address=4345 N. Lincoln Bvld. (http://goo.gl/maps/Wz7Zx)
owner=Dick Tanenbaum
architect=Gardner

http://www.okctalk.com/images/wikiphotos/lincolnplaza1.jpg

Information & Latest News
Links
OKCHistory.com Article (http://www.okchistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=258:lincoln-plaza&catid=42:places&Itemid=78)
County Assessor Record (http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/AN-R.asp?ACCOUNTNO=R133209000)
Abandoned Oklahoma (http://www.abandonedok.com/lincoln-plaza/)
Gallery

Gardner Tanenbaum Group pays $2.6M for Lincoln Plaza Hotel
By Brianna Bailey
Journal Record
Oklahoma City reporter - Contact 405-278-2847
Posted: 06:38 PM Wednesday, August 24, 2011

OKLAHOMA CITY – Gardner Tanenbaum Group has purchased the once-grand Lincoln Plaza Hotel for $2.6 million and has plans to redevelop the long-shuttered property into housing.

Led by developer Dick Tanenbaum, Gardner Tanenbaum acquired the 316-room hotel and 69,402-square-foot convention center near the Oklahoma Capitol from Durant-based First United Bank.

Plans for the Lincoln, which sits on a 24-acre lot overgrown with weeds at 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd., are still in development, said Tanenbaum, who would only elaborate to say that the finished concept would be unbelievable.

“We’re not rushing this one – it’s too important,” Tanenbaum said. “There’s nothing like it. It’s pretty ugly, but I’ve turned a lot of uglies into beauties.”

Although structurally sound, the interior of the poured-in-place concrete and masonry complex has been gutted.

Built in 1967, the complex includes a three-story hotel, seven-story convention center and a single-story restaurant.

Once a glamorous meeting place for politicos and executives, the complex has changed hands several times over the past 20 years and has been closed for more than a decade.

Oklahoma City developers Tom Parrish and David Aduddell purchased the property for $2.025 million in 2006, with plans to bring the closed hotel back to its former glory, but the project never moved forward. The developers handed the property back to the bank in June 2010, according to property records.

Tanenbaum has a long history of successfully revitalizing older buildings in the city, said Tim Strange, managing director of Sperry Van Ness/William T. Strange & Associates. Strange negotiated the sale, along with adviser Brett Price.

Tanenbaum has also developed about 1 million square feet of residential and warehouse space in the area around N. Lincoln.

“We know the area well,” Tanenbaum said.

Tanenbaum’s past redevelopment projects include the Montgomery and Park Harvey apartment buildings in downtown Oklahoma City, as well as the Classen, formerly Citizens Tower, at 2200 N. Classen Blvd.

“It really made him the perfect buyer, because he had the track record, the experience and the credibility, if you will, that the bank was looking for in a buyer,” Strange said.

From the Journal Record website

Gardner Tanenbaum Group pays $2.6M for Lincoln Plaza Hotel

By Brianna Bailey
Oklahoma City reporter - Contact 405-278-2847
Posted: 06:38 PM Wednesday, August 24, 2011

OKLAHOMA CITY – Gardner Tanenbaum Group has purchased the once-grand Lincoln Plaza Hotel for $2.6 million and has plans to redevelop the long-shuttered property into housing.

Led by developer Dick Tanenbaum, Gardner Tanenbaum acquired the 316-room hotel and 69,402-square-foot convention center near the Oklahoma Capitol from Durant-based First United Bank.

Plans for the Lincoln, which sits on a 24-acre lot overgrown with weeds at 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd., are still in development, said Tanenbaum, who would only elaborate to say that the finished concept would be unbelievable.

“We’re not rushing this one – it’s too important,” Tanenbaum said. “There’s nothing like it. It’s pretty ugly, but I’ve turned a lot of uglies into beauties.”

Although structurally sound, the interior of the poured-in-place concrete and masonry complex has been gutted.

Built in 1967, the complex includes a three-story hotel, seven-story convention center and a single-story restaurant.

Once a glamorous meeting place for politicos and executives, the complex has changed hands several times over the past 20 years and has been closed for more than a decade.

Oklahoma City developers Tom Parrish and David Aduddell purchased the property for $2.025 million in 2006, with plans to bring the closed hotel back to its former glory, but the project never moved forward. The developers handed the property back to the bank in June 2010, according to property records.

Tanenbaum has a long history of successfully revitalizing older buildings in the city, said Tim Strange, managing director of Sperry Van Ness/William T. Strange & Associates. Strange negotiated the sale, along with adviser Brett Price.

Tanenbaum has also developed about 1 million square feet of residential and warehouse space in the area around N. Lincoln.

“We know the area well,” Tanenbaum said.

Tanenbaum’s past redevelopment projects include the Montgomery and Park Harvey apartment buildings in downtown Oklahoma City, as well as the Classen, formerly Citizens Tower, at 2200 N. Classen Blvd.

“It really made him the perfect buyer, because he had the track record, the experience and the credibility, if you will, that the bank was looking for in a buyer,” Strange said.

merged the two threads... -M

This is an interesting development for the Plaza. Is more housing on Lincoln a good thing or bad thing (or no thing) for the urban core development? While it places more potential workers NEAR downtown, it isn't the same as being downtown. Does it draw from the same potential market of renters?

It was quite the place back in the day. Hope they do something spectacular with it.

There is quite a bit of new and newly announced development along the Lincoln corridor. I need to create a map and plot it all out because most don't get over there and it's hard to keep track. That area still has a long way to go, but this will certainly help.

Even excluding the office section (separate ownership) this is a big chunk of property at over 18 acres:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/lincolnplaza1.jpg

http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/sketches/picfile/2660/R133209000001rA.jpg

Also, it might make sense to keep the curved building and renovate that, but the rectangular structure to the south is nothing special and scraping that would allow that whole area to be redeveloped and tied into the nice wooded property to the west:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/lincolnplaza2.jpg

http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/searches/sketches/picfile/2660/R133209000002RA.jpg

Pete, that poolside photo shows the true potential of this property as apartments. Tanenbaum will do well with this.

Bringing back a hotel type business would be foolishness IMHO. The concrete construction makes enlarging the rooms to modern business hotel standards very difficult/expensive. I was in the structure a couple of years ago and it was VERY dilapidated and will require time and MONEY. Residents to the east of Lincoln Blvd want this property cleaned up/fixed up or torn down. A lot of business in the area feel slighted since the development that started at the capitol complex and moved northward stopped before it go to them.

From a cost standpoint it would be interesting to know the cost of renovating the hotel (curved) vs the convention center (rectangular). Who knows they may all come down and something totally new built in their place.

Mustang, never underestimate the capability of an edgy and often abrupt bald guy who doesn't even comprehend the words "you can't do that."
I've seen Tanenbaum do quite nicely tackling projects others said couldn't be done.

I hope so. Even more than that I hope it will be a going concern for decades to come as this area seems to have a pox upon it.

Speaking if Lincoln. What's going to be at the nw corner of 50th and Lincoln? A 3-4 story, nice looking building is under construction there.

On the NW corner of Lincoln and NE 50th Old Surety Life Insurance is building a $6,000,000, 4-story, 41,554 square foot office building.

The are presently in the little building due north of this property. I guess they are growing but also may have some space for lease.

On the NW corner of Lincoln and NE 50th Old Surety Life Insurance is building a $6,000,000, 4-story, 41,554 square foot office building.

The are presently in the little building due north of this property. I guess they are growing but also may have some space for lease.

I used to work at the Lincoln Plaza office complex before it was flooded back in 05/2010, I have been back there to eat at the little cafe inside the office building (yes, a cafe exists in that building, called Abby's Grill). Anyways, I go there from time to time to eat, and they have completely renovated the inside of the building and it looks great, so this is exciting news re hotel and convention center.

I drive down the Lincoln corridor every morning on my way to work, and they have some nice construction projects going on. The Old Surety Life Insurance building is actually pretty modern, with nice big glass windows. The State Office Finance building on 3115 N. Lincoln looks great, and some company is construction a huge building just south of that. Also, the new $40M Veteran Affairs office building is supposed to go in this area.

Nice restaurants within walking distance from Lincoln Plaza, you have: Jamil's, Italiano's, Hunan's, Pizza Hut, Bedlam BBQ, Elmer's Bar & Grill.

So its good to see housing coming this area, too bad they didn't do this about 4 years ago, I could have walked to work. Wouldn't even had to leave the building because the office building, convention center and hotel are all connected.

On the NW corner of Lincoln and NE 50th Old Surety Life Insurance is building a $6,000,000, 4-story, 41,554 square foot office building.

The are presently in the little building due north of this property. I guess they are growing but also may have some space for lease.

I found out this past weekend that thus business is my friend's dad's business. He told me about the roof and how it will have penthouse amenities once the building is finished. I even met his dad this weekend and asked him once the building is completed, if I could get a shot of downtown from there. It sits pretty high up so it would make a great view, like the view from the saints parking garage is.

This is very good news for the east side of Okc and Lincoln Blvd. I predict another successful development by Mr. Tanenbaum, something he is accustomed to.

Any idea how many units that Mr. Tanenbaum has in mind? I'm sure he has some kind of number that he thinks could work on this site. Also how many units does his other developent have at "The Lincoln"?

This also goes to show that Mr. Tanenbaum was ready to pull the trigger on a large housing development and has the financing to do so. Remember this if there are any future problems along 13th and Walker with the Mercy Development project.

Remember the dorm room remodel from Back to School?

This is an interesting development for the Plaza. Is more housing on Lincoln a good thing or bad thing (or no thing) for the urban core development? While it places more potential workers NEAR downtown, it isn't the same as being downtown. Does it draw from the same potential market of renters?

Good question, and I think it does, but I think that market is big enough--if we were talking about condo units, then we would have a problem most likely. We know that then it would be competing not just with downtown condos, which sell albeit slowly, but also with other north-side upscale condo projects such as the Founders Tower, which sold very slowly.

I think this is ultimately an excellent project in terms of value to the community for many reasons. First, for sustainability reasons, I like it whenever existing buildings are simply re-purposed, and whenever density goes up in an area with existing infrastructure. Lincoln is a good piece of infrastructure that nobody ever uses, really. Also, this is inner city (sorta), and it brings more income diversity to NE OKC, definitely a good thing. Plus Tanenbaum recognizes that he has the potential to restore a landmark here, so that's special.

I am intrigued that he is taking on such a project that so many other proven developers have actually failed to accomplish. I know Parrish and especially Aduddel have expansive financial resources. Tanenbaum has never failed in a project that he was actually able to get his hands on (unlike the bus station and Kerr McGee bldgs), so I will be expecting him to be able to pull this off.

I knew many couples that spent their honeymoon at Lincoln Plaza. If I remember correctly from an old post card the Honeymoon Suite had a round bed. Correct me if I am wrong. There was the Governors Club and the Prime Rib Room as well as the Dinner Theater called The Forum.

This property screams Casino!!!!! Turn it into a 1st class Casino/Hotel/Restaurant/Spa and make some money.

I wish we could do that...

This property screams Casino!!!!! Turn it into a 1st class Casino/Hotel/Restaurant/Spa and make some money.

Nice thought but that is all it will ever be. It can be buried in the same grave as the proposed casino near Brittom/I-35. Tanenbaum is just about the only one with the financial muscle and foresight to successfully pull this off. There are others who might give it a good go but he will get it done and done right.

Which project is completed first......Midtown Mercy or Linclon Plaza??

It will be a horse race... and interesting to watch.

^^^
And a horse race at the Remington Park "Racino" is about as close as you are going to get to a casino in OKC. LOL

I knew many couples that spent their honeymoon at Lincoln Plaza. If I remember correctly from an old post card the Honeymoon Suite had a round bed. Correct me if I am wrong. There was the Governors Club and the Prime Rib Room as well as the Dinner Theater called The Forum.

You're correct. I never stayed at the hotel but took a tour of it during the grand opening. I did eat at the restaurants and attended several shows at the dinner theater. It was first class all the way when it was built.

And a "Jimmy Johnson"s" restaurant when he was still a Dallas Cowboy coach.

Actually when it opened he hadn't been the Cowboys' coach for five years, and even Barry Switzer had moved on from Dallas. Johnson was coaching at Miami when Three Rings opened. Switzer's Lighthouse was opening around the same time at Lake Hefner, and I always thought he should have named it "Barry Switzer's FOUR rings Bar and Grill." But that's just me.

I stand corrected. I've slept a couple of times since those days. LOL.

Which project is completed first......Midtown Mercy or Linclon Plaza??

Probably Mercy. But how does that make a race? Fairly distant projects we have here...

Probably Mercy. But how does that make a race? Fairly distant projects we have here...

In regards to the fact that Tanenbaum had financing in hand ready to go, had he been chosen for the Mercy site.

I wouldn't think that's transferable though?

Ah, good point. idk...

Probably Mercy. But how does that make a race? Fairly distant projects we have here...

I am only making a story between Mr. Brooks and Mr. Tanenbaum, and each of their development track records. You really want to put money on the Mercy project and Mr. Brooks??

I am not familiar with Brooks other than "His Legacy", but I am very familiar with Mr. Tanenbaum and Mr. Gardner. Gardner/Tanenbaum has very deep pockets and has never had trouble financing any of their projects and the Mercy development wouldn't have been any different. GT also runs a very tight development company and makes it happen on a timely schedule. Remember it was Mr. Tanenbaum that put the pressure on OCURA to pull the contract extension with the original Mercy project. This man gets things done and now that he is investing in Lincoln blvd with his 2nd project expect Lincoln to make strides in other areas too. Okc is lucky to have a development group such as Gardner/Tanenbaum.

Now I got cha. Yes, I agree that Tanenbaum deserves some credit for at least pressuring OCURA, and there is no way to argue with your salient point about Brooks/Henderson and their "legacy."

Okc is lucky to have a development group such as Gardner/Tanenbaum.

VERY much so! He does it all. Boeing, ARINC, The Lincoln at Central Park, and Now the Lincoln Plaza? Pretty impressive resume of multi million dollar projects.

I very much hope they keep the "dinner theater" in tact and restore it to its original form. That place was really cool even when the hotel was run down. I remember going to a couple of sorority date parties there not 8 or so years ago!

There are numerous references on many threads referencing Gary Brooks' track record with Legacy at Arts Central. Everyone needs to understand Mr. Brooks was NOT the developer of Legacy, and is not and never was part of the ownership of Legacy. Mike Henderson was the developer of Legacy. Mr. Henderson may have a small equity interest in Mercy, but he will not control any aspect of Mercy. Mr. Brooks will control all aspects of the Mercy development, and he has a successfull track record of actually doing what he says.

Mr. Tanenbaum is a very successfull developer, but he did NOT have permanent financing for the Mercy site despite what he claimed. He only had construction financing secured.

I know this has nothing to do with Lincoln, but thought clarification was needed.

Thanks for the clarification, RBS.


I had not seen this before but there is all the Lincoln Plaza back story and tons of great photos at the OKCHistory.com (link below). That old dinner theater was way cool and hosted many Vegas-style acts and plays.

http://www.okchistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=258:lincoln-plaza&catid=42:places&Itemid=78

http://www.okchistory.com/images/stories/lincoln%20pool.jpg

http://www.okchistory.com/images/stories/lincoln%20star.jpg

I recall seeing a few "Vegas style shows" in the venue. Sadly it was WAY too small to adequately put on a major LV production but for OKC it was top of the town.

Is that dinner theater in the main, curved building or in the rectangular one to the south?

To the south, I believe.

Sorry to digress but the hotel was the site of some great political watch parties

It was in the south building.

That entire venue (hotel, restaurants, dinner theater, office complex, ballrooms) was a star that burned very brightly, but also quite briefly.

It opened in 1970 and was already on hard times by the early 80's. Changed hands and hotel affiliations countless times until it's closure in 2006, but it really only had 10-12 years were it was going relatively strong.

My dad called it a pop bottle rocket, same analogy.

Lincoln was a negative address at that time....lots of flop houses, old industrial buildings, crime and dirt. I had old industrial and distribution to the west with nothing of real interest in the surrounding area. With Tannenbaum's apartments at Central Park, the invesment the state has made on Lincoln with new buildings, the streets and landscaping, etc., it has a chance to be okay. It still isn't a destination area, but better than it has been for decades.

And, they've cleared out a lot of the seedy hotels on Lincoln.

It's certainly getting better but still has a long way to go.

Virtually all of Lincoln below NE 36th and above NE 23rd has had the whore house motels and really crummy spots gone for quite awhile. I keep hoping Jamils will update that old ramshackle building they have.

Nah, Jamil's is just fine the way it is, at least to me it is.

What is with all the grassy lots on Lincoln? Are these for sale, owned by the city or what? 4 block stretch on the eastbound side from NE 29th to Hill Ave, NE 36th to NE 38th on both sides of the road, etc.

SSEiYah
Re: Lincoln Plaza update

What is with all the grassy lots on Lincoln? Are these for sale, owned by the city or what? 4 block stretch on the eastbound side from NE 29th to Hill Ave, NE 36th to NE 38th on both sides of the road, etc.

Actually most of them are owned by the State of Oklahoma, there are threads about them. For example, the site across lincoln from the new Office of State Finance Building (30th & Lincoln) will eventually be the site of a new $40M Veteran's Affairs Building and home to a couple of smaller agencies currently not on lincoln. The Current building is in sever disrepair. The Lincoln Renaissance has died down some because of lack of state funding but they are defiantly wanting to renew interest. There are even talks of building a large office building to temporarily house the legislature and other offices in the Capitol while they restore the Capitol building then move the healthcare authority into the building when done. The healthcare authority is currently located in Shepherd's Mall.

Apparently the Capitol bldg itself is in dire need of a massive restoration...

Apparently the Capitol bldg itself is in dire need of a massive restoration...

Indeed. There are a lot of issues with the Capitol Building. A portion of the SW facade fell off last week. There is original wiring from the 1910s still in use. Exposed IT infrastructure. The proposed renovation I saw was $90M. And included evacuating the building for 4 years. Major problems.

We have often renovated cosmetically, outside and in, and sheeesh, we even put a big arse hat on it, despite knowing there were issues. It's about time we decide to get around to getting semi-serious about fixing it.

Yeah, it's a really weird deal.

Earlier in this thread there was mention of a new 3-story office building under construction on the west side of Lincoln and just north of NE 50th for Old Surety Life Insurance.

Found this site plan and also saw they will be leasing space to a restaurant with an outdoor patio, shown in yellow:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/oldsurety1.jpg

Is this connected to the Lincoln Plaza project somehow?

It's several blocks to the North, so physically no.

No, not connected to Lincoln Plaza other than it is on Lincoln and we had been discussing the Lincoln corridor in general.

The Old Surety building is a $6 million, 3-story project.