Is the amenities building going to be touching Dowell Center?

I've also heard that Dowell plans some large signage. Not sure what it will say.

What ever happened to Dowell's plans for residential?

Seems like a good time to get started on that.

I forgot to post this ... talked to Dowell a couple weeks ago. Those are windows on the top floors. He reduced the number of floors where windows are being added because, he says, he's being told the SandRidge amenities building next door will be higher than first planned. I talked to Greg Dewey and he said he was unaware of any such change, says it's still planned to top out at 5 1/2 stories high... so not sure what to think.

I think this was purely a cost reduction move... That they found out cutting those windows were more cost than worth

Otherwise, why would he also switch to stucco from brick?

Boondoggle.

The good news is that these changes won't be very noticeable from the street, except for at night when the fake windows are just black nothingness.

But of course we've had 18 floors of black nothingness with the old east facade of the Globe Life building... And both it and the Dowell Center have been empty for long that all these changes will still add a ton more life than that area has seen in decades.

Wrong guys.
Switch from brick was due to the foundation wall not being able to bear the weight.... I am not seeing any indication of Dowell going cheap on this. Yes, the amenities building is still five and one-half stories high. But what I'm now hearing is that these are very tall floor-to-ceiling heights with this structure. Feel free to go on believing the worst on this...

Thanks Steve. I didn't mean to imply he was being cheap, just that he may have needed to make an adjustment once they got into construction. I assure you the wall could have been made to bear the weight and they decided it wasn't worth the work/cost to do it. ANYTHING is possible in construction, the only constraints being time and money.

The detailed plans for the amenities building were approved in May 2011. I suppose they could be reworking them but the floors were already incredibly high; the total structure was 102 feet which would cover the east side of the Dowell Center up to the 13th floor.

And finally, if the amenities building was to be higher and cover up some of the proposed windows, why would Dowell bother putting up the fake facade at all? He's only making changes in the part of the building that will be newly exposed.

Even the revised plans Dowell submitted himself still showed six floors being exposed on the east side.

He denies the windows are fake. He says the windows being put in are real, just that they won't go as low as originally intended because the SandRidge building will be higher than first thought. One can accept or reject his explanation on the facade material. For for what it's worth, I've been covering Dowell for a decade and I've never known him to lie. He just doesn't give enough of a damn as to what other people think to do that... he does what he thinks is best, and that's that.

The only person talking about lies and or being cheap is you, Steve. Just trying to understand the plan.


First of all, it does seem like originally floors 12-18 were to be exposed and now it will only be 13-18.


Secondly, I'll post exactly what he submitted and let you and everyone else draw their own conclusions.

The first image is from his original application; the rest from the changes in January.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/dowellb.jpg







http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/dowella.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/dowellc.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/dowelld.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/dowelle.jpg

It's pretty easy to draw a conclusion from those drawings.......

The last picture clearly shows the highest floor with a metal panel when I SAW windows in there!!

The last picture clearly shows the highest floor with a metal panel when I SAW windows in there!!

Did you actually see light coming through the pane?

Or perhaps it was just a metal panel made to look like a window?

Transparent Metal?? You could see ladders through the glass and then when i got to the north of the building by 4th and gaylord, I could see the reflection.

The only person talking about lies and or being cheap is you, Steve. Just trying to understand the plan.


Pete, I know you weren't - I was responding to Just the Facts and Rover. In the interest of doing a quick post and moving on with a story, I failed to clearly state who I was responding to.
I'm confused by this whole matter.... again, it's not like Dowell to tell me something that's not true. But I see where you're getting this information. The photo I took today doesn't help at all....
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/p480x480/416870_367332513297024_116932215003723_1105265_835 857092_n.jpg

Thanks once again, Steve.

You can definitely see a ladder through that top window so I can't reconcile this with the plans they submitted in January.

Maybe the top three floors will have glass and the other three will just have blanks that look similar? Or maybe all six floors will still have glass? Either way that doesn't match up with the last plans they submitted to the DDRC.


And it has to be said, this really isn't that big of a deal! I tend to get so caught up in trying to understand something that I can forget the sum total isn't very significant.

Pete, I can't explain the DDRC item either...

Wrong guys.
Switch from brick was due to the foundation wall not being able to bear the weight.... I am not seeing any indication of Dowell going cheap on this. Yes, the amenities building is still five and one-half stories high. But what I'm now hearing is that these are very tall floor-to-ceiling heights with this structure. Feel free to go on believing the worst on this...
One can just eyeball from the rendering that they are tall floor to ceiling heights. I agree with you, I think it will come out well. I however liked the parking garage and it's mid century modern design. I wish the amenities building was replacing Kerr Park, and we were making a denser block though.

Transparent Metal?? You could see ladders through the glass and then when i got to the north of the building by 4th and gaylord, I could see the reflection.

While transparent metal does exist, it is prohibitively more expensive than a standard window with a load bearing frame.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/p480x480/416870_367332513297024_116932215003723_1105265_835 857092_n.jpg

See the ladder through the window to the left of the upper right corner?

Anyone ever consider asking, "Hey Mr. Dowell, mind if I take a look at your windows? What do you have going on there?"

The two windows in the upper right look to be slightly different color than the others, so it could be those are the only transparent ones.

The two windows in the upper right look to be slightly different color than the others, so it could be those are the only transparent ones.

It could be some are tinted and some aren't yet, OR the way the sun is hitting it. I could be wrong, but just two other scenarios.

One can just eyeball from the rendering that they are tall floor to ceiling heights. I agree with you, I think it will come out well. I however liked the parking garage and it's mid century modern design. I wish the amenities building was replacing Kerr Park, and we were making a denser block though.

From what I saw in old photos the parking garage wasn't bad. What made it look ugle was that crappy facade someone bolted to it.

Transparent metal was invented by these guys in 1986:

http://cf.badassdigest.com/_uploads/images/13611/scottytrekiv__span.jpg

That is exactly what I was thinking when I first made the comment.

I also posted these on the Sandridge thread.

Dowell Center is now finished on the east side; that is as low as they need to go (13th floor), as the new SR amenities building will go right up to that finished line.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/globelife5112.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/dowell5112.jpg

OK so i don't understand something with that building. Was there a large atrium in the middle of the thing with a really small section on the other side? It seems like the thing is just shaped very strangely.

There were offices on the north side and a parking garage on the south.

I believe the area in the middle was used for elevators to move cars up and down.

Pete, I know you weren't - I was responding to Just the Facts and Rover. In the interest of doing a quick post and moving on with a story, I failed to clearly state who I was responding to.
I'm confused by this whole matter.... again, it's not like Dowell to tell me something that's not true. But I see where you're getting this information. The photo I took today doesn't help at all....
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/p480x480/416870_367332513297024_116932215003723_1105265_835 857092_n.jpg

That actually looks pretty good. One of these days I would love to get to see the top floor, which I've heard is a mid-century mod masterpiece.

It's stunning up there. Photos of the space are in this post: http://www.okchistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150:the-kermac-building&catid=42:places&Itemid=78

I worked in the penthouse as we called it for 12 years. It was the executive offices for Midland Mortgage. It was spectacular!!

I believe the garage he is referencing is at 4th & Harvey:

http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/sketches/picfile/2729/R010016576001zA.jpg

dowell garage moving forward at this weeks planning commission meeting Item 4. B 30

dowell garage moving forward at this weeks planning commission meeting Item 4. B 30

That is one ugly ass garage.

Not defending the design, BUT you haven't really seen ugly-ass until you've seen the original garage, now covered by the cinderblock facade you see in that photo.

Not defending the design, BUT you haven't really seen ugly-ass until you've seen the original garage, now covered by the cinderblock facade you see in that photo.

I can't believe the one pictured could be labeled an "improvement." haha

I can't believe the one pictured could be labeled an "improvement." haha

It actually is - if you ever get a chance, go around to the back side (west?) and you can see the original structure. It is pretty bad.

There is a photo of the old facade somewhere, but when you see it you will likely agree that it is shocking such an abomnination was ever allowed to be built in the first place.

It still has that horrible, dented metal facade on the west and south ends.

I can't believe the one pictured could be labeled an "improvement." haha

Oh it is

I can't believe the one pictured could be labeled an "improvement." haha

It actually is - if you ever get a chance, go around to the back side (west?) and you can see the original structure. It is pretty bad.

Oh it is
I concur.....

http://www.dowellproperties.com/Garage%203.jpg

From earlier in the thread.

Rick Dowell bought this property in 1995... That's 18 years ago.

During that time, the Journal Record was the only tenant, taking a small amount of space on the lower floors. They have been long gone for a while now.

In 2007, Dowell received a $1,000,000 Brownfields loan from the City of OKC to remove the asbestos. That year in an interview with Steve Lackmeyer, he said he expected to have it all removed within a year. In 2010, Brianna Bailey wrote a story where he says he was still a year away from that goal.

I assume the asbestos has been completely removed, but Dowell has owned this building for close to two decades and it's still completely shuttered.


It's time to start putting some pressure on him to do something with this property. He needs to either get it open or sell it, as it's a huge dead hole in the middle of the CBD and virtually everything around it -- including the streets -- have seen massive investments.

Further, there is strong demand for both housing and office space downtown and yet this property is still sitting there.


And how can an individual afford to sit on a downtown office tower for almost 20 years and not even try to generate revenue? Because he is only paying $9K in annual taxes.

Compare that to the freshly remodeled SandRidge Tower which now pays $248K a year.


This is part of the larger issues discussed in this thread:

http://www.okctalk.com/other-urban-development/34396-vacant-abandoned-buildings.html


The City makes it easy and cheap for owners to sit on properties indefinitely. That absolutely needs to change, and with the local economy raging, the time is now.

Yes!

$9000 in taxes? What a steal.

Richard Mckown said he didn't want to be the last one standing without a chair when the music stops. I think Dowell will be the person standing up, right now is a perfect time to get this building back to life. I wonder if he will get to it too late?

In his last interview with Steve, he said he planned to start leasing in 2013 to small and mid-sized companies. Also said it would definitely remain office space because "that's what he knows".

Obviously, this is not going to happen in 2013, so yet another date not honored. He has also not started work on the parking garage expansion at 4th & Hudson, which may be a blessing because it's hideous. But he's said several times he was ready to start work.

In the past he has always self-financed his projects but if he doesn't have the means to get this building open for business or merely prefers not to borrow money, then he needs to get out of the way and sell to someone who is willing and able.


I assure you that he wouldn't sit on this building for decades if he had to pay taxes on the fair market value of the property. Not only is this a black hole in the middle of downtown, letting it sit idle deprives the City of millions in tax revenues.

Something has started on the garage expansion. It looked like the site was being cleared the other day. Maybe it started a while ago and I missed something.

$9000 in taxes? What a steal.

How is it that the property taxes on a 19 story office building is only 2X as much as the property taxes on my house (even if we are on the same size lot)?

In 2007, Dowell received a $1,000,000 Brownfields loan from the City of OKC to remove the asbestos. That year in an interview with Steve Lackmeyer, he said he expected to have it all removed within a year. In 2010, Brianna Bailey wrote a story where he says he was still a year away from that goal.

I think this deserves some kind of investigation. Did he pay back the loan yet?

Rick Dowell has the resources to pay the loan off, so it's not like either he completes a project or he has to do something fishy. Demanding an investigation in this instance is the kind of thing that damages credibility..

His projects are well-known for being dragged out, moving slowly, and seemingly going on forever. A lot of people don't know this, but he actually has another significant multi-story building that he is currently in the middle of renovating on NW 5th Street, right between the old Cadillac dealership and where Urban Pioneer owns property. He installed a new facade with the faux-rugged limestone aesthetic that he loves, which has just sat there gathering dust since.

Like someone else said though, I saw dirt finally moving on his parking garage expansion while I was in town last week. That is nice because, while the new expansion may be a cheap version of what could only appeal to the architectural tastes of Rick Dowell himself, the current western facade is embarrassing and unacceptable.

The south facade of that garage is many times worse.

You can see dirt moving at this site on this awesome new photo (to also be posted in the Favorite Skyline Photos thread):

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1013930_10151571585783731_362114399_n.jpg

WOW what a great photo... but LMAO at how prominent Legacy is there...

Rick Dowell has the resources to pay the loan off, so it's not like either he completes a project or he has to do something fishy. Demanding an investigation in this instance is the kind of thing that damages credibility..

His projects are well-known for being dragged out, moving slowly, and seemingly going on forever. A lot of people don't know this, but he actually has another significant multi-story building that he is currently in the middle of renovating on NW 5th Street, right between the old Cadillac dealership and where Urban Pioneer owns property. He installed a new facade with the faux-rugged limestone aesthetic that he loves, which has just sat there gathering dust since.

Like someone else said though, I saw dirt finally moving on his parking garage expansion while I was in town last week. That is nice because, while the new expansion may be a cheap version of what could only appeal to the architectural tastes of Rick Dowell himself, the current western facade is embarrassing and unacceptable.

He got a $1 million loan from the city and in 2007 said he would be done in 2008. In 2010 he said he was still a year away from finishing. What was he doing with the $1 million from the City during this time and has the loan been paid back? If it cost $5 million and he needed more time then fine, but getting a $1 million loan I assume under the guise that he was actually going to open the place up at some point and then not doing it raises a concern for me.

Except we overlook things like that all the time..

Except we overlook things like that all the time..

That was the point - we need to stop over-looking it. A proverbial New Sheriff is in town. Downtown is no longer just the wider communities backyard (as Steve likes to say), it has become its own neighborhood with its own locals.

I agree with JTF on the timeline. Excuse after excuse to delay. That's the age old story with developers..."well this thing came up and now it's going to take longer". Sometimes i feel like there should be a city-imposed window on construction. If they don't meet it, then fine them. That long-term construction impacts people all around the site on a daily basis and it's been far too long now....much like Sandridge.

I can understand some delays....any construction project has them. So don't construe it as a short window, but now this many YEARS later...come on. If city money is involved here, then either the loan needs to have been paid back already, or there needs to be a consquence. And we shouldn't be stuck with an incomplete building because of it either. At least the outside should HAVE to be finished. Even if that means the developer has to take out other loans to do it.

I sent an email to the local Brownfields coordinator to inquire about the terms of that City loan.

You would have to believe there were stipulations, such as having the work done by a certain date, having the building open, etc.

I'll post what I find out.

That was the point - we need to stop over-looking it. A proverbial New Sheriff is in town. Downtown is no longer just the wider communities backyard (as Steve likes to say), it has become its own neighborhood with its own locals.

Except there is not a new sheriff in town lol...

Just received this excellent and thorough reply from Chris Vargas, the Brownfields Coordinator for OKC.

In a follow-up email, Chris explained that the first three years of the loans are interest-only, with payments made annually after the money is loaned. In the fourth year, the loan converts to fully-amortized principal & interest and is repaid in four years.

Dowell is already making P&I payments on the first loan but is still in the interest-only phase of the second.



********************

The asbestos abatement at the Dowell building located at 134 Robert S. Kerr started in July 2007 and was completed in January 2011, with a total cost of $2,263,856.93. The funding came from three sources:

· The first was a Brownfields Loan executed on February 27th, 2007 in the amount of $955,976. The loan amount was increased to $1,000,000 in February 2008, then to $1,308,667 in October 2008. In March 2013 the loan agreement was amended to extend the payment terms to March 2017.

· A second Brownfields loan in the amount of $429,440 was executed in July 2010 with payment terms through July 2017.

· Mr. Dowell provided a funding match in the amount of $525,750 paid between 2007 and 2011.


Mr. Dowell’s loans are current and being repaid as agreed. The information submitted by Mr. Dowell during the loan process indicates an intention to fully lease the building by 2020.

Brownfield loans are typically at 2% interest with a 3-year interest-only period to allow for cleanup and redevelopment before the principle payments become due. The loan money can only be used for environmental abatement. A schedule of abatement is included in the loan application and may be referenced in the loan documents, although delays are not uncommon. Although a goal of the program is to support redevelopment, there are no mandated timelines for building occupancy due to due to complexities of redevelopment that extend beyond environmental cleanup.