https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7WBCWfIMAAjPXc.jpg:large

I've noticed recently there appears to be some frame work taking place on the 2nd level. Even clearing the trees revealing the building has already made a difference. Very excited about this!

I would expect them to demo the metal buildings on the south side pretty soon.

That will make a big difference as well.

Is there a rendering out there of the finished building with the signs and everything up?

Is there a rendering out there of the finished building with the signs and everything up?

No, not yet.

I liked the trees. Surely they'll put planters back in when they redesign the sidewalks.

I liked the trees. Surely they'll put planters back in when they redesign the sidewalks.

Maybe, if you put them as your profile pic. ;):p:D:Smiley122 lol

Permit for a construction trailer today and if it's not on site already it will be very soon.

Looks like they will soon be getting busy.

They've been doing demo for a few weeks now, dumpsters on the far west end, inside the yellow metal fencing.

Can't wait for them to open. :)

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This from ��about a week ago��

^

Wow, had no idea they had done so much demolition to those metal buildings to the south.

That whole area will soon start to look very different, just due to the cleanup.

Driving along the Classen side of the building, you can see in. The first floor has been completely cleaned out.

They just opened their fourth 21c in Durham.

The building is very similar to the one in OKC and this video gives you an idea of how ours will turn out:

RfWakGhmbDo&t=14

From https://twitter.com/dtOKCbuilds. Great to see all the lights on.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBG6TmDUQAARsTb.jpg:large

Yeah... It looked really cool when I arrived at work at 6:00 this morning.

This is going to be the coolest project when finished.

I'd be curious to actually take a step back and look cumulatively at Albert Kahn's works as they are in 2015. This one may be fairing better than most, but there have also been some really, really cool rehabs.

3/28/2015
https://fbcdn-photos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-0/11102652_10205164367381312_1742381228208168309_n.j pg?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=db3f3727e97b2b30225bb19e82daa871&oe=557986E1&__gda__=1437410133_2845be7f18d27672ba271103c9e516e 2

How do you get these shots..haha

There was a hole in the window and I was able to stick the camera part of my phone in far enough to get it. :P

That's a great photo.

It also illustrates how much work it's going to take to convert that building into a luxury hotel.

Because they had so much manufacturing equipment and heavy parts on the upper floors, those columns had to me massive. Will be very interested to see how they design the interior spaces around them. I'm sure they'll find a creative way to do so.

Renovations continue at Fred Jones building in Oklahoma City | News OK (http://newsok.com/renovations-continue-at-fred-jones-building-in-oklahoma-city/article/5406557)

Went by there quickly today and the who place is gutted and most or all the slab foundation is torn out.

Tons of work to do but they are really getting busy now.

Drove by Monday night on my way home, it really is great seeing it lit up. It's amazing how much difference that makes compared to no lights, even with no other visible exterior work.

Cue somebody to start arguing with me, but casement windows are magical in a historic structure. The default position should AWAYS be to retain them.

Agreed wholeheartedly. Surely they are preserving them?

Agreed wholeheartedly. Surely they are preserving them?

The are being replaced with replicas.

Cue somebody to start arguing with me, but casement windows are magical in a historic structure. The default position should AWAYS be to retain them.

Agree.

I know some of it's necessitiy, but the old buildings around town that have been refurbished lose a bit of their historic charm with the new, large, plateglass windows.

So is it cost that prevents keeping the casement windows? Building code changes?

So is it cost that prevents keeping the casement windows? Building code changes?

Inefficiency of the old windows is most likely a big part of it.

There are lots of reasons for not using casement windows in commercial buildings. Open windows creates all kinds of problems for a HVAC system, particularly when it comes to humidity control. To properly control fresh air and proper conditioning, filtration, etc. when random windows can be open can be difficult, depending on the HVAC system type and sophistication.

Also consider that open windows in a hotel could be a safety issue. They would have to be restricted as to opening amount.

Weld the windows shut. Problem solved.

Regarding inefficiency of the windows if all remain closed, that is a dramatic overstatement, promoted in part by people who want to sell new windows. If single-pane, the individual lights can be replaced with more efficient double glazing. Very little energy is passed through the steel frames, and additional insulation around them can make updated original casements very comparable with new windows. Retaining the old windows also is a greener approach, as there is a carbon cost in production and transportation. If you amortize that cost across the century life of those windows to date, it is exceptionally low. But when you bring in new windows, your project becomes LESS green, no matter the incremental energy savings.

It's unfortunate, but very often windows are replaced at great expense, mostly out of ignorance.

[10 on Tuesday] 10 Things You Should Know About Retrofitting Historic Windows - PreservationNation Blog (http://blog.preservationnation.org/2012/10/02/10-on-tuesday-10-things-you-should-know-about-retrofitting-historic-windows/#.VTgfZiHBzRY)

Also consider that open windows in a hotel could be a safety issue. They would have to be restricted as to opening amount.

FWIW, I stayed at the AMBASSADOR in March of this year, and the windows in my room opened all the way. There was a stop installed that you could pull that would allow the windows to fully open.

I stayed at the US Grant in San Diego recently. It had old windows and they opened up. And it was soooo lovely to let the fresh air in. I'll take that over the recycled 'balanced' air of a forced air system, any day.

Its hard to beat San Diego's air lol

Trying to think back, but I have stayed in very few hotels that the windows didn't open and most had giant glass doors leading to a balcony that would create an opening 4' X 7'. In Paris we slept with the windows open every night because the heater made the room too stuffy.

Different note than the last couple of posts, but I was in Omaha all week and there is a building there that I think was a Ford assembly plant that looks just like this one. It was weird to see because they look so much alike.

Steve's update on the 21C and surrounding area.

Oklahoma City's downtown development edging west | NewsOK.com (http://m.newsok.com/oklahoma-citys-downtown-development-edging-west/article/5420416)

Just went by; 3rd and 4th are framed and about half of 4th floor has drywall up.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x378/KerryinJax/OKC%20Stuff/CAM03777_zpslwyywogu.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/KerryinJax/media/OKC%20Stuff/CAM03777_zpslwyywogu.jpg.html)

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Maybe this will get more love here than it did on Instagram lol..

Very cool!

Just put it out on Twitter and it's getting plenty of love.

Thanks Pete. Feel free to use anything as always.

I moved a ton of posts here:

Residences at 21c - OKCTalk (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=Residences+at+21c)

They had a big crew of people working on this but man is there a lot to do:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c092415a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c092415b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c092415c.jpg

They've replaced just about all the windows apart from the ground floor.



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c111515.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c111515b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c111515c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c111515e.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c111515e.jpg

The new windows actually look pretty good.

Photos 2, 3 & 4 are of the ADG (architects) space on the far west end which will is pretty far along. Should move in after the first of the year well ahead of the hotel opening.




http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121315a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121315b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121315c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121315d.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121315e.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121315f.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121315g.jpg

So is that covered parking to the side of the building? Apologies if already discussed..

The awnings could double as a cool farm stand beside the 21C if they ever wanted to host a farmer's market, outdoor concerts, summer fest whatnot, etc.

What is the white facade on the west end? I don't recall ever seeing that before these photos.

^^^^^^
Oops. My explanation was wrong.

Those metal canopies are original and there will be a full parking spots on the far west end for ADG that will be under one of them.

Most are just ornamental, as that back area is largely for docks.

The west side has always had that white paint, it's just there was a metal building in front of most of it that was recently demolished.

Took these last night of the ADG architects space on the far west end:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/adg121415a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/adg121415c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/adg121415b.jpg

^

It looks like they may leave those columns in their raw form, especially since most the desks and furniture are placed.

^

It looks like they may leave those columns in their raw form, especially since most the desks and furniture are placed.

That's going to be a loud office!

I would!. I love those columns!

The columns will stay in their original form with a sealer to keep the paint from coming off.

^^^^^^
Glad to hear this.

An application has been submitted for public art to be called Woozy Blossom, a tree-like structure that will emit mist near the entrance of the hotel and restaurant.

There is a similar piece at a museum in New York: http://www.matthewgeller.com/woozy-blossom-platanus-nebulosus



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121515a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121515b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/21c121515c.jpg

Yay for bike racks

It's been interesting to see ADG working away in their offices of late.

Pete,

Do you have an opening date for the hotel yet? I'm surprised by the amount of people that visit FlashBack and still don't know that a hotel is going to open there this year.