Feel better now. :rolleyes:

For your info, I have never supported the Ford site for the cc. Ive never advocated tearing down significant and historical buildings that can be suitably repurposed. I do support good urban development. I just don't hate energy companies like seem to set you off. I do support waiting to see the designs before getting all hysterical. I do happen to think there are many many suitable areas downtown for mixed use. So, I don't think a (God forbid) energy related company occupying part of a building at this site to be evil.

Some people are actually saying that Oklahoma City needs stop building skyscappers because of the fact that we have so many tornadoes

If we are scared to build in places that has tornadoes, just bulldoze all of Moore and leave it bare.

I hope we could do better than Austin - but I know what you mean. I would prefer Madison, WI (which will blow your mind if you aren't familiar with it).

LOVE that city. Madison is amazing.

My 2 cents on this will be a little biased on Austin, because my job in OKC is relocating me to Austin. I am going to miss OKC, but the time I have spent in Austin, only reaffirmed to me just how much further OKC needs to go before its a culturally diverse rich city. I think OKC is great for family life, but for a single gay professional like myself it just falls short. Austin is a great city. I am not sure why we would think we are too good for mention of Austin. The city has like 4 or 5 high rises under construction right now and many high end apartment/condo buildings under construction throughout the city. The city is very green friendly, and I love that they banned plastic bags at the grocery stores and require all restaurants to compost trash in the back. Also it helps when you have 11 whole foods to choose from instead of just one. Granted I work in the technology industry, and well Austin is a known hub for that industry, so it makes sense that I will fit right in. I will still be a Thunder and OU fan of course! :)

Feel better now. :rolleyes:

For your info, I have never supported the Ford site for the cc. Ive never advocated tearing down significant and historical buildings that can be suitably repurposed. I do support good urban development. I just don't hate energy companies like seem to set you off. I do support waiting to see the designs before getting all hysterical. I do happen to think there are many many suitable areas downtown for mixed use. So, I don't think a (God forbid) energy related company occupying part of a building at this site to be evil.

Again you're re-framing the debate as being pro or anti-jobs. I'm not calling you a troll but this isn't a referendum on whether we like energy companies or not - to suggest that I don't because I wish to see legitimate mixed-use around the Myriad Gardens is an individual act of trolling.

My 2 cents on this will be a little biased on Austin, because my job in OKC is relocating me to Austin. I am going to miss OKC, but the time I have spent in Austin, only reaffirmed to me just how much further OKC needs to go before its a culturally diverse rich city. I think OKC is great for family life, but for a single gay professional like myself it just falls short. Austin is a great city. I am not sure why we would think we are too good for mention of Austin. The city has like 4 or 5 high rises under construction right now and many high end apartment/condo buildings under construction throughout the city. The city is very green friendly, and I love that they banned plastic bags at the grocery stores and require all restaurants to compost trash in the back. Also it helps when you have 11 whole foods to choose from instead of just one. Granted I work in the technology industry, and well Austin is a known hub for that industry, so it makes sense that I will fit right in. I will still be a Thunder and OU fan of course! :) Best of luck to you in Austin! I love that town! Living currently in Dallas, I thought of relocating to Austin. Very forward thinking town!

My 2 cents on this will be a little biased on Austin, because my job in OKC is relocating me to Austin. I am going to miss OKC, but the time I have spent in Austin, only reaffirmed to me just how much further OKC needs to go before its a culturally diverse rich city. I think OKC is great for family life, but for a single gay professional like myself it just falls short. Austin is a great city. I am not sure why we would think we are too good for mention of Austin. The city has like 4 or 5 high rises under construction right now and many high end apartment/condo buildings under construction throughout the city. The city is very green friendly, and I love that they banned plastic bags at the grocery stores and require all restaurants to compost trash in the back. Also it helps when you have 11 whole foods to choose from instead of just one. Granted I work in the technology industry, and well Austin is a known hub for that industry, so it makes sense that I will fit right in. I will still be a Thunder and OU fan of course! :)

Having lived elsewhere, I agree with this for the most part. However, Austin and Portland are probably two of the best cities in the country to be in your twenties. The cultural amenities those cities offer for young people are far above and beyond even much larger cities (like Houston for instance). I don't see OKC ever being like Austin nor should it. OKC will be more of a Charlotte or an Indianapolis. OKC is still a ways off from that but it is definitely achievable.

I was in Cbus last weekend which I think is a brilliant model for OKC if you can get past the lack of a 70,000-student university campus a mile north of downtown.

I was in Cbus last weekend which I think is a brilliant model for OKC if you can get past the lack of a 70,000-student university campus a mile north of downtown.

I have heard multiple people say that Columbus is becoming a very happening, 'hip' place to be. Louisville as well.

I was in Cbus last weekend which I think is a brilliant model for OKC if you can get past the lack of a 70,000-student university campus a mile north of downtown.

Tend to agree. Whereas Austin is tech based, Columbus actually has a very diversified employment base. It also isn't trying to be "weird" but still has a great cultural scene.

I frankly find Austin to be quite overrated.

Since this is a thread about a skyscraper, I will say I like Austin's skyline more than I like Columbus', but I like Columbus quite a bit more as a city than I do Austin.

Up here in Cleveland we joke that Columbus, Ohio is becoming a great, bustling city - even the largest city in West Virginia. When someone says Cowtown everyone understands that as a Cbus reference.

That said, their urban development is very respectable and I'd say more mature than Austin just due to age, but the city is more laid-back, accessible, newer (than most), sprawly, and youthful. It's one of the few growth spots in the Midwest.

Up here in Cleveland we joke that Columbus, Ohio is becoming a great, bustling city - even the largest city in West Virginia. When someone says Cowtown everyone understands that as a Cbus reference.

That said, their urban development is very respectable and I'd say more mature than Austin just due to age, but the city is more laid-back, accessible, newer (than most), sprawly, and youthful. It's one of the few growth spots in the Midwest.

Why would it be considered a cowtown? Wouldn't "university center" be more apropos? Does it have a big stockyards or something?

In the 80s or 90s they used to have propaganda calendars with images of the skyline behind a field of cows. It was strikingly weird misinterpreted messaging that they went all out on at the time.

And because Columbus is not as dense, old, and urban as Cleveland and Cincinnati.

after seeing the page jump,I thought I was going to read something new about the SC, but it isn't so.....dang

Also it helps when you have 11 whole foods to choose from instead of just one.
There were only two Whole Foods open in Austin (6th & Lamar and Gateway) when we moved to Denver from there in the fall of 2011/winter 2012. They had just started the one by the Costco in South Austin so we went to Central Market at Westgate or Sunflower at Manchaca (pronounced Man-shack) & WM Cannon. We rarely went to to WF since the downtown location was the closest and a nightmare to get in/out of most of the time. It was about time they expanded in their home city.


I will still be a Thunder and OU fan of course! :)
There is a large contingent of OU people there and pretty much people from schools all over the country, the city is not as UT centric as it once was. One thing that I found was the UT fans were not as obnoxious there as they were when I lived in Dallas, I think they get worse the further away from Austin they get.

I lived there nine years, my wife was there for over twenty years. While we like Austin there were things we were just tired of, the heat/humidity being high on that list and tolerating it gets harder as I get older. I told my wife the beach (Port Aransas) or the mountains but I knew what her choice would be. I think Austin is a great place for an active single person in their late 20's to early 30's, probably one of the best places to be, in some ways I wish I would have moved there many years prior like some friends did. For those of us near 50 and married, it was just another place. Other than Port A or Austin I have no desire to live in Texas anymore, had a chance to move back to Dallas at one time and figured out after a week I had no desire to do that.

Has anyone heard anything yet?

Well, at least we've made it through the first 30 days. Sure would like to get some sort of update!

All I've heard is it's still on track and will be at least 33 floors.

I know the developers are talking to some companies looking to move some operations here; not a headquarters but perhaps a division.

All I've heard is it's still on track and will be at least 33 floors.

I know the developers are talking to some companies looking to move some operations here; not a headquarters but perhaps a division.

What type of company? Energy related?

All I've heard is it's still on track and will be at least 33 floors.

I know the developers are talking to some companies looking to move some operations here; not a headquarters but perhaps a division.

So it is a spec tower then. Also, one would conclude OKC will not be the announced HQ for the MLP?

So it is a spec tower then. Also, one would conclude OKC will not be the announced HQ for the MLP?

Check the latest on Enable Midstream over in the 'local business' section and that should answer the HQ question. Post # 159.

All I've heard is it's still on track and will be at least 33 floors.

I know the developers are talking to some companies looking to move some operations here; not a headquarters but perhaps a division.

How firm do you think that number is? That is, do you think there is much of a chance that it wil be less than 33 stories?

How firm do you think that number is? That is, do you think there is much of a chance that it wil be less than 33 stories?

At this point, given the unusable, though formerly interesting, structure that gets replaced, anything over two stories is going to be a vast improvement in present day use. so whether it is 15, 20, 30, 33, or more is just gravy on the biscuit.

At this point, given the unusable, though formerly interesting, structure that gets replaced, anything over two stories is going to be a vast improvement in present day use. so whether it is 15, 20, 30, 33, or more is just gravy on the biscuit.

'Like'

How firm do you think that number is? That is, do you think there is much of a chance that it wil be less than 33 stories?

I've heard 33 and 35; the number definitely went up, as originally is was more around 28.

Hadn't heard anything new in a while.

I suspect they are still in negotiations with various tenants and trying to firm up their financing.

Check the latest on Enable Midstream over in the 'local business' section and that should answer the HQ question. Post # 159.

I would not be so sure of that. I am fairly sure that it IS going to be headquartered in OKC.

I believe that's what the link in the referenced post says. The only two addresses listed are both in OKC, and it's registered in Texas as a foreign enterprise.

I believe that's what the link in the referenced post says. The only two addresses listed are both in OKC, and it's registered in Texas as a foreign enterprise.

There taking that like a whole other country a little far

I would not be so sure of that. I am fairly sure that it IS going to be headquartered in OKC.

It more or less says all of the principle entities are located in OKC, as in the HQ, with the exception of the interstate pipeline office, which they stated will be in Houston.

So, I'd say the HQ will be in OKC.

Yep, I misread you earlier post. I agree.

I'll do everyone a favor here - I'm on vacation for a week in September, the 17th to the 23rd........maybe there'll be some more info come out when I'm gone..it seems to have happened that way in the past.

I'll do everyone a favor here - I'm on vacation for a week in September, the 17th to the 23rd........maybe there'll be some more info come out when I'm gone..it seems to have happened that way in the past.

Appreciate that!

Actually, if you really do have those magical powers... perhaps you can take your vacation a little earlier? :wink:

Appreciate that!

Actually, if you really do have those magical powers... perhaps you can take your vacation a little earlier? :wink:

Well, actually flying to Denver in the morning for 3 days for the OneRepublic concert at Red Rocks....just didn't think that was much of a vacation (only 3 days).

Well, actually flying to Denver in the morning for 3 days for the OneRepublic concert at Red Rocks....just didn't think that was much of a vacation (only 3 days).

Count your blessings; there are plenty of working people who would love to be able to fly for a 3 day vacation.

Count your blessings; there are plenty of working people who would love to be able to fly for a 3 day vacation.

I count them every day, but we're some of those working folks too. We used credit card points for the airfare and the hotel stay to make it possible.....Anyway, let's hope we hear some good news sometime in the next 3 weeks.

I keep checking back and am disappointed we have no additional updates!! Any news? Anyone??

It's gone very quiet... Even Steve in his chat yesterday said he had not heard anything new.

I suppose it's the calm before the storm. We should hear something official soon.

Last I heard, it was to be 33-35 floors.

Just like last time, I'm aiming at checking this thread around December 15th, unless, I see a 10 page growth in one random day beforehand...

Just like last time, I'm aiming at checking this thread around December 15th, unless, I see a 10 page growth in one random day beforehand...

That's what I have been doing. I am from Mo.-Show Me. Tired of hearing rumors of this and that when no one seems to have any facts. I mean we know there's gonna be a building built but what else do we really know? Not a lot. So it's wait and see like it's been for a couple years. Glance at this thread every now and then looking for a big spike in pages.

Generic Calendar/Clock - Countdown to Oct 24, 2013 in Oklahoma City (http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?p0=184&iso=20131024T00&year=2013&month=10&day=24&hour=0&min=0&sec=0&msg=Rainey%20Promised)

Less than 45 days until details are revealed.....

That is, we're now past the half-way point of the 90 day period from the initial announcement.

Oh the agony of waiting..................................

I just want to know the architect.

Talked to my inside source (kind of, her husband is in the Enogex downtown office) yesterday. Nothing to report other than it seems like EnoGex and CNP personell will all be interviewing for positions. Said that if not chosen, then folks could more or less retire as if they were at least 62 years old, depending upon years of service. Still very quiet, which could be a good thing at this point.

I just want to know the architect.

Yeah, me too. That's one of the things that I want to know.

Along with:

height
number of floors
square footage
tenants (especially the anchor)
estimated cost
construction firm
start date
estimated completion date
floor plans
materials list
sketches
renderings
landscaping plans
amenities
first floor retail
street interaction
parking
building name
more sketches
more renderings
any additional details
more, more, more


:)

Talked to my inside source (kind of, her husband is in the Enogex downtown office) yesterday. Nothing to report other than it seems like EnoGex and CNP personell will all be interviewing for positions. Said that if not chosen, then folks could more or less retire as if they were at least 62 years old, depending upon years of service. Still very quiet, which could be a good thing at this point.

Hopefully so. The lull before the outbreak....

I'm hoping we hear some solid stuff before October 1st. That's my current "wish" timeline.

Hopefully so. The lull before the outbreak....

I'm hoping we hear some solid stuff before October 1st. That's my current "wish" timeline.

It could happen, I'm out of town from the 17th to the 23rd......so it's starting to set up.

Came across this cute skyline graphic from the Arts Council:

http://www.artscouncilokc.com/sites/default/files/artisans_header.jpg

Hey... wait a minute. What's that building to the left of Devon Tower? They've already included the new SC tower into the skyline?????

:eek:


Ok, ok... that's probably supposed to be Oklahoma Tower. But it's scaled mighty tall and too far south to be accurate, as that looks more like the SC site from that perspective.

Just sayin... :wink:

Came across this cute skyline graphic from the Arts Council:

http://www.artscouncilokc.com/sites/default/files/artisans_header.jpg

Hey... wait a minute. What's that building to the left of Devon Tower? They've already included the new SC tower into the skyline?????

:eek:


Ok, ok... that's probably supposed to be Oklahoma Tower. But it's scaled mighty tall and too far south to be accurate, as that looks more like the SC site from that perspective.

Just sayin... :wink:

Sandridge

ITs the chase building. View is from NE. skydance is the thing that is out of place.

No...the view is from between Robinson and the Harvey Spine somewhere south of I40 in the future south park.

With that in mind, Sandridge would be to the right of First National and Chase is the big box on the right.

Therefore, that's a new tower...

Sandridge

So the SandRidge building is taller than Chase and located right next to the Myriad Gardens? I need to talk to that artist, lol.

ITs the chase building. View is from NE. skydance is the thing that is out of place.

Yeah, that fits perfectly. Except that it kills the new tower theory. :redface:

what are you smoking OKCisOK??

4388

I think it's the fact that they had the Skydance Bridge in the photo, it is confusing.

You guys are putting entirely too much energy into that overly simple drawing...And driving up the post count in this thread so people check it thinking there's been a development.


STOP IT OR I'LL SHUT THIS WHOLE THING DOWN AND TURN THE CAR AROUND

what are you smoking OKCisOK??

I was eating lunch at the time. I was excited like Predura ;-) Oh well ;-)

what are you smoking OKCisOK??

4388

Lol you guys... Yes this is the correct angle. No one outside of a select few have any clue what it will look like and a good chance not even they have a final design yet.

Still quiet on this project but heard they have all the PR lined up and ready to go.

I believe they are planning a big presentation with building renderings, tenant information to overshadow the demolition.

Remember, they have to apply for a demolition permit first, and this is a completely separate process from getting building plans approved.

Still quiet on this project but heard they have all the PR lined up and ready to go.

I believe they are planning a big presentation with building renderings, tenant information to overshadow the demolition.

Remember, they have to apply for a demolition permit first, and this is a completely separate process from getting building plans approved.

Oh man! If this is true, we could have an announcement within a week or two!

Gazette article:

Center Stage

Vocal proponents of the vividly colored theater vow to save Stage Center with a variety of proposals.
Tim Farley
September 18th, 2013

Historic preservationists like Lisa Chronister and Catherine Montgomery don’t give up. Controversy over Stage Center, the former Mummers Theater in downtown Oklahoma City, built in 1970, is a classic example.

Although the property’s new owner, Kestrel Investments Management Corporation, has plans to seek a demolition permit in November, hope still exists to somehow save the building described last year in Architectural Record as a “love-it-or-hate-it” structure.

For decades, the now-defunct theater — complete with its concrete forms, brightly colored steel ramps and large corrugated metal boxes — has evoked opinions at all levels in connection with its unique appearance as well as its functionality. The building has been closed since it sustained extensive flood damage in 2010.

Rainey Williams is president of Kestrel. He said in July that plans for the 3.15-acre site — located between Sheridan and California avenues and Dewey and Walker avenues — call for an office tower at least 20 stories high with a parking garage and public spaces for downtown residents and visitors.

The new owner is still negotiating with prospective tenants and finalizing plans for the office and retail tower.

“As a native of Oklahoma City, I personally put a great deal of thought into the property and the Stage Center facility,” Williams said in a statement. “It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this point, but the building has outlived its use, and removal of Stage Center is simply the next logical step in the evolution of making this property usable again.”

Even if the building is removed, must it be destroyed? That’s a question Chronister and Montogmery are fighting to get answered.

What can be saved?

Williams promised to work with city officials in the demolition permit process “to make sure we follow all the necessary steps to obtain approval and safely remove it from the property.”

If the demolition permit is approved, Chronister, an OKC architect, hopes pieces of the building will be preserved and placed throughout the city. Although it’s not a typical preservation effort, retaining parts are better than it being forgotten, she said.

“Probably the most important would be the metal panels, which are so distinctive. Maybe they could be placed on other buildings or bus stops around the city,” Chronister said.

“When you drive by, you would see it and remember Stage Center.” She said the value of preserving the building in any way possible is more than aesthetic — Stage Center was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places “for its architectural merit at the national level and for exceptional significance,” according to the State Historic Preservation Office, a component of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

She would also like to develop a photographic record of the building, a plan first recommended last year for the building’s suggested placement on the National Register of Historic Places. However, then-owner Oklahoma City Community Foundation objected because it might have hampered the sale of the property, so the record wasn’t made and the building wasn’t placed on the register, she said.

Chronister, who also protested previous attempts to demolish the Gold Dome at NW 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard, is hopeful Stage Center’s new owners will host an open house and tour before the building is razed.

“People could come and say goodbye,” she said. “I personally have accepted the fact that it’s going to come down.”

More faith

However, Montgomery, principal architect and owner of Preservation & Design Studio, believes the building can be saved in its entirety. “We should retain it,” she said.

“It has a national level of significance. This is an important building both nationally and internationally. It gave birth to Postmodernism. It’s huge, and very sad that Oklahoma City would not recognize the gem they have. We should protect that.”

In 1971, Time magazine critic Robert Hughes praised Stage Center as “an exquisitely human building in its scale, organization and intriguing unpredictabilities.”

The building’s architect, John Johansen, died last year at 95.

But, she admitted, as downtown OKC has evolved the last 13 years with sparkling new buildings and renovated old ones, Stage Center has become an odd fixture that doesn’t appear to fit into the city’s revitalization plan.

“Matching isn’t always good,” Montgomery said. “Matching is the death knell of an urban area. To have another tall office building isn’t exciting to me.”

Montgomery, an expert in historic preservation projects, believes a commitment by the property owner could save Stage Center by using existing federal and state historical preservation tax credits.

“I’m a possibility thinker, and it’s not over until it’s over,” she said. “They could receive up to 40 percent of the costs associated with renovations.”

Montgomery suggested Stage Center could be used to host corporate and community meetings “if one had a commitment to do that.”

In the past, a children’s museum was proposed for Stage Center, but nixed for lack of community support.

Meanwhile, Preservation Oklahoma, Inc. Executive Director David Pettyjohn said his nonprofit group is working on an online petition designed to create support for keeping Stage Center. In addition, the Facebook page Save the Stage Center (Mummer’s Theater) of Oklahoma City has drawn significant public interest.

“There is a real uniqueness of the structure,” Pettyjohn said. “It is an important part of our built-in environment. It’s part of the past. It’s a piece of art that focuses on circuitry and represents that power and energy.”

Center stage (http://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/article-19286-center-stage.html)