An improvement over the original and relatively easy reconfiguration. Not sure why this wasn't the design submitted from the beginning. I would prefer more height - at least 3 floors - but what would occupy that space? Is it cost prohibitive to build that space as a blank slate that could be configured as commercial, residential, or retail eventually? I know it would only add to the large amount of upper floor empty space in Bricktown, but that location should be in demand for something in the relatively near future.

i agree i wish the would build it taller .. but this is much better than the origional ... as to why this wasn't the original this ... remember it is a negotiation, if they presented this first there is a good chance that people would have wanted more ...now they come back to this and people are happy

An improvement over the original and relatively easy reconfiguration. Not sure why this wasn't the design submitted from the beginning. I would prefer more height - at least 3 floors - but what would occupy that space? Is it cost prohibitive to build that space as a blank slate that could be configured as commercial, residential, or retail eventually? I know it would only add to the large amount of upper floor empty space in Bricktown, but that location should be in demand for something in the relatively near future.

i agree i wish the would build it taller .. but this is much better than the original ... as to why this wasn't the original this ... remember it is a negotiation, if they presented this first there is a good chance that people would have wanted more ...now they come back to this and people are happy

Love the hallway allowing visitors from the south side to walk straight through to the canal side (or at least see the canal from that side even if they don't walk through).

Love those exterior lights. This looks so much better than the original submission.

Big Improvement but why not make the deck bigger?

I wonder if there is some reason they can't extend it further to the west. Seems strangely truncated.


Maybe to make it easier to wall it in after a year or so?

Much improved. Can't believe they wanted to face the parking lot in the first place.

What does the south face look like? Also they got "West Elevation" and "Easy Elevation" mixed up.

Much improved. Can't believe they wanted to face the parking lot in the first place.

Yeah. This was so easy, it's embarrassing that the city had to ask them to consider the canal in their development.

What does the south face look like? Also they got "West Elevation" and "Easy Elevation" mixed up.

I just added the south elevation above.

Are they really going to name it "Kevin Durant restaurant"? If so, that is really dumb because what if Kevin goes to another team in the future? What will happen to the restaurant then?

I know you all are going to say "Kevin will never leave" etc etc but anything can happen

What does the south face look like? Also they got "West Elevation" and "Easy Elevation" mixed up.

I thought that at first, but I believe that the 'East elevation' is looking East, such as the same for the West.

I thought that at first, but I believe that the 'East elevation' is looking East, such as the same for the West.

Then the North and South elevations are mixed up then.

I just added the south elevation above.

Thank you!

Then the North and South elevations are mixed up then.

Yep, I think so too.

Are they really going to name it "Kevin Durant restaurant"? If so, that is really dumb because what if Kevin goes to another team in the future? What will happen to the restaurant then?

I know you all are going to say "Kevin will never leave" etc etc but anything can happen

Why do they sell Kevin Durant products that say Oklahoma City Thunder on it when he may move to another team?

A restaurant is no different than anything else that is marketed with his name. They would just change the menu and the sign above the door if for some reason he moved.

Why do they sell Kevin Durant products that say Oklahoma City Thunder on it when he may move to another team?

A restaurant is no different than anything else that is marketed with his name. They would just change the menu and the sign above the door if for some reason he moved.

Nah, I bet they will shut it down

Nah, I bet they will shut it down

They'll probably implode it.

While an improvement, OKC deserves better QC standards. What an unimaginative stiff who designed this. Randy Hogan is a blemish on OKC development.

Yes, creative limitations by the builder....

Are they really going to name it "Kevin Durant restaurant"? If so, that is really dumb because what if Kevin goes to another team in the future? What will happen to the restaurant then?

I know you all are going to say "Kevin will never leave" etc etc but anything can happen

As long as he does not pull a Lebron James exit, he probably has enough good will that it would not have to be changed, especially if we win a championship or keep making deep runs for the next few years.

Revised plans for Kevin Durant restaurant in Oklahoma City's Lower Bricktown are set for review | NewsOK.com (http://newsok.com/revised-plans-for-kevin-durant-restaurant-in-oklahoma-citys-lower-bricktown-are-set-for-review/article/3719300)

Are they really going to name it "Kevin Durant restaurant"? If so, that is really dumb because what if Kevin goes to another team in the future? What will happen to the restaurant then?

I know you all are going to say "Kevin will never leave" etc etc but anything can happen

Anything can happen in the twilight years of an NBA professional, but KD has stated he'd like to play for just one organization in his career as long as they were competitive...and hopefully the Thunder will be.

Steve notes in his story that it looks like the KD restaurant will now take the full building, about 10,000 s.f.

KD's chances of staying past this contract will greatly increase if OKC wins a title.

KD's chances of staying past this contract will greatly increase if OKC wins a title.

And that is a big IF, they did came close last year though and they have a bright future so they will probably win a title in the future

I don't like the new building much more but it is enough of an improvement that it will probably be allowed by OCURA. I still wish OCURA would hold Hogan to doing more than 1-store pad sites..ugh

The reality is that if they had first presented what we see now, there would have been just as big an outcry as with the original submittal.

Hogan basically worked all of us by presenting something so incredibly horrible that we're all now prepared to accept something well below what should be built.

Come to think of it, he's been doing that for about the last 10 years.

Yeah. I think the strategy worked on me. The first design was so terrible that I was happy just to not get that. I think everyone can agree that Hogan is not good for Bricktown.

I basically said what Pete said in my previous post, only I'm NOT buying the new proposal either, it's still cheap crap and horrible urban design and Id be embarrassed to put my name on it if I were KD.

Watching the recent ESPN 30 for 30 "Broke" makes me wonder if this restaurant will become a weight around KD's neck financially at any point in the future like so many of those stories in that documentary. Anyone else watch that and think of this?

Watching the recent ESPN 30 for 30 "Broke" makes me wonder if this restaurant will become a weight around KD's neck financially at any point in the future like so many of those stories in that documentary. Anyone else watch that and think of this?

NONE AT ALL, he has very little, if any, financial responsibility in this venture. (other then what he's being paid to use his name)

Watching the recent ESPN 30 for 30 "Broke" makes me wonder if this restaurant will become a weight around KD's neck financially at any point in the future like so many of those stories in that documentary. Anyone else watch that and think of this?

NONE AT ALL, he has very little, if any, financial responsibility in this venture. (other then what he's being paid to use his name)

Watching the recent ESPN 30 for 30 "Broke" makes me wonder if this restaurant will become a weight around KD's neck financially at any point in the future like so many of those stories in that documentary. Anyone else watch that and think of this?

KD has ZERO money invloved......HSG paid him for naming rights, that's all.

Watching the recent ESPN 30 for 30 "Broke" makes me wonder if this restaurant will become a weight around KD's neck financially at any point in the future like so many of those stories in that documentary. Anyone else watch that and think of this?

As said, KD probably has zero investment in this but also the guys in that 30 for 30 made only a fraction of what KD is guaranteed. Many of those on "Broke" probably didnt make more than $15-20mil over their careers, which after taxes, agent/managers fees and some unwise spending can leave you with very little. KD has a contract for over a $100million, or somewhere around that....hes going to be alright.

Well, if it's not a ridiculous position, I'm all for excoriating this new proposal too. There are more impressive pad sites fronting I-240.

Which building would 'Hogan' say is his most successful in Lower Bricktown? Other than the theater? I think it would be the Centennial.

Many developers find what works best for them in a certain area and then duplicate it at least a few times. Not sure why Hogan wouldn't want to duplicate the centennial with a KD restaurant being the primary tenant on the ground floor.

Not sure why Hogan wouldn't want to duplicate the centennial with a KD restaurant being the primary tenant on the ground floor.

No doubt, but it seems Hogan is completely satisfied with mediocrity. Apathy is strong with this guy. With the freeway gone, there is so much potential to make it something really nice. But he just isn't interested in doing something to change the course of the development. It's hard for me to get too worked up about this development, because there is NOTHING he could put there that would make a significant impact on the area. The whole thing has to be redone before it becomes a real destination and I'm afraid that's only going to happen after a long period of decline and sustained vacancies. Unfortunately, I think the elevation of lower bricktown's status beyond "downtown's biggest free parking lot and strip mall" is predicated on it completely failing.

How is Steve's contest going?

Architects didn't like the contest, even though most admitted to hating the original design.

It's been officially Approved.

It's been officially Approved.

That's no surprise. It will fit right in. I'm just glad it now faces the canal and has outdoor dining (for now).

The caption to the article pic mentioned more "balcony seating"... are they talking roof top seating or what?

It's been officially Approved.

OCURA has been had again..by Hogan. I at least hope drinks were on him.

As long as he does not pull a Lebron James exit, he probably has enough good will that it would not have to be changed, especially if we win a championship or keep making deep runs for the next few years.
There is still a Shanahan's steak house in the Denver Tech Center area and he has been gone from the Broncos for awhile and with the Redskins for a few years. He still has a house here, Peyton Manning and family stayed there while they were looking for a house.


NONE AT ALL, he has very little, if any, financial responsibility in this venture. (other then what he's being paid to use his name)

KD has ZERO money invloved......HSG paid him for naming rights, that's all.
That is how most of those places are, Mickey Mantle's family has no investment in the Mickey Mantle Steak House, the Kirby's chain out of Dallas licensed his name for the OKC location. Vince Young has no involvement in his namesake restaurant in Downtown Austin, which for the owners is probably a good thing.

Well the obvious question is: Is Toby Keith in the same situation or is he actually invested in his restaurants?

I like this new design aesthetically, but it's a real shame he didn't stack at least a couple floors of residential on top.

Oklahoma City panel approves revised plans for Bricktown restaurant tied to NBA star Kevin Durant | NewsOK.com (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-panel-approves-revised-plans-for-bricktown-restaurant-tied-to-nba-star-kevin-durant/article/3720207)

Hogan is definitely leaving a future generation a legacy of crap (probably the buildings crumble in 50 years).

Well the obvious question is: Is Toby Keith in the same situation or is he actually invested in his restaurants?

I like this new design aesthetically, but it's a real shame he didn't stack at least a couple floors of residential on top.

If the condos above Redpin bowling are so successful I can't understand why they wouldn't want to duplicate the same success with the KD restaurant. I realize it's a smaller building but I'm sure several executive lofts or high end studio apartments could be built above the restaurant. It would add so much more to this project and increase the bricktown vibe.

Wint told commissioners part of the challenge the design team faced was balancing the interest in maintaining the historic warehouse district architecture while also acknowledging its emergence as an urban entertainment district.

Huh?? This section of the article is sub-titled creative solutions... should instead be titled smoking some good ****

This whole Lower Bricktown thing is absurd.

Another rendering from Newsok.com:

http://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/r960-54cf6055d00aedbb387a8203f0343fec.jpg

Another rendering from Newsok.com:

http://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/r960-54cf6055d00aedbb387a8203f0343fec.jpg

The whole thing is just a joke. Hogan's "developments" are jokes, save the Centennial, which was so nice he decided that he shouldn't replicate it anywhere else.

I am more and more even wondering how the Centennial even got through his head.

We're talking about someone who clearly understands how to do quality urban development. He just chooses not to.

Then he goes to Jenks and proposes an urbanist's wet dream, not that he's going to deliver that either, but still.

That's an excellent question. I really, really don't understand how the hell he even got the idea for the Centennial. I really loathe that ugly rust/vomit color he used on the exterior upper levels, but that building is nice and has good interactions and does well with retail, but the rest of his work just makes me want to demolish it all.


I am more and more even wondering how the Centennial even got through his head.

We're talking about someone who clearly understands how to do quality urban development. He just chooses not to.

Then he goes to Jenks and proposes an urbanist's wet dream, not that he's going to deliver that either, but still.

A big part of the problem is that the land Hogan is developing is very cheap (virtually free) to him, therefore if he builds anything and gets rent, it's all profit.

Yes, he might make more if he built vertically but why bother with that when you go throw up a quick and cheap 1-story building that is pre-leased?

If he had to pay market value for the land he's been developing, he could never make these short, low-density projects work.


Just goes to show the perils of giving developers artificially cheap property in an urban area.

A big part of the problem is that the land Hogan is developing is very cheap (virtually free) to him, therefore if he builds anything and gets rent, it's all profit.

Yes, he might make more if he built vertically but why bother with that when you go throw up a quick and cheap 1-story building that is pre-leased?

If he had to pay market value for the land he's been developing, he could never make these short, low-density projects work.


Just goes to show the perils of giving developers artificially cheap property in an urban area.

Pete, you've made some brilliant observations before, but this is up there at the top.

"You could say he got free land.." Paul Brum, right?

Well the obvious question is: Is Toby Keith in the same situation or is he actually invested in his restaurants?

I like this new design aesthetically, but it's a real shame he didn't stack at least a couple floors of residential on top.

Couldn't find a definitive answer with a quick google search but the indications are that he either owns them or is heavily invested in them. I recall reading an article (think it was in the Oklahoman) back when it opened talking about how he taste tested all of the menu items.

ON EDIT: this from Wiki, looks like he owns some and has franchised others


In 2005, Keith opened Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as well as Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now also has restaurants in Thackerville, Oklahoma; Auburn Hills, Michigan; Kansas City; Las Vegas; Mesa, Arizona; St. Louis Park, Minnesota; Foxborough, Massachusetts;Cincinnati, Ohio and Denver, Colorado. Keith does not actually own the new restaurants; the new restaurant is the first in a franchise under Scottsdale, Arizona-based Capri Restaurant Group Enterprises LLC, which purchased the master license agreement to build more Toby Keith restaurants nationwide. Capri Restaurant Group is owned by Frank Capri, who opened the restaurant in Mesa in the shopping center known as Mesa Riverview and is planning on opening multiple locations across the country.[9]

In 2009, Capri Restaurant Group announced that it will open another I Love this Bar & Grill location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's South Side Works shopping and entertainment district.[10]
February 2010 marked the opening of the Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in the Winstar World Casino, exit 1 on Interstate 35 in Oklahoma. Other locations opened in 2010 by the Capri Restaurant Group included those in Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Michigan and in the Shops at West End in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Expected to open in late 2011 is the location at The Shops at Oyster Point in Newport News, Virginia.[11][12]

Thanks, Larry!

Ground breaking was today around 4 PM. It was fun. KD attended and spoke a bit. Hal Smith said should take a little less than a year to complete, depending on weather. Hoped-for opening around September. KD half-jokingly said he would be seeing what he could do to hurry them along.

Fantastic, hopefully this will be a restaurant that I'll be more than happy to go to down in Bricktown. Still never been to TKILTB&G because I've heard the food is nothing exceptional and the experience is just blah...

The food at Toby's is actually a near-carbon-copy of the menu at Red Rock Canyon Grill, with a few minor additions/subtractions. The main menu difference between the two is that the portions are larger (and prices slightly smaller) at Toby's. If you like RRCG, you would like Toby's.

I've been to RR maybe twice since it was open. Hopefully the Durant restaurant will have more ambiance... Sounds as if the food will be blah since it's a Hal Smith restaurant.