This is a weird combination of two shaky concepts, the Gold Dome and the OKC music scene. Both have incredible potential, but have really had a hard time making numbers work. Off the top of my head, Saints, Tower Theater, La Brasa, and Hubbly Bubbly host local concerts on a weekly basis, and each of those are just a few blocks from the Dome. National promoters couldn't make the Criterion happen or Bricktown Events Center happen, and our best local promoters run the Tower.

I get that people want to save the dome, but considering the fact that the biggest issue is cost, you'd think that they'd try to fit it for something that generates consistent revenue.

What? The nationally produced events at Criterion have been an unmitigated success. It's hard to make any kind of venue work during a pandemic.

It will be interesting to see when people return to live concerts, and how quickly the industry rebounds, but having multiple venues is a good thing. For all of the things that were happening at the Tower, there were other interesting touring acts passing through OKC.

Again wanna just give a shout out to KFOR for crediting OKCTalk. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for the Oklahoman to do it.

https://kfor.com/news/local/historic-gold-dome-may-see-new-life-as-live-music-venue-in-oklahoma-city/

Any idea what kind of capacity we could expect for this? Or par with Tower or Jones?

^

Smaller than both.

Having played music inside domed structures in the past, getting the accoustics right is going to be a challenge.

Indeed. Fortunately the panels act as a diffuser because of all of the triangular angles in the geodesic shape. I worked on First Christian which is a long smooth arc. That was much harder because of the uninterrupted linear curve. A little bit is going to go a long way in any dome.

maybe First Christian can also be a music venue and theatre?

Imagine OKC's music scene with the following: Chesapeake Arena, OKC Convention center (possibly), Zoo Ampitheatre, MBG lawn, MBG stage, Scissortail Park lawn, Civic Center Music Hall, Frontier City Ampitheatre, Criterion, Diamond, BEC, Tower, Jones, a host of restaurants, pubs, and dance clubs, AND add to that the Fairgrounds Arena, the Gold Dome, and possibly the Egg (First Christian).

You see just adding the new two (or three) makes an already great music scene even better - more choices, more things to do in OKC. Not to mention the various venues in the OKC metro area that are outside the city. ...

OKC really needs a downtown high-brow lounge, a see and be seen top-end restaurant that has a dance floor(s) and VIP areas - with various musical genres covered throughout the week. A place where limos and hypercars come and go, the high fashion models and celebs go-to place, and the NBA players and other major league (and local professional) athletes go to dine, entertain, and live it up with the local OKC populace. THAT combined with the burgeoning music scene will forever get rid of the "nothing to do in OKC" moniker that for some reason still is in the minds of some nationwide.

I was in OKC this past weekend and drove down Classen and noticed the GD is just sitting their rotting and deteriorating at a fast pace. It looked awful. I would love to see a "serious" developer come and save this unique building, however I do not think it will happen and may just be demolished! I hope not!!

I was in OKC this past weekend and drove down Classen and noticed the GD is just sitting their rotting and deteriorating at a fast pace. It looked awful. I would love to see a "serious" developer come and save this unique building, however I do not think it will happen and may just be demolished! I hope not!!

From my understanding, the building is still under contract to Live Nation but of course, live music events have been crushed by the pandemic.

I don't think the deal is dead, just being slow-played at this point.

It's been relisted for $3M, so I guess the last deal didn't go through:

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1112-NW-23rd-St-Oklahoma-City-OK/16974502/

The City of OKC has started the process of approving a $3 million grant to convert the historic Gold Dome into a concert and entertainment venue.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121b.jpg


As we were first to report way back in March of 2021, Temple Live has developed renderings and plans to convert the structure with a main stage in the center, floor viewing areas, and a second level that would provide seated and standing views.

Renderings also show a new covered 2-level patio.

Built in 1958 by Citizens State Bank at NW 23rd and Classen, the building has changed hands times several times over the last two decades with one former owner attempting full demolition. A new use for the 27,000 square foot structure has been elusive and the condition of the building has continued to deteriorate while remaining shuttered for years.

Temple Live operates live music venues in Fort Smith, Wichita, Columbus, and Cleveland. All are in renovated historic structures.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be at least $10 million.

The $3 million of public money would come from a newly established Classen Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District. An existing revenue bond would provide the money upfront, with the developers using future TIF tax exemptions to repay the loan.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome121224a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121c.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121d.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121e.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121f.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121g.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121h.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121i.jpg

Great!!!

Hah! I called it (https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=45444&page=4&p=1283310#post1283310).

Fantastic news.

Perfect use of the building. This is fantastic.

I hoped and suspected this was the reason for the creation of the Classen TIF.

Temple Live has done a bunch of really great historic conversions. It's a perfect fit.

Pucker up taxpayer, you're going to pay for a lot of this with a TIF package.

It will be interesting to see what the property sells for.

What often happens with TIF is the property speculator makes millions, so effectively taxpayers are paying them, not the developer.

Pucker up taxpayer, you're going to pay for a lot of this with a TIF package.

3 of the 10M...yes, but rather than have it sit as a rusting bucket of crap, i'm ok with that. I'd much rather see the thing being used and NEVER destroyed. It has a historic place and is extremely unique. We already lost the bank on May to a damned Oncue. We almost lost this gem for a crappy Walgreens. It's important to wait for the right owner to come along.


Also, anyone else get a The Sims feeling from the renderings? LOL

Pucker up taxpayer, you're going to pay for a lot of this with a TIF package.

If you take on this project, they'll give you $3M. You just need to pitch in the remaining $7M+. What do you think? Not everyone is a fan of strip malls and gas stations.

I am perfectly fine with a little public money being used to save this building, even if OKC had to spend the whole 10 million. In the end nothing was done to save First Christian, nothing to save the Stage Center, for once we can keep an interesting building around.

If you take on this project, they'll give you $3M. You just need to pitch in the remaining $7M+. What do you think? Not everyone is a fan of strip malls and gas stations.
Do strip malls and gas stations get a lot of TIF money?

This seems like a project worth the support if the economic proposal is sound. Is it about saving a piece of OKC’s heritage, or about making someone a bunch of money? Does it spur other investments in the immediate area? Does it increase property values?

Am I right to assume this is more likely to happen than the grocery store or skate rink? I can't count the number of different businesses this place was proposed to be.

I am perfectly fine with a little public money being used to save this building, even if OKC had to spend the whole 10 million. In the end nothing was done to save First Christian, nothing to save the Stage Center, for once we can keep an interesting building around.
I'm fine with it too. I'm sure the city spends money on worse. I personally hated Stage Center but wish it had been saved just because of its uniqueness. First Christian was just extremely sad to see go because of its uniqueness. I really hope the Gold Dome project does work out.

At least the group behind this has experience with these kinds of projects. They get good shows at their other venues.

The issue with the public money is that it may be going to the speculator, not the developer.

Somebody buys a property, sits on it, and then encourages a buyer to apply for TIF, and the amount is often similar to the profit made by the speculator.

Will they receive FAA approval?

If the TempleLive thing goes through, it would interesting to see what the capacity would be. TempleLive in Cleveland has a capacity of 2,600, Ft Smith has a capacity of 1,150, Columbus is 1,500 and Wichita is around 700.

Assuming it is between Wichita and Ft Smith, that would put it in the Tower capacity range.

It is about time, it is very long overdue!

If the TempleLive thing goes through, it would interesting to see what the capacity would be. TempleLive in Cleveland has a capacity of 2,600, Ft Smith has a capacity of 1,150, Columbus is 1,500 and Wichita is around 700.

Assuming it is between Wichita and Ft Smith, that would put it in the Tower capacity range.
That would be a fine size. And being round it could have a different and better seating arrangement. Being a metallic dome will present some acoustics challenges but nothing that can't be easily overcome.

I can tell most people have never been in this building.

The interior ceiling is not a dome:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/goldome121224b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121g.jpg

I can tell most people have never been in this building.

The interior ceiling is not a dome:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/goldome121224b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome033121g.jpg

That pic alone will show that working on the acoustics of it would probably bring a little bit of a challenge.

Every building has acoustical challenges. There are plenty of ways to deal with them.

Happy to see the Gold Dome put to a good use and will finally get the restoration it needs. I am not sure if the music venue would be sustainable, but at least the work to update the place will happen and someone else can find a better use for it in the future.

Looks like a great use of the building, but where is everyone going to park, the lots at 18th and Western?

Every building has acoustical challenges. There are plenty of ways to deal with them.
Yes they do. This is something I've been involved with in a few churches I helped set up. As I said though. Easy to overcome.
And I forgot about the lower ceiling. My parents banked there. I banked there for some time. I forgot about how the ceiling isn't the underside of the roof. Actually that would make the acoustics much easier to work with. Hard surface echo iis the biggest issue and there's much less with the lower ceiling.

Press release.

Mike Brown was leading the charge for Temple Live back when they made a run in 2021. Now he has his own company and has resurrected the effort.

https://kismetkoncerts.com/

Brown told me the Temple Live renderings were always conceptual and declined to elaborate on specific renovation plans.

**********

Kismet Koncerts to Acquire Iconic Oklahoma City Gold Dome Building for New Music Venue
Plans to save Oklahoma City Route 66 Icon

[Oklahoma City, December 13, 2024] Kismet Koncerts - a Tulsa-based concert and event company – is in the process of acquiring the iconic Gold Dome building at 1112 NW 23rd St. in Oklahoma City. Originally built in 1958 by Citizens State Bank, the Gold Dome Building was the fifth geodesic dome built in the world. The iconic building design was created by American inventor and architect, Buckminster Fuller, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2002.

Mike Brown, with Kismet Koncerts, remarked “The building deserves to be saved. We have been working on this project for several years. The first attempt was at a previous venture that I was involved with. At the time we could not put all the pieces together. Oklahoma City is a key market geographically for us, not only as it relates to its strategic location relative to our other properties, but Oklahoma City has continued to grow with a fantastic local and national scene for live entertainment. We reached out to Jonathon Russell and Troy Humphrey at Land Run Commercial, current owners, a little over a year ago to resurrect the idea of repurposing the building, and here we are.”

The redevelopment of the Gold Dome fits into Kismet Koncerts’ strategy of preserving historic buildings to return, even though for a different use, back into a viable contributor to the local Economy.

Brown continued, “We can’t say enough of the tireless efforts from Oklahoma City’s Economic Development Team, Mayor Holt’s office and the patience of JR and his team at Land Run Commercial, the Dome’s current owner. Had it not been for them, this project would have died months ago. We applied for Historic Tax Credits through the National Park Service and State Historic Office as well as the Oklahoma Route 66 Grant, twice, we were not awarded either. The TIF is a major factor to make the project go forward, even with the TIF, there a few more hurdles to overcome, the largest is reaching an agreement with previous owner Chase Bank. The bank has a deed restriction that prohibits any construction on over half of the site. We are working on a resolution currently.

Kismet Koncerts is a live entertainment company operating venues in Wichita, KS, Pineville, MO. With properties under development in Cleveland, OH and Tulsa, OK.

This will be really cool and make for an extremely unique venue if they pull it off. We obviously have a ton more quality small to midsize music venues now than we did 10-15 years ago but this would be something way more iconic and completely different than even a venue with history and a cool sign (Tower) or just a completely unique set up (Jones Assembly). I would be such a cool addition to the music scene.

This will be really cool and make for an extremely unique venue if they pull it off. We obviously have a ton more quality small to midsize music venues now than we did 10-15 years ago but this would be something way more iconic and completely different than even a venue with history and a cool sign (Tower) or just a completely unique set up (Jones Assembly). I would be such a cool addition to the music scene.
Yes!

It sounds like this is pretty much a done deal.

By the time public incentives hit an agenda, it almost always is.


Get ready for the Mesta Park people to pitch a fit.

It sounds like this is pretty much a done deal.

By the time public incentives hit an agenda, it almost always is.


Get ready for the Mesta Park people to pitch a fit.

I mean maybe they do but most of the neighborhood is far enough away from this that they aren’t going to care and should have enough parking that it keeps too many people from parking in the neighborhood. There is a full block separating this from the far northwestern edge of Mesta Park and most of the residents there are just as tired of looking at a dilapidated building on a prominent street corner as everyone is. I was on the board for Mesta Park for a little over two years and we supported every development proposed on 23rd while I was there. Complaints were just from a few delusional individuals who bought homes backing up to or close to empty lots on 23rd street and expected them to stay that way forever. We often told those people we’d address their concerns with the developers and laughed at them behind their backs lol. I can’t remember a time after Guyutes and Cajun Corner (or the previous proposed restaurant) that even individuals in Mesta Park protested anything and the primary complaint about that pre-tower theater music venue proposed a few doors down was that it had little to no parking included. 12-14 years of full scale redevelopment and seeing the benefits from it has gotten people used to it.

Pucker up taxpayer, you're going to pay for a lot of this with a TIF package.

Well said. And, imo, the biggest problem with this particular TIF is that Classen was already seeing a pretty nice resurgence. No need to throw 107 octane on what was already a pretty steady fire.

I mean maybe they do but most of the neighborhood is far enough away from this that they aren’t going to care and should have enough parking that it keeps too many people from parking in the neighborhood. There is a full block separating this from the far northwestern edge of Mesta Park and most of the residents there are just as tired of looking at a dilapidated building on a prominent street corner as everyone is. I was on the board for Mesta Park for a little over two years and we supported every development proposed on 23rd while I was there. Complaints were just from a few delusional individuals who bought homes backing up to or close to empty lots on 23rd street and expected them to stay that way forever. We often told those people we’d address their concerns with the developers and laughed at them behind their backs lol. I can’t remember a time after Guyutes and Cajun Corner (or the previous proposed restaurant) that even individuals in Mesta Park protested anything and the primary complaint about that pre-tower theater music venue proposed a few doors down was that it had little to no parking included. 12-14 years of full scale redevelopment and seeing the benefits from it has gotten people used to it.

I've already had people complaining to me. Here's a sample -- the horrors of people walking down your street!


would you want your neighborhood street full of cars every weekend and lots of individuals walking up and down your street. No you wouldn’t.

I've already had people complaining to me.

Yeah individuals like before but not the neighborhood as a whole.

Still surprising at this point.


Edit: LOL at your edit! How dare they?!?!

Easy answer for all of these people has always been…you don’t want to be affected by developments? Don’t buy a house on the edge of the neighborhood and if you do, you’ve accepted what comes along with it.

I love the people that buy a home right next to a big commercial area that is largely vacant, then scream bloody murder when the area starts to get new tenants/owners.

The value of all those homes has skyrocketed precisely due to everything you can walk to.

It reminds me of a neighbor of mine (an attorney) pitched a big legal fit about OAK even though he lived several blocks away. Then, when he went to sell his home, the primary selling point was proximity to a "walkable mixed-use shopping area". He ended making a huge profit.

BTW, there are tons of surface lots within a couple of blocks of the Gold Dome.

Just one block south you have 5 big lots for the 2000 Classen complex which are never close to full, even during working hours.

Then a block to the north, you have two big lots for First Presbyterian which never see many cars apart from Sunday mornings.

And then of course you not only have Lyft and Uber but the new BRT stops directly adjacent.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome121424c.jpg

BTW, there are tons of surface lots within a couple of blocks of the Gold Dome.

Just one block south you have 5 big lots for the 2000 Classen complex which are never close to full, even during working hours.

Then a block to the north, you have two big lots for First Presbyterian which never see many cars apart from Sunday mornings.

And then of course you not only have Lyft and Uber but the new BRT stops directly adjacent.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/golddome121424c.jpg

That was my thought about why there shouldn't be much resistence to this. Plenty of parking and it doesn't even back up to the neighborhood. Surely they can make a deal with Rick Dowell (or who ever owns those lots for the office towers) to use those lots after hours.

I love the people that buy a home right next to a big commercial area that is largely vacant, then scream bloody murder when the area starts to get new tenants/owners.

The value of all those homes has skyrocketed precisely due to everything you can walk to.

It reminds me of a neighbor of mine (an attorney) pitched a big legal fit about OAK even though he lived several blocks away. Then, when he went to sell his home, the primary selling point was proximity to a "walkable mixed-use shopping area". He ended making a huge profit.

Pretty damn hilarious given that most of the people living there did so to be in the middle of all of the cool stuff being developed. With the sky rocketing home prices, I'm not sure why anyone who is not okay with being in an active area hasn't moved to the suburbs yet.

Pretty damn hilarious given that most of the people living there did so to be in the middle of all of the cool stuff being developed. With the sky rocketing home prices, I'm not sure why anyone who is not okay with being in an active area hasn't moved to the suburbs yet.

When you live in a city you should absolutely expect to sometimes be inconvenienced. The problem is when the inconvenience becomes a cost for you. People stealing and breaking things, screaming and being drunken idiots at odd hours. Most people are nimby assholes that just discourage development and complain. They aren't prepared to take the steps necessary to properly discourage people from ****ing them over. If I lived in the neighborhood and I had a lot of people parking on the street to go to this venue causing problems and breaking ****. I would follow the venue schedule and the vehicles that were not my neighbors would have all their valve stems removed. I understand some of you may be shocked and offended towards behavior like this. I have had my properties ****ed with by feral homeless people and drunken idiots enough that I really do not give a ****. **** with me and I will **** with you worse. People are not reasonable these days, and I am absolutely done with the absolute unaccountability of many people and how they interact with others. I am fortunate to not work in the service industry anymore, from what my friends have told me most of you are assholes.

When you live in a city you should absolutely expect to sometimes be inconvenienced. The problem is when the inconvenience becomes a cost for you. People stealing and breaking things, screaming and being drunken idiots at odd hours. Most people are nimby assholes that just discourage development and complain. They aren't prepared to take the steps necessary to properly discourage people from ****ing them over. If I lived in the neighborhood and I had a lot of people parking on the street to go to this venue causing problems and breaking ****. I would follow the venue schedule and the vehicles that were not my neighbors would have all their valve stems removed. I understand some of you may be shocked and offended towards behavior like this. I have had my properties ****ed with by feral homeless people and drunken idiots enough that I really do not give a ****. **** with me and I will **** with you worse. People are not reasonable these days, and I am absolutely done with the absolute unaccountability of many people and how they interact with others. I am fortunate to not work in the service industry anymore, from what my friends have told me most of you are assholes.

You big mad?

If you take on this project, they'll give you $3M. You just need to pitch in the remaining $7M+. What do you think? Not everyone is a fan of strip malls and gas stations.

These days, even strip malls and gas stations seem to get TIF.

Either a project is economically viable or it isn't. $3M is a lot of public money to put towards a private development--especially one the local neighborhoods don't want. This isn't a corporate relocation or really even a situation where there's much to say this will be a profitable project. There are everal music venues of a similar size in the immediate area which did not receive TIF to be functional like the Tower Theatre, the Criterion, Will Rogers, etc.

We have an underfunded urban school system with declining enrollment to think of. The City, which approves these TIFs does so mostly at the expense of other political entities and not the city budget. The City will financially come out a winner if this project is successful because they will collect far more in sales tax than they would have in ad valorem on 128 mills or whatever it is.

And this operator doesn't know the first thing about music venues from what I can gather. The article in the Oklahoman where Holt is touting the obvious need for TIF here mentions that the operator was originally interested in the First Christian Church site (the egg church) but was surprised to see it torn down in 2022. Now I've played the egg church. The acoustics were insanely bad. In no universe should it have ever been considered for a music venue. I have questions about the acoustics in this venue, and I'm sure as mentioned above, they can work that out. I'm just not sure that's a good use of taxpayer money--or rather money being taken from gains which should be going to our school system.

And let's not forget, hasn't this site already been used to attempt to scam the city out of resourcse by that O&G company which financed the property where the CEO went to prison?

I'm just not sure that's a good use of taxpayer money--or rather money being taken from gains which should be going to our school system.

How can we be sure the school system isn’t wasting taxpayer money? While investing in the education of the next generation is undoubtedly important, we can't assume that every single dollar spent will always yield positive results, and taxpayer money must always flow into that pool first.

How can we be sure the school system isn’t wasting taxpayer money? While investing in the education of the next generation is undoubtedly important, we can't assume that every single dollar spent will always yield positive results, and taxpayer money must always flow into that pool first.

That's a stupid reason to take money out of the system--some generalized angst that something might not be spent the way you want it to be.

If you don't like how money is being spent in your school system, who did you vote for in the past school board election? Bet you can't tell me that.

And that said, they have fewer dollars than peer districts in peer states to spend AND they just a few years ago shut down a large number of properties and consolidated facilities to be more efficient, so that's probably not a solid theory you have.

That's a stupid reason to take money out of the system--some generalized angst that something might not be spent the way you want it to be.

If you don't like how money is being spent in your school system, who did you vote for in the past school board election? Bet you can't tell me that.

And that said, they have fewer dollars than peer districts in peer states to spend AND they just a few years ago shut down a large number of properties and consolidated facilities to be more efficient, so that's probably not a solid theory you have.

Dude, I asked a question, not made a statement. If anyone seems angry here, it’s you. Also, avoid making assumptions about someone else’s intelligence, especially when there’s plenty you don’t know.

These days, even strip malls and gas stations seem to get TIF.

Either a project is economically viable or it isn't. $3M is a lot of public money to put towards a private development--especially one the local neighborhoods don't want. This isn't a corporate relocation or really even a situation where there's much to say this will be a profitable project. There are everal music venues of a similar size in the immediate area which did not receive TIF to be functional like the Tower Theatre, the Criterion, Will Rogers, etc.

We have an underfunded urban school system with declining enrollment to think of. The City, which approves these TIFs does so mostly at the expense of other political entities and not the city budget. The City will financially come out a winner if this project is successful because they will collect far more in sales tax than they would have in ad valorem on 128 mills or whatever it is.

The Criterion did receive TIF money. I dont think the Tower Theater did but I may be wrong. You could argue a building like the Gold Dome is actually a decent TIF recipient due to its uniqueness and difficulty in repositioning it to a viable piece of real estate. Giving TIF for marked up, speculated properties (I realize this has happened to the Gold Dome) or for pickleball concepts or for an OKC corporation to move to another OKC property are whats suspect.


How can we be sure the school system isn’t wasting taxpayer money? While investing in the education of the next generation is undoubtedly important, we can't assume that every single dollar spent will always yield positive results, and taxpayer money must always flow into that pool first.

Mid is right that this is not a good argument for TIF. Its a whole different argument you are making.

Dude, I asked a question, not made a statement. If anyone seems angry here, it’s you. Also, avoid making assumptions about someone else’s intelligence, especially when there’s plenty you don’t know.

It's a pretty stupid question though. This year, OKCPS is projected to have an $838 million budget. It has over $2 billion in assets. Is there some waste there? I'm sure there is somewhere. But using that as a reason to say eff it, give it all to private developers to pad their bottom line is just insane.

It's a pretty stupid question though. This year, OKCPS is projected to have an $838 million budget. It has over $2 billion in assets. Is there some waste there? I'm sure there is somewhere. But using that as a reason to say eff it, give it all to private developers to pad their bottom line is just insane.

Liquid assets vs Illiquid assets.

That $2 billion includes their schools and busses and other stuff they own. Stuff that isn't necessarily liquid, in that they use them daily, so they can't just get rid of them.

But I agree with your last line.

The Criterion did receive TIF money. I dont think the Tower Theater did but I may be wrong. You could argue a building like the Gold Dome is actually a decent TIF recipient due to its uniqueness and difficulty in repositioning it to a viable piece of real estate. Giving TIF for marked up, speculated properties (I realize this has happened to the Gold Dome) or for pickleball concepts or for an OKC corporation to move to another OKC property are whats suspect.

10-15 years ago, I'd have certainly agreed that this is a great project for TIF assistance. I'm less sure now. There have been several other uses of this property which have been successful. The restaurant which operated there several years ago was successful and profitable. The landlord at the time was just insane and impossible to work with. I guess where I'm hung up is probably as to the economic viability of yet another concert venue in an area which already has a few of those.

I also think those other venues are going to have fewer accoustical concerns, which some say can be dealt with, but I'm not sure. I'm a musician and I've played halls like the egg church. I've played the egg church. That this operator was thinking about that as a venue tells me that they probably don't have much experience witht his sort of thing. That would have been a terrible venue.. the amphitheater outside would have been better than the indoor venue. Thinking as to the highest and best use of the property, I'm not sure there's anything inately historic about this dome. It's not all that attractive. It's going to cost a fortune to maintain, and I know it's going to cost a fortune to renovate because it has not been maintained at all.

I realize again it's another conversation for later, but gosh do I wish the city would come up with some guidelines for TIF investment so that we're not paying for intra-city corporate relocations, strip malls, pickleball courts, and (as Edmond does) overpriced tinyhouses with money which should be going to our students. If this property gets developed into a gas station or a strip mall, all it would have is upside and the taxpayer could be out $0.

Maybe here's where the market should decide? OKC should have a little faith in itself and its own value and not feel the need to just throw millions of dollars or public school money at any developer who looks our way.

Liquid assets vs Illinois assets.

Illinois??

But yeah, that's why I listed the budget and assets separately.

In my opinion what made the restaurant in the gold dome interesting was the building it was in and the views you could see... An ideal situation would be a restaurant by day and a concert venue/bar by night. There is a nice Asian restaurant on NW 23rd with a similar model.

Illinois??

But yeah, that's why I listed the budget and assets separately.

Stupid swype to type. Lol.

Stupid swype to type. Lol.

I do that all the time. If texting with my wife she loves asking me what the hell I'm talking about. Even if she knows.