615 N. Classen
finish=1978
height=3 stories
sq. feet=28,141
acreage=2.135
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/615nclassenwiki1.jpg

Information & Latest News
3/4/14: OKC Schools look to purchase (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-school-district-makes-bid-on-bank-building-to-house-offices/article/3939669)
Links
County Assessor Record (http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/AN-R.asp?ACCOUNTNO=R013207104)
Gallery

Thoughts at what might happen to the existing property on Klein? Worth saving, given the problems we know it has, or demo for alternate use of the property?

This property was transferred to the OKC Public Schools on 3/31/14, so this has clearly gone from a proposal to a deal.

I'm sure they are working on plans for the renovation, although I haven't seen anything yet.

In their Sept. 16th meeting, the Alliance for Economic Development will vote on an action to award the OKC Public Schools $1.073 million in TIF funds for their this new headquarters project.

In March of this year, the district purchased the building from Chip Fudge for $2.3 million after a failed bid to acquire the old Central High School at 800 N. Hudson, as OCU Law School became the winning bidder for that property.

The TIF allocation has already been approved by City Council and the estimated $2.5 million renovation should start soon.

Some quick calculations: $2.3 purchase price plus $2.5 million investment equals $4.8 million total cost. The district is using $3.3 million of MAPS money plus this $1 million TIF allocation, leaving a small gap of less than $500,000.

It will be good to see them vacate the current location but the new building is SMALL. It will be interesting to see how it works out.

Yes, this new building is only 28,141 square feet while their existing structure is 102,000 SF. However, there are big parts of that old building that are unoccupied.

Hopefully, 900 N. Klein will sell to a responsible redeveloper. Such a great old structure and perfect for housing.

BTW, this building was the original Roosevelt Junior High until it moved to it's new location in the late 1950's. When that move was made, the admin offices took over this structure after being previously located at 400 N. Walnut. 400 is the building that was just sold in Deep Deuce for redevelopment.

http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/sketches/picfile/2725/R015929625001qA.jpg

Do you think that would be too far away for a downtown middle or high school in the future?

Great News!

Dr. Dave Lopez got a lot of things achieved while he was interim superintendent. The building at 900 N. Klein use to be the old Roosevelt Jr. High School before the Administrative Offices for OCPS was placed there. I worked there as a student and later as a teacher and an administrator.

Oklahoma City Public Schools was long overdue for an administrative building way back in the early 70s.

Definitely remember the problems of leaks, wood floors buckling, the old balcony to the auditorium was enclosed and used for storage as was the pool area. The old exterior of the building on Klein was the pits...


http://genealogytrails.com/oka/oklahoma/RooseveltJrHigh.jpg_http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/76/6c/a9/766ca909d84f65821f925efa23e1cb1f.jpg

__________________________________________________ __________Current OCPS Adm., Bldg...
https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608020206638927260&pid=15.1&P=0
New OCPS Administration Bldg., before renovations


Thank God for technology; they will not need a lot of storage space, they still have the maintenance facility (bus barn area) on N.E. 23rd & Miramar Blvd.

The bank appears to be a good structure to relocate the OCPS administrative offices.


http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif "Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif

Do you think that would be too far away for a downtown middle or high school in the future?


The neighborhood has changed along with the boundaries for schools. I doubt if a new high school to serve the area could be built on Klein because there isn't enough land area to hold what's required of today's high schools. A site like Emerson Alternative (Middle & High) School could be built on that site.


http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif "Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.http://www.thunderfans.com/vforum/images/smilies/okc.gif

They are finally starting work on this project -- note the construction fence (thanks to shawnw for the photo):

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps081115.jpg

Well, we should finally see movement on this site...

https://freepressokc.com/okcps-gets-10-million-building/

Here are some key slides from the presentation to city council:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps022817a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps022817b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps022817c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps022817d.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps022817e.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps022817f.jpg

Thanks for posting the floorplans. Very interesting.

Requesting $10,000,000 in TIF money? So the TIF is basically going to pay for about everything? Geez

On edit, I see that city council actually approved their request? So they have an $11 million and change project and the city is paying $10,000,000 of it? Sounds absurd.

Requesting $10,000,000 in TIF money? So the TIF is basically going to pay for about everything? Geez

On edit, I see that city council actually approved their request? So they have an $11 million and change project and the city is paying $10,000,000 of it? Sounds absurd.

Keep in mind the lion's share of that TIF money came from the pockets of OKCPS in the first place...

I also just realized, being a public school building, this will pay no ad valorem taxes. So to me, this is even a worse deal for OKC to shell out $10mil, which is essentially paying for 90$ of the project.

From the Oklahoma Gazette:


Banking on education (https://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/banking-on-education/Content?oid=5061358)
Oklahoma City Public Schools will renovate Central National Bank building for its new administration headquarters.
BY MIGUEL RIOS

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/615classen111718a.jpg


Oklahoma City Public Schools will move their administration office to a building better-suited for its needs and services.

The school district is going forward with plans to renovate the old Central National Bank building on 615 N. Classen Ave. into its new headquarters.

“The past nine to 12 months, we've been working on plans to make sure it can house the 180 employees we need to move in there and still accommodate our needs as far as a board meeting space,” said Scott Randall, OKCPS chief operations officer.

The project’s bid will open late November or early December. It will then present it to the Board of Education Dec. 10 and make a recommendation on who should receive the construction contract, Randall said.

“From there, we’re looking at about a 12-month construction period, so our goal is to be in the building in the winter of 2019,” he said. “Ideally by December 2019, but maybe more like January 2020.”

The three-story office will be called The Clara Luper Center for Educational Services, named after the civic leader who conducted sit-in protests that helped end segregation laws and policies in Oklahoma.

It will mark the first time the school district will have a building designed as an office space for its administrative services. Its previous building was a former school that was modified but never went through a full-scale renovation.

“For us to actually go into a building designed as an office building and is built for those purposes will make us more efficient and create a more collaborative environment for our team to work together,” Randall said. “We’re really excited for that.”

The district also plans to build an addition to the north of the office to better serve the city.

“The new building will have a large auditorium that will serve our board for board meetings and will have a couple of conference rooms in it,” Randall said. “We hope to be able to use that for not just board meetings but for professional development trainings in the district or other events where we need to bring together a large group.”

The former bank’s drive-thru structure still stands south of the building, across NW Fifth Street. It has gained some architectural acclaim for its mid-century design and unique wavy roof. The district hopes to avoid demolition, so Randall said it’s looking for interested parties to acquire the structure or move the roof.

“We would like to see it preserved, but we also realize we can't have that as an ongoing maintenance issue and we do need the area for parking,” he said. “We’ll have to make a decision on that in the next four to six months. We'll need to bring that to some sort of conclusion, but a final decision has not been made about that.”

The school district is also working with Oklahoma City Redevelopment Authority to find new use for their old office on 900 N. Klein Ave. The organization has conducted community meetings on the future of the building.

“They’re working to put together packages so firms can begin to bid on that particular building, so we hope in the very near future the sale of the building will be completed and it begins to be used in a way that becomes a vital part of that community,” he said.

The 96-year-old building was a former middle school. It served as the district’s offices since 1955.

The Dec. 10 board meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Northeast Academy, 3100 N. Kelley Ave.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/615nclassen111818.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/615classen111418a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/615classen111418c.jpg

Love the name.

are there any timelines?

Nice! I drive between these two buildings on my commute every day and was wondering what the plan was for them this morning.
I hope the cool wavy roof is preserved somehow.

are there any timelines?

From the article:

The project’s bid will open late November or early December. It will then present it to the Board of Education Dec. 10 and make a recommendation on who should receive the construction contract, Randall said.

“From there, we’re looking at about a 12-month construction period, so our goal is to be in the building in the winter of 2019,” he said. “Ideally by December 2019, but maybe more like January 2020.”

Long overdue move from the old school building at 900 North Klein. Great tribute to Clara Luper Clark, a local civil rights pioneer.

Oops sorry I missed that, but I see it now.

Wasn't $10M given to the district by the city to buy this building? I don't remember exactly. Was mostly wondering how that factored in with the addition, or if that is over and above.

The property was purchased for $2.3MM in MAPS funds.

The remainder of the $11MM budget to expand and renovate is from TIF funds.

thanks for the clarification

Would be nice to see the landscaping up against the road and the sidewalk against the building in the last rendering. Other than that this looks solid and hopefully will be a positive thing for OKC public schools.

The property was purchased for $2.3MM in MAPS funds.

The remainder of the $11MM budget to expand and renovate is from TIF funds.

Why again is about 80% of this project's cost coming from TIF funds? Seems like a higher number percentage-wise than we have ever seen.

I would rather see TIF funds go towards public projects such as schools and what not than to private developers...

Why again is about 80% of this project's cost coming from TIF funds? Seems like a higher number percentage-wise than we have ever seen.

I think this is a "make nice" gesture since the TIF funds are being diverted from schools in the first place. The TIF folks are throwing OKCPS a bone so that the next time they want a new TIF the school district plays nice and doesn't raise a stink. Totally different circumstance than with private developers.

You might say it is the least they can do.

I think in the past TIF $$ has gone to Emerson High School and Capital Hill High School, IIRC.

I would rather see TIF funds go towards public projects such as schools and what not than to private developers...


I think this is a "make nice" gesture since the TIF funds are being diverted from schools in the first place. The TIF folks are throwing OKCPS a bone so that the next time they want a new TIF the school district plays nice and doesn't raise a stink. Totally different circumstance than with private developers.

You might say it is the least they can do.

I think in the past TIF $$ has gone to Emerson High School and Capital Hill High School, IIRC.

I see. Makes sense.

The property was purchased for $2.3MM in MAPS funds.

The remainder of the $11MM budget to expand and renovate is from TIF funds.

Do schools pay ad valorem taxes? How does a public school get TIF financing? Do you know how this works?

Do schools pay ad valorem taxes? How does a public school get TIF financing? Do you know how this works?

Schools do not pay property tax.

TIF #2 (the main downtown TIF) has put aside a large amount in their budget for OKCPS because the TIF generally hurts them by redirecting property taxes to these incentive programs.

The rub is the district has to spend the money within the geographic boundary of the TIF, such as John Rex and now this project.

So this isnt a TIF really, since there is no incremental taxes (ad valorem) to finance this. Its really just a gift. Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand schools take this biggest hit when new increases in ad valorem go to the developer rather than school district, but on the other hand this is straight up a $8 or whatever million gift just because it will be a school owned building. Guess its a very round about way of making the school whole in the TIF world

It seems almost like a bribe.

--OKCPS--say nothing about our gravy train and we'll toss you a couple bones.

I'm hoping one of the missions of the Gazette will be to educate the public about TIF money. I'm not completely against it, but we're using it now for things far afield from the Skirvin restoration.

Work has started on this project:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps020219a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps020219b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps020219c.jpg

Can we get an update on the old Public School Administration Building at 8th & Western? What will end up happening to this and when?

https://www.change.org/p/okie-mod-squad-save-central-national-motor-bank

https://kfor.com/2019/02/18/time-is-running-out-to-rescue-an-iconic-okc-structure-from-demolition/

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps033119a.jpg

Did they ever make a decision on the "wavy bank"? I've seen a trackhoe parked right in front of it for weeks.

Did they ever make a decision on the "wavy bank"? I've seen a trackhoe parked right in front of it for weeks.

They want to relocate it to anyone who will pay to have that done.

Foundation taking shape for new addition:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps041919a.jpg

Not sure if anyone else has noticed of late, but the wavy roof thing has been heavily vandalized of late (spray paint). Weird how it wasn't touched for years, even before the construction fence went up, but suddenly it's SO bad. Haven't been able to get a pic, sorry.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps061519a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps061519b.jpg

Pete,

Have you heard anything about the fate of the wavy drive thru structure?

Pete,

Have you heard anything about the fate of the wavy drive thru structure?

They are trying to find a buyer who would relocate it.

They tore down the wavy drive-thru structure today.

People are not happy, especially the volunteer group that just spent hours cleaning graffiti just a couple of weeks ago.

This is from shawnw:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/wavyroof1.jpg

So I guess there wasn’t enough support that someone would actually pay to preserve it.

From the Okie Mod Square FB Group:


From the Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture: On the subject of the wavy bank.... this email came in at 6:21 this morning. Poor form for OKCPS.... waited until the morning it was to be demolished.
From: Randall, Eric <esrandall@okcps.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2019 6:21 AM
To: okcarchitecture@cox.net
Cc: Carrie Jacobs <ccjacobs@okcps.org>; Gloria Torres <gtorres@okcps.org>; henryokcpsboard@gmail.com; Jace Kirk <jmkirk@okcps.org>; Mann Mark <mhmann@okcps.org>; Paula Lewis <plewis@okcps.org>; Rebecca Budd <rlbudd@okcps.org>; Ruth Veales <rrveales@okcps.org>; Sean McDaniel <smcdaniel@okcps.org>; Beth Harrison <baharrison@okcps.org>
Subject: Re: Letter of Intent to Lease - Wavy Bank Structure
Hello Melissa,
OKCPS places the highest priority on the safety of our students, families and staff. After a lengthy period of internal discussion and after analyzing the safety risks associated with keeping the wave roof structure located at 5th & Classen in place, the District has determined that the best course of action is to remove it
The District after thorough and thoughtful consideration for safety & security reasons rejects both the "Draft" Letter of Intent and the "Draft" Lease Agreement you have submitted.
Thank you for your interest in the wave roof structure.
Scott Randall
Chief Operations Officer I Oklahoma City Public Schools

This is extremely concerning. Between this and the city jail it is clear the city has no concern for preservation or the demoralization surface parking brings to an area. What changes have occurred at city hall to see this shift back to demolishing historic structures for surface parking? It seemed not long ago everyone was in agreement about the harm this type of action caused to the health of the city.

This is extremely concerning. Between this and the city jail it is clear the city has no concern for preservation or the demoralization surface parking brings to an area. What changes have occurred at city hall to see this shift back to demolishing historic structures for surface parking? It seemed not long ago everyone was in agreement about the harm this type of action caused to the health of the city.

"everyone" was never in agreement

a very small vocal minority was


also that group going crazy over this structure (and in a lesser extent the city jail ) actually hurts their preservation efferts elsewhere ..

One the right, you can see the big hole where the wavy drive-thru stood:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps062919a.jpg

Super annoying that they didn't even TRY to save the roof for some future use. It's the least they could have done after going back on trying to save the whole thing.

Super annoying that they didn't even TRY to save the roof for some future use. It's the least they could have done after going back on trying to save the whole thing.

I agree, but it's just as annoying that no one stepped up with a plan or finances to save it!

I agree, but it's just as annoying that no one stepped up with a plan or finances to save it!

That's not true - there was an active effort and agreement put forth by the OCFA to take over maintenance and preserve it.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps111019a.jpg

Good move by Dr. Dave Lopez to purchase this property for the future home of the OKC Public Schools Administrative offices. A new superintendent's office, auditorium and offices that deal with day-to-day operations was long overdue.

That's not true - there was an active effort and agreement put forth by the OCFA to take over maintenance and preserve it.

So what exactly would you do with it? Imagine yourself as the business owner of this property and you want to use the land you purchased but there's a rather large structure that takes up quite a bit of space, and you were told you're expected to leave it as-is and not mess with it. Oh and the maintenance is SUPPOSED to be done by a third-party but you dont know if the funding is secured long-term and you aren't allowed to ever touch it.

About all it would be good for is to provide covered parking for a dozen cars. It wasn't a significantly important structure either, especially considering the rest of the building lost all of it's mid-century points a long time ago.

If it's not registered to be protected (and there was plenty of time if someone want to do that, but it wouldn't have qualified anyway because of the changes that had been made), then i think it's fair game for the new owner to do as they please.

The same could have been said about the Marion staircase but I think most find it cool what they did with it. I'm certain if you handed it to some creatives that they could have found a cool way to incorporate it into something.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/okcps020720a.jpg