Steel is flying today.

Yep, steel started today both horizontally and vertically. I'll take pics tomorrow.

Took these Monday with my iPad2. Quality isn't the greatest, but you get the idea. This ALL went up on Monday. This project is moving quick now that they started.

http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae288/snewlon/18th_2.jpg
http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae288/snewlon/18th_1.jpg
http://i980.photobucket.com/albums/ae288/snewlon/18th_3.jpg

Nice, thanks for the pics metro.

Are these apartments located right off Classen? Visible from Classen? Thanks.

They're a block west of Classen on NW 18, right across the street from the school and on the SW corner of the intersection.

They are visible from Classen too.

Have we heard what the prices for these apartments will be?

This project hasn't moved for weeks.

I was thinking the same. Last I saw them out was after the 3rd day, but it appeared the steel was already up.

Interesting location for this project. West of Classen is slowly crawling out of the "questionable neighborhood" area with exception of the area close to the Plaza. South of 16th is still pretty scary. Lots of section 8 4plexes around there. Ready to see even more positive development around there!

Gatewood has been a nice neighborhood for a while already, although it does have a few streets in between that aren't as nice.

I'm worried about this project.

Wonder what the heck happened if they already had the steel up then suddenly quit?

Back before Urban Renewal, there was a steel framework for a partially-built high-rise located approximately where the new library is today, on Walker. The ground floor had been completed and was occupied by a florist, but the second story was nothing but the initial steel work, up to about four stories and nothing above that. As I understood at the time, it had been begun in the early 30s, not long after First National and the Ramsey Tower were completed, and was intended to compete with them -- but the developer ran out of money, and didn't even have enough to raze it and salvage the metal. It finally vanished during Urban Renewal, replaced by a parking lot until the library was built.

More recently, there was a similar situation on N May, at the north end of the "survey curve" immediately north of Wilshire. However this one did finally get finished, after a decade or so of sitting half-built.

Back before Urban Renewal, there was a steel framework for a partially-built high-rise located approximately where the new library is today, on Walker. The ground floor had been completed and was occupied by a florist, but the second story was nothing but the initial steel work, up to about four stories and nothing above that. As I understood at the time, it had been begun in the early 30s, not long after First National and the Ramsey Tower were completed, and was intended to compete with them -- but the developer ran out of money, and didn't even have enough to raze it and salvage the metal. It finally vanished during Urban Renewal, replaced by a parking lot until the library was built.

More recently, there was a similar situation on N May, at the north end of the "survey curve" immediately north of Wilshire. However this one did finally get finished, after a decade or so of sitting half-built.

And it's similar to this huge structure that has been sitting unfinished in West OKC for years.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20020725/ai_n10155704/

And it's similar to this huge structure that has been sitting unfinished in West OKC for years.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20020725/ai_n10155704/

Dang, that was written in '02 and it's still like that.

Yikes. I hope this gets back on track!

More recently, there was a similar situation on N May, at the north end of the "survey curve" immediately north of Wilshire. However this one did finally get finished, after a decade or so of sitting half-built.
If I remember the story right that was supposed to be a new store for a jeweler in Shepherd Mall but got tied up in all the banking stuff in 1982 and ultimately came under control of the RTC/FDIC. I had some friends who looked into ownership hoping to buy it in the late 80's and finish it but it was still under control of the FDIC at that point with no sale in the near future. It didn't sell until the late 90's I think.

Sometimes work stoppages also have to do with funding milestones. The F1 track under construction here in Austin went quiet for a couple of weeks which caused all sorts of speculation. What it was really about was construction was ahead of schedule on the current funding cycle and the new funding cycle didn't start until September 1. Once that date hit and the bonds were issued (McCombs used bonds to finance it), they started moving forward and have started building up now.

Whilst doing my morning run last week, I noticed some construction machinery being dropped off on the site -- very early morning. I have now noticed that plywood and other materials have been delivered and men are on site. Looks like the "lull" is over. Can't wait to see this go up -- especially in my neck of the woods.

That's great, thank you. I was holding my breath there for a few days but now I can chill some.

Great! It's really nice to see places like this, LEVEL, and Loft 401 provide some diverse options for people in the metro.

More framing going on! Looks like they will make a lot of progress from here on out.

Saw them doing wood wall framing today, reassuring to see.

Pic didn't upload right but you get the idea...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AkFgBOc8zFk/Trkx2RpQBJI/AAAAAAAAOSk/gGf7VcCsDqM/s400/IMAG0040.jpg

I'm thrilled to see development in this area because I attended school there in the late 90s and remember how many severely blighted houses surrounded the school. I do wish the paint scheme was toned down at the least so as to stay in harmony with the neighborhood. As an oil town, locals are prone to a boom and bust mentality that can be traced back to I.M. Pei and earlier. I always wanted to see that corner developed as it was eyesore for us ball players after school waiting for rides but the long term viability and harmony with the neighborhood has to be considered as well.

We just finished the renderings, thought I'd post one...

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee491/jleach1972/18thStreet-Final_med.jpg

Jungmoney, that is pretty toned-down, no? Different tactile hues of beige and glass. I think it will fit in very well while adding some diversity as well.

I guess the green caught my eye but maybe that was just an artist's way of drawing the glass. Developers have to be careful in that neighborhood in my opinion because it isn't as gentrified as the optimists would hope or as more urban and historic areas are becoming. I'm just mostly afraid a new low rise building might clash with the school.

Lots of progress in a week...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GhP5wPACqaY/TsO7oLyeiFI/AAAAAAAAOw8/-OS24nASaX0/s400/IMAG0049.jpg

Anybody heard any scuttlebutt on prices?

we havent determined prices yet. somewhere between $1.15 and $1.40 per square foot. that's on the menu soon though. we will start pre-leasing beginning in Jan - Feb of 2012. thanks for keeping up with the project!

p.s. the delay was nothing more than bad weather and typical construction timing.

It's a pretty impressive mock-up. That neighborhood is referred to as "the bubble". Lots of liberal arts folk live and play in the area and I can't see it being a clash at all. The use of clean, modern architecture sitting in between old brickwork buildings is very chic (common in cities like Portland), and I find it quite appealing.

My mom owned the restaurant in the Victorian Building across the street when I was a kid, back in the 80s. Lots of fond memories of this area!

Lots of liberal arts folk live and play in the area and I can't see it being a clash at all. The use of clean, modern architecture sitting in between old brickwork buildings is very chic (common in cities like Portland), and I find it quite appealing.

You can't imagine it being a clash? This neighborhood was the roughest structurally west of broadway extension and north of tenth just 15 years ago. There are still vagrants walking through the area at night on Classen, imo a byproduct of downtown development forcing them out over the years. The difference between Portland and here is that they have a thriving creative class with good taste and land prices are high enough to justify sleek new development amongst older buildings. Like I said, I like the idea of urban infill but this project seems overambitious. Modesty and an eye toward detail in design are traits that stand the test of time. The idea of luxury housing in that neighborhood and the flamboyance of the drawing is kind of annoying but hopefully the project is a success and I eat my words.

You can't imagine it being a clash? This neighborhood was the roughest structurally west of broadway extension and north of tenth just 15 years ago. There are still vagrants walking through the area at night on Classen, imo a byproduct of downtown development forcing them out over the years. The difference between Portland and here is that they have a thriving creative class with good taste and land prices are high enough to justify sleek new development amongst older buildings. Like I said, I like the idea of urban infill but this project seems overambitious. Modesty and an eye toward detail in design are traits that stand the test of time. The idea of luxury housing in that neighborhood and the flamboyance of the drawing is kind of annoying but hopefully the project is a success and I eat my words.

This is probably the most "creative" (artsy?) part of town. OCU being right down the street, Classen SAS, Lyric Theater, The Plaza, Mutt's/BTT (I say Mutt's, because how many people think gourmet hot dogs/tacos?), close to Paseo...It may be a stretch, but I think it's a good stretch to make, and I think it's about as good a place in town as is going to be found for this kind of project.

we havent determined prices yet. somewhere between $1.15 and $1.40 per square foot. that's on the menu soon though. we will start pre-leasing beginning in Jan - Feb of 2012. thanks for keeping up with the project!

p.s. the delay was nothing more than bad weather and typical construction timing.

REALLY? I hope you get it but that's the same as high end Midtown.

REALLY? I hope you get it but that's the same as high end Midtown.

this is correct ... the new 1212 N harvey won't be 1.40 a sqft and it is a 100 times better location

From Tuesday morning (11/22/11):

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IktexxqoCG4/Ts0aojoFIqI/AAAAAAAAO7s/6PsZvbMhUUU/s1024/IMAG0076.jpg

we havent determined prices yet. somewhere between $1.15 and $1.40 per square foot. that's on the menu soon though. we will start pre-leasing beginning in Jan - Feb of 2012. thanks for keeping up with the project!

p.s. the delay was nothing more than bad weather and typical construction timing.

There were plenty of nice days for weeks when no one was on site.

Well, the market will determine if the prices are reasonable...

There were plenty of nice days for weeks when no one was on site.

Dang, lay off the guy. Pretty sure they can let the pace of construction go however they want.


Well, the market will determine if the prices are reasonable...

Exactly. Even though I too agree that preliminary pricing is a tad on the high end.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/Teo9969/12%20-%2028%20-%202011/th_Picture001.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v60/Teo9969/12%20-%2028%20-%202011/?action=view&current=Picture001.jpg)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/Teo9969/12%20-%2028%20-%202011/th_Picture002.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v60/Teo9969/12%20-%2028%20-%202011/?action=view&current=Picture002.jpg)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/Teo9969/12%20-%2028%20-%202011/th_Picture003.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v60/Teo9969/12%20-%2028%20-%202011/?action=view&current=Picture003.jpg)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/Teo9969/12%20-%2028%20-%202011/th_Picture004.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v60/Teo9969/12%20-%2028%20-%202011/?action=view&current=Picture004.jpg)

Thanks Teo!

Really coming along and looks super sharp.

You can't imagine it being a clash? This neighborhood was the roughest structurally west of broadway extension and north of tenth just 15 years ago. There are still vagrants walking through the area at night on Classen, imo a byproduct of downtown development forcing them out over the years. The difference between Portland and here is that they have a thriving creative class with good taste and land prices are high enough to justify sleek new development amongst older buildings. Like I said, I like the idea of urban infill but this project seems overambitious. Modesty and an eye toward detail in design are traits that stand the test of time. The idea of luxury housing in that neighborhood and the flamboyance of the drawing is kind of annoying but hopefully the project is a success and I eat my words.

Maybe you're not paying attention, but OKC also has a vibrant creative class, and it happens to be clustering in the neighborhood near the development. The Plaza District is artier and more bohemian than the Paseo these days, and Classen SAS is the most funky, arty, bohemian school in the entire county. The development is fine and will probably lead to improvements to the surrounding apartments. It's called gentrification and it happens everywhere, and now it's happening here. Why be such a buzzkill about this? The apartments will probably all lease prior to the thing being open.

If you read the whole thread you would see I went to Classen so you don't have to tell me what kind of school it is. I also know what gentrification is, I used the word in this thread previously. What you may not understand is that it is a grassroots process not a top-down process. A lot of times it is a slow process and attempts to short cut the stages end up leaving pock marks. My guess is there is a major cultural divide between the people developing downtown residential and the next stage of people who will be moving downtown, the young middle class. The low hanging fruit have already moved and if developers want to continue the momentum they will have to be more in touch with the taste of young professionals. I would feel self conscious living in a flashy apartment right next to a school in what I still consider a gritty neighborhood. But hopefully they get what they are asking.

I would feel self conscious living in a flashy apartment right next to a school in what I still consider a gritty neighborhood. But hopefully they get what they are asking.

I have no idea what you mean by saying you would be self conscious but this is not a flashy apartment building. It's a modest modern looking structure and it shouldn't overwhelm or overshadow anything in that area.

Very good. I'm sure they'll be grateful for your business.

Very good. I'm sure they'll be grateful for your business.

And I doubt they will miss yours.

LOL that is comical at best...

I don't see how this project and all of Jeff Struble's residential rehabs, and all the synergy on NW 16th, doesn't resemble grassroots gentrification. It's not that I wouldn't agree that organic growth is always preferable.

I don't see how this project and all of Jeff Struble's residential rehabs, and all the synergy on NW 16th, doesn't resemble grassroots gentrification. It's not that I wouldn't agree that organic growth is always preferable.
I agree, it's not like a big Dallas developer is coming and trying to force it to transform into a new Knox/Henderson area by the mass clearing of lots to build a massive development.

I agree, it's not like a big Dallas developer is coming and trying to force it to transform into a new Knox/Henderson area by the mass clearing of lots to build a massive development.

I'm sure much to everyone around here's chagrin.. (hell I almost wouldn't mind that with some neighborhoods like Classen-Ten-Penn, that pocket of Gatewood, etc).

Here are my issues with the project:
-It seems like it was made a high-end project simply because that was the only profitable way to build a small building, there is no economy of scale.
-To my knowledge most of the gentrification in that area is single family houses, which would make sense because apartments can still be had for $400-500 within blocks. My point is why rent just for the appliances?
-The other two issues I have that aren't directly related to the project. A lack of a large-scale, moderately priced project to allow people to test the downtown/midtown lifestyle without spending $1000/month. This current project is another example of this. The other is encroachment on my school's grounds by seemingly greedy developers, which I probably overreacted to.

And when I said I didn't want to live next to a school I was speaking as a single twentysomething to potential developers so hopefully this niche area can be filled.

I was just responding to a question someone asked me and wanted to get this off my chest and am done with this thread.

Here are my issues with the project:
-It seems like it was made a high-end project simply because that was the only profitable way to build a small building, there is no economy of scale.
-To my knowledge most of the gentrification in that area is single family houses, which would make sense because apartments can still be had for $400-500 within blocks. My point is why rent just for the appliances?
-The other two issues I have that aren't directly related to the project. A lack of a large-scale, moderately priced project to allow people to test the downtown/midtown lifestyle without spending $1000/month. This current project is another example of this. The other is encroachment on my school's grounds by seemingly greedy developers, which I probably overreacted to.

And when I said I didn't want to live next to a school I was speaking as a single twentysomething to potential developers so hopefully this niche area can be filled.

I was just responding to a question someone asked me and wanted to get this off my chest and am done with this thread.

You might want to get the relationship between your school and this development checked out by a professional. In my opinion, and I'm sure for most others as well, the old Classen SAS is an attractive historic building (a plus) and this development is an attractive condo building (a plus). There will be architectural synergy between the two, and yet clearly there is still the same street and the same property lines dividing the plots, so I don't understand the "encroachment" problem.

You might want to get the relationship between your school and this development checked out by a professional. In my opinion, and I'm sure for most others as well, the old Classen SAS is an attractive historic building (a plus) and this development is an attractive condo building (a plus). There will be architectural synergy between the two, and yet clearly there is still the same street and the same property lines dividing the plots, so I don't understand the "encroachment" problem.

I wouldn't want to live that close to the school because I'd have to deal with traffic associated with parents dropping their kids off in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon. Plus, there's not enough parking lot spaces for the students with cars, so they parallel park in the front of Classen SAS. Both Ellison street and 18th will be even more of a clusterf*** than they already are.

I also went to Classen SAS for middle and high school. Lots of gentrification going on, but I've never felt safe in the area.

I don't get the whole "don't feel safe" in that area. What's not safe about it? There's pockets of sketchiness but nowhere near south of 16th. I've never felt unsafe in the Plaza or Gatewood. Now, when my sister lived on 17th and Indiana back in about '95 it was a different story.

Safety is a state of mind.

For years I worked in what is considered one of the worst areas of Los Angeles (and that's saying something!) and never felt unsafe. I minded my own business, treated everyone I came across with great respect and never had even a small incident in seven years. And this included parking my relatively nice car in a pretty vulnerable place and walking to lunch virtually every day.


People who don't feel safe don't understand their surroundings. Very, very, very little violent crime is random... It's almost always between people who know each other and part of much bigger issues.

Safety is a state of mind.

For years I worked in what is considered one of the worst areas of Los Angeles (and that's saying something!) and never felt unsafe. I minded my own business, treated everyone I came across with great respect and never had even a small incident in seven years. And this included parking my relatively nice car in a pretty vulnerable place and walking to lunch virtually every day.


People who don't feel safe don't understand their surroundings. Very, very, very little violent crime is random... It's almost always between people who know each other and part of much bigger issues.

Bingo. I had some friends visit me when I lived in Midtown and one of them acted like we were going to get assulted... It was ridiculous. I used to run every night through the entire area and never encountered a single problem. Unfortunately, some people also think an area is dangerous if they see a single minority at night. I also got the same reactions from people when I recently took a Greyhound bus for a few hundred miles. What do people think is going to happen on a Greyhound?!? Some people are just way more comfortable in the white-flight suburbs, but it is mostly do to naivette (and stereotypes) more than reality...

Unfortunately people have misguided views about downtown. On New Year's me and my girlfriend went downtown to see the fireworks and ball drop
(rise?). Parking was tight all around so I parked by a building in Film Row....literally two blocks from the Myriad Gardens. She thought we were in the hood and we would get attacked, and demanded we try and find somewhere else to park...so we ended up driving around watching the fireworks....

Lame....

The great irony is that insulated people are the ones that often feel the least safe.

I have a good friend that lives behind the gates at Oak Tree, has a security system and big dogs and STILL keeps a gun for protection.


If more people actually got out and interacted with their community they'd realize there is very little to fear. Fear usually comes from ignorance.

People who don't feel safe don't understand their surroundings.

So true. If I were to base my comfort level totally on my anecdotal experiences of crime, I would be much more scared of the suburbs than the inner city for sure. But that would be just as irrational as me being afraid to be in a neighborhood just because of its median income level. In the end, probably the most dangerous thing I do is walk through a mall parking lot. ; )

Unfortunately people have misguided views about downtown. On New Year's me and my girlfriend went downtown to see the fireworks and ball drop
(rise?). Parking was tight all around so I parked by a building in Film Row....literally two blocks from the Myriad Gardens. She thought we were in the hood and we would get attacked, and demanded we try and find somewhere else to park...so we ended up driving around watching the fireworks....

How committed are you to this girl?

How committed are you to this girl?

That's really not any of your business, I was providing an example that the common mindset is that downtown is dangerous.