http://okctalk.com/images/pete/sheratonwiki1.jpg
Information & Latest News
1 N. Broadway (http://g.co/maps/rav2v)
status=complete
owner=Investors OKC LLC Raleigh, NC
cost=$38,750,000 4/17/2007
finish=1977
height=15 floors
sq. feet=262,836
acerage=1.89
Tenants
1889 Land Run Cafe (http://www.sheratonokc.com/oklahoma-city-restaurants)
Links
County Assessor Record (http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/AN-R.asp?ACCOUNTNO=R010013485)
Website (http://www.sheratonokc.com/)
Gallery

Wow, didn't realize that the 2007 renovations totaled $38M.

Are you sure that's not $3.8M?

It sold for $38 million in 2007.

Pete, the grand opening was in January, 1977 (I was there!)

Thanks, Steve.

That 1975 date was from the county assessor, but I made the change above.

Yeah, the assessor rarely gets it right. I might be able to get the architect's ID for you ....
BTW: Retro Metro OKC encourages the use of it's material in this sort of context, as long as it's credited (the sale of such images, use in books, etc., however requires permission from the owners).

Great! We can definitely make use of your content, especially as we get into the nostalgia stuff; which we will very soon.

It sold for $38 million in 2007.

Oh ok! Well would we want to document the recent renovations as well? I seem to recall those being in the millions..

This was the latest renovation documented in Steve's artlicle from last year.

http://newsok.com/a-look-back-at-the-oklahoma-city-sheraton-hotels-history-as-it-celebrates-2.5-million-renovation/article/3537086

And his article from 2007 mentions a $10M renovation.

http://newsok.com/new-downtown-sheraton-owner-sets-sights-on-new-ballroom-alliancesbrspan-classhl2growth-strategyspan/article/3044566

This article from 2005 mentions a $8.50M renovation in connection with the change from Westin to Sheraton so I'm not sure if that is the same renovation Steve mentioned in 2007.

http://newsok.com/westin-plans-name-changebrdowntown-hotel-to-become-sheraton/article/2864266

Sheraton’s One Broadway Ballroom targets local events
By: Brian Brus The Journal Record February 8, 2016

[img]http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheratonmeeting.jpg[/iimg]

OKLAHOMA CITY – The old mall space behind the Sheraton downtown has taken on new life as One Broadway Ballroom, the hotel chain’s latest upgrade under its Sheraton 2020 plan, officials said.

The 2,600-square-foot ballroom has proven successful with several weddings and business meetings since the completion of its renovations late last year, spokeswoman Carrie Parker said. Event bookings are on the rise through word-of-mouth, she said.

The conference space is the smallest of three operated by the hotel at 1 N. Broadway Ave., Parker said. Management realized the city had a strong market for parties of about 300 guests, and the space was made available by 100 Main LLC, the property owners of the west end of the Century Center block.

Specific financial details of the deal were not available Monday.

The timing coincided nicely with a system-wide plan rolled out by Sheraton Hotels & Resorts to upgrade its portfolio of 435 hotels over the next five years. Sheraton 2020 is a relaunch effort to reinvigorate the company’s brand positioning by allowing each site to highlight its local personality, executives said last year. Parker said One Broadway Ballroom will be branded with its own unique flair, with 29-foot ceilings, decorative chandeliers, built-in 208-foot display screen and video projector, a mezzanine level where guests can enjoy views of the event below, art, and woodwork.

The venue will also be served by the hotel’s new executive chef, Anthony Raines, who oversees all of the hotel’s food operations, including 1889 Land Run Café.

The Century Center was purchased about two years ago for $2 million by 100 Main LLC, and quickly occupied by OPUBCO, a news publishing company. It was followed by Revolve Pizza and the YMCA, which opened a small, satellite gym on the north side of the building. Mahogany Steakhouse opened later.

The Sheraton Cafe is adding a large patio in what is just a grassy area.

Will have a fire pit, arbors, string lighting, etc.

Will really make a difference on what is now a pretty dead corner.



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton061517b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton061517a.jpg

This is very exciting :) It's nice to see hints of life in the cbd. I thought our cbd was long lost, but little things like this -especially if multiple entities do little things - can make a huge difference in a place.

^

Completely agree.

It's all these smaller projects that combine to bring life to the streets.

Man I'm not even kidding I have dreamed of this particular project for years, having spent tons of time walking past that corner. It is as plain as the nose on a person's face. I'd also love to see Continental lease their front ground floor space to a restaurant operator that would put patio dining on Broadway. There used to be a Cocina de Mino in that spot, and the patio was cool, but way ahead of its time in OKC, obviously.

The other one that I would love to see is a large outdoor space in the plaza on the north side of Chase/Cotter Ranch, across from the Skirvin. I always thought that could be a wonderful Cafe du Monde type patio. There are TONS of great outdoor dining opportunities in the CBD, really. And the CBD portion of Broadway has a number of them.

Man I'm not even kidding I have dreamed of this particular project for years, having spent tons of time walking past that corner. It is as plain as the nose on a person's face. I'd also love to see Continental lease their front ground floor space to a restaurant operator that would put patio dining on Broadway. There used to be a Cocina de Mino in that spot, and the patio was cool, but way ahead of its time in OKC, obviously.

The other one that I would love to see is a large outdoor space in the plaza on the north side of Chase/Cotter Ranch, across from the Skirvin. I always thought that could be a wonderful Cafe du Monde type patio. There are TONS of great outdoor dining opportunities in the CBD, really. And the CBD portion of Broadway has a number of them.

The streetscape around Continental is really hard to traverse on foot and I'm not even sure it's ADA compliant. Opening up that sidewalk would be a solid first step to improve the pedestrian experience along that side of Broadway.

It would be amazing to activate the plaza around Cotter somehow. It's huge and atm is wasted space. Unfortunately, I think it is a priority of management to keep people out of the plaza rather than in it.


Hopefully though, more of the CBD will follow in the footseps of the Sheraton and Oklahoma Tower.

I would love to see Chase build a large glass atrium that covered the plaza and brought the structure all the way to the street.

As it is now, that plaza surrounding the building is just a huge dead area.

Cover it, but leave it open-air. Would make a great public market space.

Just re-opened their remodeled coffee shop. From https://twitter.com/SheratonOKC:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton071117.jpg

Sheraton tries again for local dining trade

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record October 27, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY – It’s been almost two years since Keith Johnson started working at the Sheraton hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. But as the general manager, he’s already made his mark on the property.

When Johnson started in November 2015, a renovation of the bar had been completed. He didn’t like it.

“They were trying to be too hip,” he said. “It didn’t work.”

He brought in some interior designers to look at the space and ended up going with Andrea Meister’s idea. She owns Roost, an interior design firm.

Johnson spent $60,000 and changed the bar to Aria, with dark wood, contemporary furniture, and a behind-the-bar wall that has changing lights and blown glass décor. He also used Meister’s help in updating the club lounge and the front entrance. The lounge was transformed into a cozy coffee shop with plush furniture and locally roasted EOTE coffee available. The Plaza District’s Pie Junkie pie slices are available as well.

“We’re really getting big into local,” he said.

With the bar and coffee shop updated, Johnson wanted to continue the dark wood look. He also had hired his friend and chef Steven Hall from Tampa, Florida’s Sheraton.

The first-floor eating area was renovated into Block 23, a restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch, for now. Gone are the blonde chairs and red-padded seats – the Denny’s look, as Johnson called it.

The space has a rustic look, with wood-look vinyl floors, dark-wood accents, and antique-like accent pieces on the walls. A wall was added to break up the long space. The new wall is covered in wallpaper that’s black and features a gold diamond pattern.

The wall separates the dining area from a private event space called the Brick Room, which has an exposed brick wall, decorated with antique frames.

By spring, The Brick Room will open onto a new patio at the corner of W. Sheridan Avenue and N. Broadway Avenue.
Johnson said people are enjoying the renovation.

“We’ll do a tour for groups or our existing clients – people that have seen the old look – and they’re just blown away,” he said. “It’s definitely very unique. It’s nothing something you’d see in a hotel.”

The renovation ties in with the high-caliber food that Hall will be offering. He’s changing Aria’s menu and has created several simple and fresh selections for Block 23. He worked with FreshPoint, which helped him source local farms.

“My goal with the food is to cook it right, using the proper seasonings and techniques,” he said.

He’s going to offer a daily lunch buffet priced at $14 per person. The selections will be made fresh daily.

The breakfast prices range from $12 to $14 and the lunch is $12 to $16. He and Johnson looked at 18 other restaurants to compare prices and selection.

One of his signature morning items is an egg-in-a-hole sandwich, with prosciutto and Gruyere sandwiched between egg-filled brioche bread. It’s served on top of a thyme Mornay sauce.

The lunch menu has an OKC Cobb salad. He made it Oklahoma-style by topping it with sirloin steak. The lunch side also has three rice-bowl varieties.

He also makes ice cream daily, with pumpkin on the menu now.

“I think ice cream is fun,” he said. “Who doesn’t like ice cream?”

Johnson said he expects more updates will be done once owner David Nazarian sees the dark wood in contract with the blonde-colored wood tha
t’s still in some areas. Johnson said he wants to get a more contemporary-style chandelier.

To date, the renovations have cost about $500,000, but he said he hopes they will entice people to come in and try Hill’s food. The hotel gets a lot of foot traffic on Oklahoma City Thunder game nights.

“We have the most talented hotel chef, if not the most talented chef in downtown,” he said. “We wanted to complement his skills with nice décor.”

They've started construction on the large patio which will really help active that highly visible corner that faces the Cox Center.

Will have a fire pit, pergolas and seating areas.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton031518.jpg

centre of Downtown. Hope it will be nice, and big city!!

Random note, Southwest Airlines and (I think) United book their overnight flight crew in this hotel. So, while a small impact, it always does have people from out of town who are bored with money to spend.

That’s weird. Good for downtown but why don’t they use hotels on the airport? Seems like more money to place them here.

That’s weird. Good for downtown but why don’t they use hotels on the airport? Seems like more money to place them here.

Union contracts specify the hotel type and location. Most overnights also aren't last flight in/first flight out. One might be a 6pm arrival and a 3pm departure the next day. Most regional airlines don't have this luxury, and thus stay at the "express" hotels on Meridian.

Thank you for the explanation. That makes sense and is good for these employees. I’d sure rather be downtown than on meridian LOL.

Random note, Southwest Airlines and (I think) United book their overnight flight crew in this hotel. So, while a small impact, it always does have people from out of town who are bored with money to spend.

wife is a manager at the Courtyard Marriott downtown on Reno. She gets Skywest crews each night. Also Amtrak, but that actually makes a lot of sense.

Would imagine they prefer downtown hotels because they can ride shuttle to and from property and then have multiple dining options available in walking distance.

More of the patio:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton040118.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton010418b.jpg

Union contracts specify the hotel type and location. Most overnights also aren't last flight in/first flight out. One might be a 6pm arrival and a 3pm departure the next day. Most regional airlines don't have this luxury, and thus stay at the "express" hotels on Meridian.

And it's not just in OKC... I've seen airline crews in every big city I've been to, far from the airport and the closer hotels. Definitely a small perk when you work in a non-regional airline setting.

And it's not just in OKC... I've seen airline crews in every big city I've been to, far from the airport and the closer hotels. Definitely a small perk when you work in a non-regional airline setting.

Yep. Larger airlines typically choose city center hotels close to dining and entertainment. A crew member may be away from 4-5 days at a time, and thus you want them to be as relaxed as possible and have distractions.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton042218.jpg

Not a great pic because it was late, noticed it as I was returning from dinner/Han Solo in Bricktown... going to be nicer than I first imagined I think.

14650

Thanks for the photo!

It's just great space on a highly visible corner.

The new patio looks finished.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton060318a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton060318b.jpg

I assume they'll have tables with these semi-oval chairs?

Things that I do not like
- The canopies being so small
- The fire pits for show: If you're going to have a fire pit, it should be functional. Deep Deuce Grill's fire pit is what every restaurant should aspire to. I want to be able to sit at the fire pit and it keep me warm, not look at it and shiver and think to myself "I guess I could stand and get closer to the fire".

Things that I like
- Those 4x4 chairs/couches are bad ass!
- Outdoor Artwork (I'm guessing that's what some of those framed pictures are)
- Not sure what the two whiteboards are. From afar one looks like a menu, and I think that's a *great* use of outdoor signage.
- This greatly enhances the interaction with the sidewalk. I think patios like this are one of my favorite things to walk by when I'm a pedestrian. While outdoor tables *on* the sidewalk are nice and something we need more of in OKC, I really like the sense of barrier between pedestrians and people enjoying themselves over a drink/food. Those kinds of places make me want to come stop by sometime.

I think they're functional, just closed off. Not sure why they would have put that glass up for a fake fire pit. I think that lid is removable.

- Outdoor Artwork (I'm guessing that's what some of those framed pictures are)


They are renaissance style portrait paintings with the faces cut out so you can stick your face in and take a picture, and there's a hashtag on the painting (don't remember what it was) so I assume the goal is to get people posting their pictures on twitter/IG/etc.

You can see the one portrait here; the hashtag is #block23; Block 23 is the name of their restaurant / cafe.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton060318c.jpg

Here is a photo from the Block 23 Instagram page:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/shertaon060718.jpg

PS those menu looking things are (I believe) housing for future TVs. There's electrical run up to them and they're deep (you can see on the far right of that last pic)

Looks great but I'm not sure why the little building with the roll-up door was built near the Sheridan sidewalk and not just an add-on to the existing superstructure of the hotel. ....

I walked the 89er trail a few weeks ago. There is a marker directly across the street on Main that shows a picture of an original building that is in approximately that very spot that looked quite similar to that little building you are referencing. Not sure if it was intentional or just a coincidence but I found it quite interesting none the less.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton063018a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton063018b.jpg

https://twitter.com/SheratonOKC/status/1081273579264712704

Planning a new paint job:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton042319a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sheraton042319b.jpg

overdue but wish they included a touch of lighting while they're up there...

I was just walking by this the other day thinking how this building would look so much better with just a fresh coat of paint. Glad to see they are changing up the colors a bit as well.

It's pretty much how it used to look before they painted it.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/westin042319b.jpg

It's pretty much how it used to look before they painted it.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/westin042319b.jpg

Kind of stinks that OKC downgraded from a Westin to a Sheraton. OKC has no upscale (national, at least) chains. The Omni will help with that.

^

21c and the Skirvin Hilton are both very nice.

Why don't they install a new glass curtain wall system?

^

21c and the Skirvin Hilton are both very nice.

Oh, I know. I wasn't meaning that as a shot at OKC. Just like, not Hyatt Regency/full-line Marriott/Westin/JW Marriott-type hotel. The Omni will change that, but it is weird for a city OKC's size to not have any of those.

Why don't they install a new glass curtain wall system?

I had the exact same thought. Also, why not bust open those concrete meeting room sections and glass them in as well - would truly reinvent the hotel.

^

Because it would cost millions and paint is cheap.

They stay busy the way it is. Just looking to refresh.

Isnt Renaissance an upscale brand of Marriott? We also have Ambassador hotel which is part of the upscale Marriott collection. Nobody would argue against Colcord Hotel being upscale. <br>
<br>
We do have a Hilton, Renaissance, Omni (u/c), and boutiques (Colcord, Ambassador, 21C Museum) that are upscale. But yeah, it is interesting OKC doesn't have a full on Hyatt, Westin, JW Marriott, nor W.

Isnt Renaissance an upscale brand of Marriott? We also have Ambassador hotel which is part of the upscale Marriott collection. Nobody would argue against Colcord Hotel being upscale. <br>
<br>
We do have a Hilton, Renaissance, Omni (u/c), and boutiques (Colcord, Ambassador, 21C Museum) that are upscale. But yeah, it is interesting OKC doesn't have a full on Hyatt, Westin, JW Marriott, nor W.


I think if the Omni hotel is successful, other bigger brands like JW Marriot, W, or Westin will follow suit & take a chance on OKC & build a nice hotel. These little 4-5 story cheap hotels springing up everywhere are taking over!

Kind of stinks that OKC downgraded from a Westin to a Sheraton. OKC has no upscale (national, at least) chains. The Omni will help with that.

westin and sheraton are the same level of hotel

Isnt Renaissance an upscale brand of Marriott? We also have Ambassador hotel which is part of the upscale Marriott collection. Nobody would argue against Colcord Hotel being upscale. <br>
<br>
We do have a Hilton, Renaissance, Omni (u/c), and boutiques (Colcord, Ambassador, 21C Museum) that are upscale. But yeah, it is interesting OKC doesn't have a full on Hyatt, Westin, JW Marriott, nor W.

Renaissance and Marriott are the same level of hotel brands the Autograph collection (ambassador) is also the same level they are all 3 Premium hotels (as listed by Marriott)

Westin used to be a level above Sheraton when they were exclusive Starwood brands. Sheraton = Marriott = Hyatt Regency = Hilton whereas Westin = JW Marriott or W = Grand Hyatt = Conrad.

That may have changed with the merger Marriott=Starwood but there used to be a delineation where Sheraton was the standard full-service hotel ala Marriott and Westin was the upscale full service hotel ala JW Marriott.

Intercontinental is the weird one of the major brands; Holiday Inn which is their standard full service hotel is not at the level of other full service but their premium brand, Crowne Plaza is. Intercontinental Hotel = Westin = JW Marriott for sure.

note that we have 3 of the 4 standard full service hotels (Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton) but none of the upscale full service. One could argue that our Hilton is a premium location though, similar to the Palmer House Hilton vs. the (standard) Hilton both in Chicago.