From overhead, the picture of the renovated building looks like a Star Destroyer.

As far as the new building, eh, somebody will pay good money to be in a weird cool looking building even if the windows aren't super big. I'm not worried about this building getting a tenant.

The design wasn't that bad to begin with, although it is improved. Strange that we can force change here but not along Main Street or around our parks.

I think for the most part, it's not about where a development is, but who's funding it.

Bunch of new images for this project:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315c.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315d.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315e.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315f.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315g.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315h.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315i.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315j.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315k.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron051315l.jpg

That design is so freaking cool.

Really love how striking the design is and I bet the changes to the street level will at least help with the whole street level interaction thing. Very nice!

I know the design isn't popular with a lot of people on the board.. they hate the interaction with the street. .they hate the windows. .but I love this and think it will really look great.

two thumbs up on the design!

Yep, that's a home run from my viewpoint. Very unusual, striking design, I love it.

The whole thing is based on finding an anchor tenant, so it seems odd that there has been so much detailed design work at this stage.

I'd like to think they are further along than thought, but that's not what Ainsworth keeps saying in interviews.

If built, that will be so striking looking coming from the north on I-235 southbound.

Wow. That's not what I was anticipating. Kudos to the design, sure hope this comes through as the updated plan indicates, would be really neat.

The whole thing is based on finding an anchor tenant, so it seems odd that there has been so much detailed design work at this stage.

I'd like to think they are further along than thought, but that's not what Ainsworth keeps saying in interviews.

I talked to him the other day and he confirmed that he won't do anything without a tenant locked up.

Here is Molly Fleming's latest on the Flatiron. Maybe the name of this thread should be changed to PLICO Building.


Elevations: Flatiron District buildings - Taking a different angle

By Molly M. Fleming

The Journal Record



OKLAHOMA CITY – Designing office space for a square building seems like an easy task since it’s drawing smaller boxes in a larger box. But dividing up a triangle building into offices could seem like a challenge to some, said architect Rand Elliott with Elliott and Associates.



“It has allowed us to create dynamic spaces,” Elliott said, referring to the restoration of the flatiron building and its second phase on the east side. The renovation of the flatiron building at NE Fifth Street and N. Harrison Avenue is underway. The 13,000-square-foot structure will be home to PLICO. The company expects to move in by September.



But on the east side, something even bigger is developing between the partnership of Elliott, Ainsworth Co. and Lingo Construction. A seven-story, 65,000-square-foot building will fill the vacant lot between the flatiron building and N. Walnut Avenue. Elliott has long wanted to do something with the flatiron building and the property, and has been asking Ainsworth Co. President Chuck Ainsworth for his help for a long time.



“This is sort of living the dream for us,” Elliott said.



The building’s first two floors will be parking, with five floors of office space. The interior’s design will be untraditional, with hopes to attract companies that will employ the next generation, Ainsworth said. Instead of dividing the space into offices, it will be open with desks and work areas. Younger employees want to be able to live and work in the same community, he said.



“We already have several prospects,” Ainsworth said. “We are on the front end of marketing the space to people.”



The east-facing building will have an 1,800-square-foot retail space at the corner, enclosed in glass. Elliott said he imagines the area as a cafe or speakeasy, with ties to Ralph Waldo Ellison, who was born in Deep Deuce.



The building’s elevator and stairs will be attached on the exterior, providing more interior space. When someone drives up to the structure from NE Sixth Street, the elevator will be on the right and the stairs will be on the left. They will each have a glass curtain as well.



“This will give us more leasable space,” Elliott said.



The exterior will feature outdoor decks around the building, and a large glass curtain on the west side, providing views of downtown. At the ground level, patios will help to activate street life.



When the night stars come out, the building will shine bright as a guiding light for people coming into downtown. There will 46 light-emitting-diode lights sprinkled around the structure. The light colors can be changed to reflect what’s happening in the city, such as blue for an Oklahoma City Thunder game or pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.



The PLICO building renovation and the new eastern structure are just the beginning of what Ainsworth and Elliott want to see happening in the Flatiron District. Elliott has had an office in the area for 20 years and has seen the area come to life as residential development has increased.



Construction on the second phase will start once Ainsworth has secured a tenant. Elliott said construction will take approximately 24 months.



“(The PLICO building and the second addition) will truly be a landmark,” Elliott said. “It will tell people something about our community that they didn’t know before. If someone comes into Oklahoma City, they will have this impression that we are warm and friendly people.”

Actually, I think the formal name is now the Flatiron Gateway.

PLICO will only be occupying the existing building and doesn't have any ownership interest.

I just mentioned that because it was referred to as the PLICO building several times in the article. I know that they have no ownership in it.

Kinda similar to the "background" structure on the right... anyone remember this?

http://imaginativeamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/specketer_flatiron_01.jpg

I'd like to see some more really emphatic flatiron development in OKC. These proposals aren't new for us.. coming to fruition would be.

Was this the "Triangle" that was proposed in the mid 2000s but never got built?

No, that was a coordinated development masterplan between the main original developers of Deep Deuce. They were planning to do it all at once before the 2008 bust.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b61/edcrunk/misc%202/visionmapsmall.jpg

No, that was a coordinated development masterplan between the main original developers of Deep Deuce. They were planning to do it all at once before the 2008 bust.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b61/edcrunk/misc%202/visionmapsmall.jpg

Oh wow that would have been amazing had it have happened. I remember seeing a few renderings back in the day but I never knew it was that extensive.

OKC has yet to see a large interconnected development by several developers working in coordination come to frution.

No, that was a coordinated development masterplan between the main original developers of Deep Deuce. They were planning to do it all at once before the 2008 bust.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b61/edcrunk/misc%202/visionmapsmall.jpg

This was the development that lost to the Hill, correct?

This was the development that lost to the Hill, correct?

No, I believe it lost to the 2008 economic recession. It seems to me there was quite a bit of ambitious stuff proposed in OKC in the late 2000s that never came to fruition because of the recession.

Wasn't there a Triangle development that lost at the last minute to the Hill due to some shady dealings? I'm only on my first cup of coffee, so I may be way off.

It may have not come to fruition before 2008, but if you compare current land use and developments in the area to the Triangle Vision, it's following along pretty darn closely...

It may have not come to fruition before 2008, but if you compare current land use and developments in the area to the Triangle Vision, it's following along pretty darn closely...

Meh not nearly the commercial that The Triangle has demonstrated in that picture.

The lack of commercial will be the major difference between Midtown and Deep Deuce in 2030. Deep Deuce and Sosa are going to be your quiet urban neighborhoods. Midtown, Bricktown and Filmrow are going to by your more complete mixed-use districts.

That much commercial in such a small area was never realistic.

There is actually a ton in Deep Deuce given the population: Several restaurants and bars, a full-service hotel, a grocery store, salon, clothing store, coffee shop (soon), dentist, design studio and a fair bit of office.

I'm sure they'll add some more but there is already a lot for it's size.

You all are thinking of Anthony McDermid's Ellison on the Park. It was clearly the more urban proposal for the Walnut Hill site that is now The Hill. OCURA chose it over McDermid's better design because they wanted to make for-sale product available.

Back then the mantra was to "start high" with mostly high-income projects, and then successively build housing for lower income brackets, to leverage desirability.

OCURA, fresh off its stellar Bass Pro win, picked The Hill ten years ago. Canfield still has a long way to go towards those 150 for-sale townhomes, revised downward from I think 187.

That much commercial in such a small area was never realistic.

There is actually a ton in Deep Deuce given the population: Several restaurants and bars, a full-service hotel, a grocery store, salon, clothing store, coffee shop (soon), dentist, design studio and a fair bit of office.

I'm sure they'll add some more but there is already a lot for it's size.

I don't know that it's necessarily the size of the area as much as it is the significance and connectivity of the streets.

When I say "lack of" it's more in reference to what I expect Midtown to have (especially the Walker/10th Corridor), what exists in Bricktown, and what Film Row has already established and not at all in reference to how much Deep Deuce actually has.

Oklahoma State Medical Association to sell PLICO to Berkshire Hathaway unit | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-state-medical-association-to-sell-plico-to-berkshire-hathaway-unit/article/5432477)

What is the connection?

PLICO is occupying the building.

PLICO is the sole tenant for the first phase of this project:


PLICO’s principal operations will remain in Oklahoma City, where it was founded in 1979.

PLICO is the sole tenant for the first phase of this project:

Awesome! Figured so but didn't know. Could this be instrumental to the 2nd phase?

11056

Work this week

Moving in soon.

PLICO to take occupancy of Flatiron late September | NewsOK.com (http://m.newsok.com/plico-to-take-occupancy-of-flatiron-late-september/article/5434352)


The renovation of the historic Flatiron building has created much excitement in the downtown Oklahoma City community. PLICO, the owners of the building, have targeted late September to take occupancy as their new corporate headquarters.

From Saturday.

11163

The glass panels on the top level are gold reflective glass. From https://twitter.com/KevinMotto:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CMKl7hQUAAAaFbY.jpg:large

11447

11448

11449

11450

1149911500115011150211503
Hard to grab a good picture without the streetlights in the way.

Wow, the glass looks great.

Is the second phase going to begin as soon as this is wrapped up?

This looks great! I can't wait to see this building be occupied again, and begin the next chapter in it's existence! Any word on when the building will be complete enough for the tenant to move-in?

From https://twitter.com/jessejlewis:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPoWOT1VAAAQlRd.jpg

Plico has already partially moved in... Lots of computers, desks, etc.



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron092715a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron092715b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron092715c.jpg

What is the status with phase 2?

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Any updates on Phase 2 of this building? Looks like the Urban Renewal Authority still owns the parcel for Phase 2, and the only thing I can see that's been done is a temporary parking lot for Phase 1.

I am interested in phase 2 as well. That was the only thing that really excited me as I wasn't too thrilled with the final outcome of this building.

I personally think they did an incredible makeover of that building... but it looks of out-of-place and incomplete without the Phase 2 building.

I live everything but the top. I don't know why, the top just really sticks out to me and not in a good way. I agree with you it'll really go good with phase 2!

Did some nightcrawling tonight... Just call me Jake Gyllenhaal.

This building looks fantastic at night:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/flatiron031616.jpg

Bump.

It looks empty. I thought it had tenant(s) by now.

Completely leased.

Any word on phase 2? I know I keep bringing it up, but this is a very exciting project, imo, that will transform the gateway to downtown for a lot of people.

I'm quite curious about this myself - I want to see Phase 2 get underway on this project too. Last time I looked, there didn't appear to be any publicly available indication from City documents that Phase 2 was imminent - but I'm also nowhere near as plugged in as people like Pete. I just know how to find building permits and other public info from the City, lol.

Office market has been hit the most during this oil bust so its doubtful many companies are lining up to pay top dollar for new offices. Its going to remain a parking lot for a while.

This building is featured in Interior Design:

http://www.interiordesign.net/slideshows/detail/9460-best-of-year-office-transformation-winner-plico-by/

I like it, but I can see where many wouldn't. The irony is that the architect doesn't seem to respect anyone else's judgment calls.

I like it, but I can see where many wouldn't. The irony is that the architect doesn't seem to respect anyone else's judgment calls.

Agree. It's like he thinks he's the only one with any style or taste.

And for the record, I don't like how it turned out. he top looks like it hasn't been finished. I know it has, but at first glance, it looks like two by fours waiting to be framed out.

I was by there a few times here lately. The design elements between the old and new clash, and looks unfinished, IMO.

I was by there a few times here lately. The design elements between the old and new clash, and looks unfinished, IMO.

Maybe then in 50 years it will meet the fate of the Stage Center. :)