, i started a similar thread on another forum. it drives me crazy having it all boarded up and just sitting there. turn it into lofts or something!

Lofts would be nice. I also think something with retail shops around a central escalator landing would work. Bricktown is so starved of retail, especially multiple choices in one location. I remember back in the mid 90s Dallas' West End had a building that was packed with retail, food court type of establishments. Maybe a similar, but better designed concept would work for that building.

Lofts would be nice. I also think something with retail shops around a central escalator landing would work. Bricktown is so starved of retail, especially multiple choices in one location. I remember back in the mid 90s Dallas' West End had a building that was packed with retail, food court type of establishments. Maybe a similar, but better designed concept would work for that building.

I've always thought a bigger version of the building you're talking about at the West End in Dallas would be perfect for the grassy lot at "canal corner".

Supposedly there is something in the works... but a comment by Steve (don't remember what) made it sound like it wasn't gonna happen.

We'll see... It's just such a prime spot!

Actually from what I understand "Nonna" or Avis Scaramucci from Nonna's owns this building. I have not confirmed that though.

Plans in the past to make it retail, but nothing planned now.

We do not need an indoor mall that takes people off the sidewalks. Bricktown is about storefronts. This building is perfect for a larger scale retail tenant, like a 2-story Barnes & Noble, with lofts above.

I think some of the inner streets of bricktown should be closed and turned into a promenade. This building is located within that area, but backs reno.

How 'bout close Mickey Mantle from Sheridan to Reno. Get street vendors, carts, actors, entertainment out there...

Great ideas mmonroe!

Very good idea mmonroe. I would like to see Bricktown have an area similar to the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, except being pedestrian only. Basically, an outdoor shopping center with no access to cars. People in this city need to walk more anyway. :)

I saw this concept in Colorado when I was there in April. Boulder has the Pearl Street Mall (2 blocks) and Denver has the 16th Street Mall (8 blocks at least, IIRC). Both were bustling with pedestrians, retail, street vendors and entertainers. I was in downtown Denver at 9pm on a Sunday night, and there were still plenty of people around. I would love to see the same thing done in Bricktown.

I will have a substantial story on this property in tomorrow's Oklahoman.

OOOoooh, exciting!

Here it is:
Oilmen unveil $35M development plan to make renovations around Bricktown

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

After more than two years of design work and planning, oilmen John Harding and Charles Shelton plan to begin a $35 million development that will include renovations of three buildings and construction of a 376-parking-space underground garage. When planning started on John Harding's and Charles Shelton's development, they sought to build an above-ground garage. Instead, they are building an underground garage that they say is key to potentially pursuing a "second phase” of development that they hope could include a parking lot at the southwest corner of Oklahoma Avenue and the Bricktown Canal that is owned by Bricktown property owner Jim Brewer. Unlike the first phase of development that is about to begin, Ted Keeney, president of Harding and Shelton's Diversified Historic Properties, said the second phase is just an idea — a project the pair do not have financing for and one that involves "a lot of variables.” "We think of it as a pipe dream, but it's got potential,” Keeney said. "You could put in anything from a shopping mall, hotel, high-rise condominium tower to an NBA practice facility.”


Ted Keeney, president of Harding and Shelton's Diversified Historic Properties, said Timberlake Construction is set to begin work within 30 days on renovations including:

•Converting a 99-year-old four-story warehouse, 2 E California Ave. (the Bricktown Canal) historically known as the Red Ball building, into offices and retail.

•Renovating an adjoining building at 12 E California Ave. that will add housing atop the existing tenant Zio's.

•Converting the Rock Island Plow Building at Reno and Oklahoma avenues into housing and retail.

•Building a two-level underground garage that would serve all three properties and allow for future potential development above the parking. Keeney said the stretch of properties along Reno Avenue is ripe for development, and Harding and Shelton see the real estate investment as less risky than their day-to-day business.

"It's the new gateway to Bricktown,” Keeney said. "It's the first access point for people coming in from the west — they get off of I-40, pass Ford Center and travel into Bricktown. And with Lower Bricktown being on Reno, Ford Center being on Reno, you just have a natural funnel here into the entertainment district.” Keeney said financing is in place and a public accustomed to seeing projects announced and then not begun in Bricktown will see this project reach fruition.


Development project waiting for last sale to close
Project architect Martin Goldstein said the two-year wait was due to a long process that included applying for tax credits, obtaining approval from the Bricktown Design Review Committee, the state Historic Preservation Commission and the National Park Service. The properties also successfully applied for $3 million in tax increment financing for the underground garage.
The only variable in what Keeney and Goldstein say is the "first phase” of their plans is the sale closing on the Rock Island building, which is owned by Phil Scaramucci. Keeney said the Rock Island building was on the verge of collapse when Scaramucci bought it several years ago and then spent "a considerable amount” to re-enforce the building's structure and replace its roof.

"He really saved it,” Keeney said. "It's a gem of a building. I'm not sure people really recognize what a fabulous residential structure it can be.”


‘Blessing in disguise'
Goldstein noted all but the building occupied by Zio's have been empty for decades — which he said has provided designers the opportunity to highlight original wood columns in the Rock Island building and rare concrete columns and ceilings where the lines from boards used to form the structures are still visible in the Red Ball building. "The fact they sat dormant for so long is a blessing in disguise ... because they were vacant, you didn't have 20 to 30 years of people inside monkeying around and ruining stuff,” Goldstein said. "They're in pretty original condition.” But Goldstein also had to get permission to change window locations that otherwise would have resulted in openings too high for most occupants to enjoy a good view of the outside.

Working with city
The city plans a $1 million canal extension, meanwhile, in conjunction with Harding and Shelton's development. City officials are weighing a proposed design by Goldstein that would create an amphitheater-style entrance and a raised gateway that would greet pedestrians walking along Reno Avenue.
Jim Cowan, director of the Bricktown Association, said the canal extension and development is eagerly anticipated by surrounding merchants and property owners. "It makes you wonder what else is possible when it comes to a canal extension in the future,” Cowan said. "To have a canal opening there and development there is extremely exciting.”

There are some great new renderings .... in the newspaper!

;)

fyi - the posting above combines a sidebar into the main text, so as it appears here, it may be a bit confusing.

That's big news. Sounds promising that it will actually get done.

Wow! Exciting stuff!!!

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2008/09/05/17/Img/Pc0170200.jpg

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2008/09/05/17/Img/Pc0170600.jpg

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2008/09/05/22/Img/Pc0220800.jpg

More info about this project including previous renderings and articles are in the thread:

http://www.okctalk.com/bricktown-wired/8988-new-parking-garage-retail-planned.html

Awesome. That site has needed to be developed for a long time.

Now if they can get those two surface lots around it developed that will be a HUGE improvement. Good to see things progressing, and the rendering for that canal extension looks great. Hopefully one day they'll extend it further down Reno.

I really like the looks of the canal level improvements. If they can get that done, it would really improve that very underutilized level. I think it does have an exposure problem, so they will need something that is a draw on its own.

this is way awesome, i'm very excited and impressed!

I'm really surpised to see this really happen. It has been so long since we heard anything. I am pleasantly surprised.

This is GREAT news!! I'm excited that this involves 2 excellent Bricktown locations in one development. Both locations are prime. And, along with the canal extension, this development will bring more energy to that part of Bricktown.

It is always good to be so pleasantly surprised. Kudos to Diversified Historic Properties. Well done.

Great project. I'm really impressed that they are going with underground parking instead of the much easier choice of an above-ground garage.

Is it really 2 levels underground, or one level underground and one surface level?

Hopefully Brewer will sell his lot and they can get moving on Phase II plans. The canal-level improvement on this project alone is something to get excited about.

Hopefully Brewer will sell his lot and they can get moving on Phase II plans. The canal-level improvement on this project alone is something to get excited about.

If I had a seat on OCURA, I'd be tempted to make the argument that Brewer's lots were "blighted," especially in light of surrounding development.

-- the definition of blighted can include 'underdeveloped,' and the argument gets a lot stronger re: surface lots being underdeveloped when other developers are stacking cars or burying them due to space limitations.

On Steve's blog today, he has a rendering of their "pipe dream" or phase 2. It is pretty impressive, with two high rises and a ton of retail space. Now one aspect of it that might make some people on this board nervous is that it calls for the demolition of the building that houses Zio's. I do not know the history of that building, but maybe someone else here does.

But as it is now, it truly is just a dream. Interesting nonetheless. At least their phase 1 is going to happen...

Looks like they are more low-rises but still an overall improvement to the area. Here is rendering:

http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/files/2008/09/phase2-1.jpg

I think it would be interesting too if they would close in some of the "sky" area above the streets and, if any of you have ever been to a Harrah's Casino and seen the changing sealing roof with pictures and ambient sky colors, that would be neat.

Looks like they are more low-rises but still an overall improvement to the area. Here is rendering:

http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/files/2008/09/phase2-1.jpg

It seems odd that they would take out the Zio's building, when it could easily be left alone by shortening the new structure there.

And I would call the two taller buildings midrises.

And I would call the two taller buildings midrises.


Yeah i realized that right after i posted about it. I just used the word that Steve used in his blog. They are midrises. Even though this is just a pipe dream, its still a quality project, as long as they keep the Zios building...

[QUOTE=jbrown84;168753]It seems odd that they would take out the Zio's building, when it could easily be left alone by shortening the new structure there.
QUOTE]

From what I can tell, it looks like Zios is as deep as the red brick building is. So, the only problem there would be doing some sort of connector to the large red brick building w/o demoing Zios. So they would have to 86 the crosswalk (or whatever that is) or do it over the Zios building. Again, as Steve said, this is pipe dream.

What I'm saying is that basically the same thing could be done and the Zio's building still kept. They could still have the courtyard (bad idea anyway), still have the skywalk, etc.

What I'm saying is that basically the same thing could be done and the Zio's building still kept. They could still have the courtyard (bad idea anyway), still have the skywalk, etc.

Right, I understand. I also completely agree.

i wish they would just extend the canle to the ford center and get it over with that would be so cool to take a ride to a thunder game

I agree wholeheartedly, but the new design actually presents some problems in that regard. The proposed canal extension and ampitheater would in fact create a barrier to future extensions, and the extension would itself be basically not navigable from day one, and would only serve as a water feature/pedestrian walkway. The ampitheater is a nice thought, but you could count on one hand the number of times it has actually been used in around five years' time.

Hopefully a sensible alternative design for the canal extension will be considered before this one is set in stone, or it could unintentionally jeapordize the prospects of an extension to the Ford Center/Cox Center and potentially to the Myriad Botanical Gardens.

The ampitheater is a nice thought, but you could count on one hand the number of times it has actually been used in around five years' time.
Oops. I meant "you can count on one hand the number of times the one in front of the Sonic headquarters has been used in around five years' time."

Sorry, I wasn't very clear on that one.

i wasn't sure if it was mentioned.... but when were they planning on getting started?

I agree wholeheartedly, but the new design actually presents some problems in that regard. The proposed canal extension and ampitheater would in fact create a barrier to future extensions, and the extension would itself be basically not navigable from day one, and would only serve as a water feature/pedestrian walkway. The ampitheater is a nice thought, but you could count on one hand the number of times it has actually been used in around five years' time.

Hopefully a sensible alternative design for the canal extension will be considered before this one is set in stone, or it could unintentionally jeapordize the prospects of an extension to the Ford Center/Cox Center and potentially to the Myriad Botanical Gardens.

Is there not an amphitheater planned near the river in the Core to Shore plans (if we haven't cut the river off from the CBD by then :(). How many do we need? I think one down by the river is a much more sensible location.

Is there not an amphitheater planned near the river in the Core to Shore plans (if we haven't cut the river off from the CBD by then :(). How many do we need? I think one down by the river is a much more sensible location.
I think the ampitheater proposed in conjuction with this project is more on the scale of what is in the Myriad Botanical Gardens, or actually more like the one in Kerr Park or in front of the Sonic headquarters. We're talking dozens of people rather than thousands, or even hundreds. I'm not exactly certain of the size of the one proposed for Core to Shore.

I think the fact that we already have 3 small ampitheatres downtown should signal that we don't need another.

Is this project dead?

I hate seeing the Rock Island building in the shape it is in, such a waste of a great historic building.

I don't believe so, I believe some work is underway or near, Steve can you please shed some light?

Yes. Harding and Shelton are, at last word, proceeding with the Red Ball building and Zio's building. However, the sale contract on the Rock Island building fell through. I've been told the Harding and Shelton project is being scaled down a bit - likely culprit is the same thing going on everywhere.

How about this, the UCO School of Rock, could locate into the Rock Island building??

Although I do like Steve's idea of the School to locate in the Film Exchange area.

okclee, I'm pretty sure that even the most ardent Bricktown advocates admit the school will outgrow the district. What I'm hearing is you simply can't have 2,000 students in one compact area and still have the space to grow as an entertainment district. Also, the cost of renovating the RI building is probably beyond a school's budget.

I think some of the inner streets of bricktown should be closed and turned into a promenade. This building is located within that area, but backs reno.

With all due respect, there is already a parking problem in Bricktown. Closing streets would make it worse. If there were more public parking areas being built, a ped mall would be a great idea.

there is no parking problem!

X2

My wife asked about that building when we were up there last Saturday. There is no reason why it should have taken this long to do something with it, other than poor management by ownership.

Venture Architecture (http://www.venturearchitecture.com/Project8.html)

Venture Architecture (http://www.venturearchitecture.com/Project8.html)

A Denver design firm that does almost all its work in Oklahoma City...strange.

A Denver design firm that does almost all its work in Oklahoma City...strange.
The female partner (husband and wife principals) is an OU Architecture grad, so I am sure she has some connections to OKC since they do work there. They opened an OKC office last November. I have interviewed in Denver and remember seeing the name on firm listings. One of these days I may move to Denver, but whether I am still down here in Austin or in Denver, I would still do work in OKC if I had the chance.

The female partner (husband and wife principals) is an OU Architecture grad, so I am sure she has some connections to OKC since they do work there. They opened an OKC office last November. I have interviewed in Denver and remember seeing the name on firm listings. One of these days I may move to Denver, but whether I am still down here in Austin or in Denver, I would still do work in OKC if I had the chance.

That makes more sense. I used to work in Denver, a great city that is becoming increasingly dense and urban.

Harding, Shelton building is sold
BY STEVE LACKMEYER
Published: November 13, 2009

Oil and gas company Harding & Shelton has spent the past couple of years preparing an ambitious renovation of an old Bricktown property to become its new headquarters. For a similar period of time, Allen Contracting has been working on its own renovation of an old Bricktown warehouse to become its new home.

It should be no surprise then that Harding & Shelton sold its existing offices this week at 516 W California. Surprising, however, may be the identity of the buyer: Allen Contracting.

Read Steve's full article at:

NewsOK (http://newsok.com/harding-shelton-building-is-sold/article/3417003?custom_click=lead_story_title)

The last sentence of the article makes me wonder how certain they are that they will be moving to Bricktown once construction of their office is complete. Hopefully it will happen.

"Allen Contracting will have a nearly unobstructed view of Devon Tower,” Moss said. "It is a great location in an emerging part of Oklahoma City.”

Read Jeff Allen's comments, not the broker's comments. Yeah, they're still moving to Bricktown.

... "Allen Contracting will have a nearly unobstructed view of Devon Tower,” Moss said. "It is a great location in an emerging part of Oklahoma City.”

It's never too early to remind the next user about location, location, location.
:sofa: