Yea, it just looks so underwhelming.

If I didn't know it was going to be a restaraunt I would think it was a little shopping strip with a yoga class and a hair salon.

What a shame...such a weak design.

Yep. Another disappointment courtesy of Randy Hogan.

The food better be good! Thats all I gotta say!

It's kinda sad that the second hottest brand name in the NBA was steered toward doing such a maudlin concept. I'm sure Lebron's restaurant would be pretty rad.

I"m not defending the design but just remember what the original proposal looked like.

What a shame...such a weak design.

The sign looks better than the real thing, but remember, everything in OKC looks better at night. This place will probably look pretty smooth when it's all lit up with lighting...

I actually like it.

The brick tone is a lot darker and more red as apposed to tannish as renderings had me believe. We are getting a view from the parking lot, not the canal, which will have the front signage. As somebody else has already pointed out it will be lit up at nighttime, and like it or not bricktown and the canal is more of a night time district. It could have been taller, but hey its a restaurant. You don't really see too many 2 story dining options.

I walked by it last Saturday night from the canal side and it didn't look bad at all. Actually better than everything else except maybe the Sonic HQ building.

Put me down for another "I like it" vote.

I think we are finding that the canal by itself is not a big economic generator.

True, but I think that is because it was ignored from the beginning. A large part of it basically surrounded by surface parking and attractions found everywhere else. So, naturally, it's hard to get anyone excited about that.

True, but I think that is because it was ignored from the beginning. A large part of it basically surrounded by surface parking and attractions found everywhere else. So, naturally, it's hard to get anyone excited about that.

Agreed. Lower Bricktown is pretty much like Memorial Rd South. It's literally sickening when you look at the images of what Lower Bricktown was supposed to be compared to what was actually developed. It is expected that projects will be scaled down from original renderings but it should be expected that the final product come out at least somewhat resembling what was proposed. Incredible wasted opportunity. I wasn't living in OKC when most of it was developed, but was there anybody who tried to stand up and demand something better for Bricktown than fast food restaurants and surface parking? Who thought it was a good idea to build N Penn and 122nd as downtown and the city's cornerstone attraction? Who thought that a Sonic and an IHOP and an Earl's, all with no interaction with the canal, would be the best way to showcase the city? It really is no wonder people in Tulsa scoff at Bricktown and say it is inferior to their districts - because it is.

In Lower Bricktown's defense however, it has been a hit with tourists, especially people from rural Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. They like the chain fast food establishments and surface parking. Having family that fits that demographic, Lower Bricktown is perfect for them. It offers a 'big city' experience for people who don't like big cities. Lower Bricktown's target demographic likely doesn't see anything wrong with the development or any need to change it.

Lower Bricktown's failure has also opened up the market for what we are seeing now with the gentrification of districts like Midtown, Auto Alley, and Uptown. I am sure if Bricktown was done right it would be the center of OKC's urban development which would mean the city would be on a much different path. I hope Lower Bricktown as well as other colossal failures like Belle Isle are learned lessons to this city regarding wasted investment and acceptance of mediocrity. It appears things are at least improving. At one time, the original proposal for this KD restaurant with no canal interaction and nothing unique about the building would have passed. Now, that plan was rejected and they were forced to step it up a notch.

Lastly, I think this KD restaurant will probably be the best thing on the canal east of the Harkins Theatre. The rest of it's pretty much wasted space.

I agree with a lot of what your criticisms on lower bricktown but As far as Tulsa scoffing at Bricktown, let them. Tulsa doesn't and won't ever have anything like Bricktown. Brady and the blue dome are nice, but they are just like brookside and cherry street on steroids located downtown. At least OKC will have some variety with a touristy club scene area, and several more local, trendy type bar districts. Bricktown also has the canal which eventually will not not be as ignored as it is now and the land run monument, which is pretty cool if you haven't seen it. The Bricktown canal water taxis are often full when I've been down there and more patios are finally starting to develop on the canal. The canal also now has a pedestrian connection to the river...which despite Tulsa having every natural advantage in this department, will likely not ever have anything up to the level of our boathouse/river districts. As far as fast food restaurants...it's right next to the sonic HQ, what do you expect? I wish the buildings they are in interacted with the canal but I think it's fine to have Sonic down there. Earls is not really a fast food restaurant and other than texadelphia, neither are any of the other restaurants down there or in the main part of Bricktown in general. Also, IHOP is not fast food, on the canal, or in lower Bricktown. Having cheaper chain options in addition to nice restaurants adds some variety for people that frequent the area.

Finally, while I agree that lower Bricktown is a failure in design, it has definitely not been a collosal failure as far as usage goes and definitely can't be lumped in with belle isle or memorial in terms of quality. It's always packed and restaurants like fuzzies, bolero, in the raw, and red pin have been a big draw. Also its at least somewhat visually appealing and somewhat urban in design which cannot be said of belle isle or memorial. Again could it be a lot better, absolutely, but just like several other "this is terrible in okc because:" rants you've posted here and on other forums, it greatly exaggerates the problem. I'll add that I'm a major critic of lower Bricktown, so much so that my girlfriend gets annoyed at me for talking about it everytime I'm down there, but it is far from as bad as you're describing it.

There is always a big crowd around the theaters and the area in front. It isn't a total failure except the theater itself is not very appealing. If the idea is to get people to the area and to frequent the businesses, it seems to be doing okay at the theater and TKs, Earls, Fuzzy's, Bolero, Starbucks, etc. The hotel always seems full and at a pretty high room rate. Now, we can agree, the area does not LOOK like downtown Chicago and doesn't fit the urbanist design template. But, it seems to have lots of foot traffic around.

There is always a big crowd around the theaters and the area in front. It isn't a total failure except the theater itself is not very appealing. If the idea is to get people to the area and to frequent the businesses, it seems to be doing okay at the theater and TKs, Earls, Fuzzy's, Bolero, Starbucks, etc. The hotel always seems full and at a pretty high room rate. Now, we can agree, the area does not LOOK like downtown Chicago and doesn't fit the urbanist design template. But, it seems to have lots of foot traffic around.

Pretty much everything there can be done on Memorial Rd. Nobody is asking for downtown Chicago but given the investment that was the Canal, its justified to have expected better than an Earl's, Sonic, and surface parking, especially given what was originally proposed. What's the purpose of the canal if everything is built like a strip mall primarily around the surface parking? Lower Bricktown is an embarassment and probably one of the biggest wastes of potential I have ever seen. Why not just build a Wal-Mart Supercenter with a canal-side Tire & Lube Center?

Why not be angry at what HASN'T happened along the main upper part of the canal? Go throw a fit at all of the undeveloped canal side property in the main area where it should be. I think that the lower part can still be salvaged, but it needs to start in the upper part.

And if it is the biggest waste of potential you've seen, you are either being hysterical or haven't been anywhere else. If you think that the canal in San Antonio started off with great development along it all the way then you aren't old enough to know. Sometimes things evolve.

Why not be angry at what HASN'T happened along the main upper part of the canal? Go throw a fit at all of the undeveloped canal side property in the main area where it should be. I think that the lower part can still be salvaged, but it needs to start in the upper part.

And if it is the biggest waste of potential you've seen, you are either being hysterical or haven't been anywhere else. If you think that the canal in San Antonio started off with great development along it all the way then you aren't old enough to know. Sometimes things evolve.

Hopefully the huge empty lot eventually gets developed into something of the same quality as the JDM Place, maybe even with mid-rise residential above it? That would be awesome and a game changer for Bricktown.

As for the lower part, it can be fixed but somebody other than Randy Hogan needs to be put in charge. People say he is a good guy, but his development has underdelivered compared to what was proposed to such an extent that he should have been "fired" years ago. All of the canal-side surface parking needs to go and be replaced with mixed use developments. Maybe build a couple of garages on each side of the Harkins to satisfy the parking needs.

I agree with a lot of what your criticisms on lower bricktown but As far as Tulsa scoffing at Bricktown, let them. Tulsa doesn't and won't ever have anything like Bricktown. Brady and the blue dome are nice, but they are just like brookside and cherry street on steroids located downtown. At least OKC will have some variety with a touristy club scene area, and several more local, trendy type bar districts. Bricktown also has the canal which eventually will not not be as ignored as it is now and the land run monument, which is pretty cool if you haven't seen it. The Bricktown canal water taxis are often full when I've been down there and more patios are finally starting to develop on the canal. The canal also now has a pedestrian connection to the river...which despite Tulsa having every natural advantage in this department, will likely not ever have anything up to the level of our boathouse/river districts. As far as fast food restaurants...it's right next to the sonic HQ, what do you expect? I wish the buildings they are in interacted with the canal but I think it's fine to have Sonic down there. Earls is not really a fast food restaurant and other than texadelphia, neither are any of the other restaurants down there or in the main part of Bricktown in general. Also, IHOP is not fast food, on the canal, or in lower Bricktown. Having cheaper chain options in addition to nice restaurants adds some variety for people that frequent the area.

Finally, while I agree that lower Bricktown is a failure in design, it has definitely not been a collosal failure as far as usage goes and definitely can't be lumped in with belle isle or memorial in terms of quality. It's always packed and restaurants like fuzzies, bolero, in the raw, and red pin have been a big draw. Also its at least somewhat visually appealing and somewhat urban in design which cannot be said of belle isle or memorial. Again could it be a lot better, absolutely, but just like several other "this is terrible in okc because:" rants you've posted here and on other forums, it greatly exaggerates the problem. I'll add that I'm a major critic of lower Bricktown, so much so that my girlfriend gets annoyed at me for talking about it everytime I'm down there, but it is far from as bad as you're describing it.

Good points. I definitely hope to see more canal interaction in the future. I am excited that the new KD restaurant, despite being only one story, will have canal interaction and will also be unique. Earl's might as well be City Bites. I agree that the chain options are successful, especially for rural tourists, and am also excited that OKC has other districts starting to come into their own that will be the urban entertainment and living district everyone hoped Bricktown would be. Just because they are successful though doesn't make it acceptable design. However, from a rural perspective who don't look at the same things that urbanists do, Lower Bricktown works.

Not all of Lower Bricktown is bad. The building that houses RedPin, In the Raw, Bolero, etc is pretty nice in my opinion and I actually like the Harkins Theatre (though sometimes I wish the Warren were in its place in downtown OKC rather than in Moore). Pretty much everything east of there - Earl's, Cold Stone, Toby Keith's, Bass Pro, and all of the surface parking is hideous. There should be NO visible surface parking from the canal. Lower Bricktown could be fixed, despite all the bad development, by simply developing the surface parking and developing it right. There is so much surface parking that developing it into mixed use development would completely change the face of Lower Bricktown.

Good points. I definitely hope to see more canal interaction in the future. I am excited that the new KD restaurant, despite being only one story, will have canal interaction and will also be unique. Earl's might as well be City Bites. I agree that the chain options are successful, especially for rural tourists, and am also excited that OKC has other districts starting to come into their own that will be the urban entertainment and living district everyone hoped Bricktown would be. Just because they are successful though doesn't make it acceptable design. However, from a rural perspective who don't look at the same things that urbanists do, Lower Bricktown works.

Not all of Lower Bricktown is bad. The building that houses RedPin, In the Raw, Bolero, etc is pretty nice in my opinion and I actually like the Harkins Theatre (though sometimes I wish the Warren were in its place in downtown OKC rather than in Moore). Pretty much everything east of there - Earl's, Cold Stone, Toby Keith's, Bass Pro, and all of the surface parking is hideous. There should be NO visible surface parking from the canal. Lower Bricktown could be fixed, despite all the bad development, by simply developing the surface parking and developing it right. There is so much surface parking that developing it into mixed use development would completely change the face of Lower Bricktown.

Perhaps if you contact Hogan with your proposal and financial commitment he would be willing to work with you on the changes that you feel need to be made. Or maybe, make an offer and buy the whole thing outright. That way you could show all of us backwoods Okies how to really do urban development right. Good luck on your endeavor. Be careful not to make it too intensely urban because that might drive away all of us rural folks who don't understand big city living.

Good points. I definitely hope to see more canal interaction in the future. I am excited that the new KD restaurant, despite being only one story, will have canal interaction and will also be unique. Earl's might as well be City Bites. I agree that the chain options are successful, especially for rural tourists, and am also excited that OKC has other districts starting to come into their own that will be the urban entertainment and living district everyone hoped Bricktown would be. Just because they are successful though doesn't make it acceptable design. However, from a rural perspective who don't look at the same things that urbanists do, Lower Bricktown works.

Not all of Lower Bricktown is bad. The building that houses RedPin, In the Raw, Bolero, etc is pretty nice in my opinion and I actually like the Harkins Theatre (though sometimes I wish the Warren were in its place in downtown OKC rather than in Moore). Pretty much everything east of there - Earl's, Cold Stone, Toby Keith's, Bass Pro, and all of the surface parking is hideous. There should be NO visible surface parking from the canal. Lower Bricktown could be fixed, despite all the bad development, by simply developing the surface parking and developing it right. There is so much surface parking that developing it into mixed use development would completely change the face of Lower Bricktown.

On chain restaurants working for rural people... how about people that live near in or near bricktown? I enjoy being able to walk down to the canal and not pay $15 for a meal every once and awhile. As long as the majority of restaurants are not fast or non-sitdown restaurant chains, I'm more than ok with a few of them down there. There are McDonalds', Chilies, Good Times, Chipotle and Subway franchises along the 16th St mall and in parts of LoDo in Denver, which are their main entertainment areas, and that is not detracting from either of those districts. If we are truly turning Bricktown into a mixed use district that will include residential, we need to be a variety of restaurant options, not just high end or local restaurants.

On design being a failure, that is exactly what I said. You originally said "Lower Bricktown has been a colossal failure" which would imply a lot more than just poor design. You also compared Lower Bricktown to both Memorial Rd. and Belle Isle Station which is a laughable exaggeration. Again, yes it could be better, but it is not near as suburban or poorly designed as those areas. Honestly I would have been ok with the style in general had they added retail space at the canal level. Lack of canal interaction is the only real complaint I have and the lack of it in that area/all over BT is ridiculous. I also would've prefered that Harkin be built as a Warren Theater, but it was built about 5-10 years prior Warran even coming to OK. There is still time for it to improve, especially with the boulevard going behind it.

On the Bass Pro being poorly designed, I don't think the design of the building itself is bad. It just looks like a Bass Pro. However, the large parking lot does suck and the buildings position in that lot is what makes it the design terrible. If it fronted Reno, the canal or the future boulevard, I would like it much better. This is another establishment that completely ignored the canal as well. They could've made the canal/rivertaxies run through it, in front of it or something cool like that...basically any way other than how they decided to interact with it. It should be interesting to see how that lot will develop after the boulevard goes in, it will be a sea of parking between two 4 lane roads. I don't think it will go undeveloped long after the boulevard is built, the real estate will eventually be too valuable. At that point something cool could happen and integrate the Bass Pro into it. The back of the parking lot, on the portion that will front the boulevard, would be another of my dream locations for an REI. It could probably find a cool way to interact with the canal, the river extension, and the new boulevard.

On chain restaurants working for rural people... how about people that live near in or near bricktown? I enjoy being able to walk down to the canal and not pay $15 for a meal every once and awhile. As long as the majority of restaurants are not fast or non-sitdown restaurant chains, I'm more than ok with a few of them down there. There are McDonalds', Chilies, Good Times, Chipotle and Subway franchises along the 16th St mall and in parts of LoDo in Denver, which are their main entertainment areas, and that is not detracting from either of those districts. If we are truly turning Bricktown into a mixed use district that will include residential, we need to be a variety of restaurant options, not just high end or local restaurants.

On design being a failure, that is exactly what I said. You originally said "Lower Bricktown has been a colossal failure" which would imply a lot more than just poor design. You also compared Lower Bricktown to both Memorial Rd. and Belle Isle Station which is a laughable exaggeration. Again, yes it could be better, but it is not near as suburban or poorly designed as those areas. Honestly I would have been ok with the style in general had they added retail space at the canal level. Lack of canal interaction is the only real complaint I have and the lack of it in that area/all over BT is ridiculous. I also would've prefered that Harkin be built as a Warren Theater, but it was built about 5-10 years prior Warran even coming to OK. There is still time for it to improve, especially with the boulevard going behind it.

On the Bass Pro being poorly designed, I don't think the design of the building itself is bad. It just looks like a Bass Pro. However, the large parking lot does suck and the buildings position in that lot is what makes it the design terrible. If it fronted Reno, the canal or the future boulevard, I would like it much better. This is another establishment that completely ignored the canal as well. They could've made the canal/rivertaxies run through it, in front of it or something cool like that...basically any way other than how they decided to interact with it. It should be interesting to see how that lot will develop after the boulevard goes in, it will be a sea of parking between two 4 lane roads. I don't think it will go undeveloped long after the boulevard is built, the real estate will eventually be too valuable. At that point something cool could happen and integrate the Bass Pro into it. The back of the parking lot, on the portion that will front the boulevard, would be another of my dream locations for an REI. It could probably find a cool way to interact with the canal, the river extension, and the new boulevard.

I can see where you are coming from on the chain restaurants. If there was better canal interaction it wouldn't be near as bad. Chains also definitely have their place for quick meals during events or for tourists. Many tourists will always go to chains over local options because they know what they are getting. I have been very hard on Lower Bricktown for being mostly chains but it definitely serves its purpose and has been an economic success. I also agree with you about Bass Pro. Personally I think it's better suited for between Moore and Norman, but if it must be in Bricktown, it would have been better flipped, with the structure on the canal and the parking behind it. Building the parking up to the canal as if it's a suburban street wasn't a good idea.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the Boulevard goes in. I have a hard time believing all of that surface parking will remain.

I can see where you are coming from on the chain restaurants. If there was better canal interaction it wouldn't be near as bad. Chains also definitely have their place for quick meals during events or for tourists. Many tourists will always go to chains over local options because they know what they are getting. I have been very hard on Lower Bricktown for being mostly chains but it definitely serves its purpose and has been an economic success. I also agree with you about Bass Pro. Personally I think it's better suited for between Moore and Norman, but if it must be in Bricktown, it would have been better flipped, with the structure on the canal and the parking behind it. Building the parking up to the canal as if it's a suburban street wasn't a good idea.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the Boulevard goes in. I have a hard time believing all of that surface parking will remain.

Eh, Bass Pro brings a lot of people to Bricktown that may not otherwise go there and vice versa. So I don't mind it being there.

The parking will certainly be somewhat of an eyesore it does remain. I mixed use garage of some sort on Reno and some other type of development fronting the boulevard. I would say that anything would be better than the Parking lot, but...

KD's (September 16 2013) - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhider/sets/72157635589851581/)

Thanks Will!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/9787232071_b88c0a28fd_b.jpg


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7382/9787436744_4636426db6_b.jpg


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Memorial Canal is looking, Memorialy.

Memorial Canal is looking, Memorialy.

Ha!

Memorial Canal is looking, Memorialy.

What's sad is this is actually a big improvement over the prior standard for lower Bricktown (which shows how low the standard really was/is).

I think it will be fine. It looks good and I really love the landscaping in the canal.

Memorial Canal is looking, Memorialy.

lol... I just don't understand the consternation about this.... I mean it is BRICKTOWN. And this building looks like it definitely belongs in BRICKtown.

Not too worried about Lower Bricktown...it's really not as bad as the board makes it out to be (save for the UHaul, which is horrendous). By no means is it my favorite, but OKC is so far away from being an Urban mecca with so much land that we can develop correctly, that this really isn't worth any time or energy save for not allowing something that is totally unacceptable.

Let Lower Bricktown make its mistakes and if it can't compete in 25 years, it will be redeveloped.

The U-Haul building is the best building in all of Bricktown. And I'm being dead serious. It is just covered up with a bunch of tin siding. Which in itself might actually be a blessing in disguise. It will have its day.

This is all still there, and intact:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/maps/vintage/itenbiscuit2.jpg

Yeah, we need to get that beyotch naked... seriously....

(cue barry white music and the tequila shots)

The U-Haul building is the best building in all of Bricktown. And I'm being dead serious. It is just covered up with a bunch of tin siding. Which in itself might actually be a blessing in disguise. It will have its day.

Right, even in its current state I was referring less to the building itself and more to the usage.

Yeah, we need to get that beyotch naked... seriously....

(cue barry white music and the tequila shots)


funniest post of the day.

This is all still there, and intact:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/maps/vintage/itenbiscuit2.jpg

Looks perfect for residential.

I never knew! That's an awesome building.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdAuzfUv8wQ

KD's September 16 2013) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdAuzfUv8wQ)

Has an opening date been announced yet?

On their Facebook it says they are now hiring for all positions.

I saw work being done on the canal-side deck patio the other day when I walked by, and I must say it looks more spacious than I was expecting. Hopefully customer demand helps reinforce their decision to build it, and even encourages them to expand the outside presence.

I saw work being done on the canal-side deck patio the other day when I walked by, and I must say it looks more spacious than I was expecting. Hopefully customer demand helps reinforce their decision to build it, and even encourages them to expand the outside presence.

This is from the Downtown OKC Builds Twitter feed... And you are right, the deck does look bigger than I would have expected:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BXwLBldCUAE8-At.jpg:large

Anyone know when this opens ?

As Will posted above, they are hiring.

When they broke ground a year ago, the opening date was announced as October 2013.

What kind of food are they going to have? I heard it was going to be soul food. Wasn't too sure about this.

What kind of food are they going to have? I heard it was going to be soul food. Wasn't too sure about this.

Could have changed a bit, but last I heard it was supposed to be based around KD's favorite southern dishes

Here are a couple of site plans -- first one shows the deck configuration:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/kds1.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/kds2.jpg

Does Hogan plan to develop any of the surface parking lots? Or is KD's the last official project for Lower Bricktown?

http://i.imgur.com/t4vxp19.jpg

Bricktown tweeted this, signage going up.

Could have changed a bit, but last I heard it was supposed to be based around KD's favorite southern dishes

More specifically, Chesapeake Bay cuisine: crab cakes, oysters, fried chicken. And the typical soul food fare (greens, mac & cheese casserole, yams). Can't wait!

Does Hogan plan to develop any of the surface parking lots? Or is KD's the last official project for Lower Bricktown?

Nope, no plans to change any of the surface lots.

Only one more lot for development, down near the land run monument:

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

Does Hogan plan to develop any of the surface parking lots? Or is KD's the last official project for Lower Bricktown?

I would think they would need to wait until the placement of the Boulevard is done before deciding to build anything facing it. It they decide to go with six lanes with sidewalks on either side, they might need a different amount of room than if it was going four lanes with bike lanes, sidewalks and a median.

More specifically, Chesapeake Bay cuisine: crab cakes, oysters, fried chicken. And the typical soul food fare (greens, mac & cheese casserole, yams). Can't wait!

*mouth watering*

More specifically, Chesapeake Bay cuisine: crab cakes, oysters, fried chicken. And the typical soul food fare (greens, mac & cheese casserole, yams). Can't wait!

YUM!!!! Hoping like hell the crab cakes are legit!

This is from the Downtown OKC Builds Twitter feed... And you are right, the deck does look bigger than I would have expected:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BXwLBldCUAE8-At.jpg:largeHate to be "that guy" to bring this up and it really isn't that big of an issue, but I would think they could at least use composite instead of lumber. It looks better and it last waaaaaaay longer.

^

Looks like the deck itself is composite and the framing is lumber.

You wouldn't use composite for the framing anyway.

Oh, my mistake. I didn't know if it was just stained wood or not.

Just checked their building plans and it specifies "synthetic wood plank decking".

I love the way they have incorporated the existing trees in that deck.

That deck is not that big at all...

That deck is not that big at all...

You could fit probably at least a dozen tables there so that's not bad.