This building at 101 E. California is on the verge of being declared abandoned by City Council.

Perhaps billing the owners to secure and maintain it will motivate them to get realistic about selling.

http://newsok.com/spaghetti-warehouse-in-bricktown-set-to-be-declared-an-abandoned-building/article/5549290

How did it come to this? Too bad we can't just force an ownership change on this place and get rid of the current owners. They're obviously not interested in doing anything proper and aren't realistic in what they expect to get from it. And we'll be stuck holding the "bill" in that it will sit empty and not DO anything through all of this.

The newish abandoned buildings law were designed to force owners to either maintain or sell.

Hopefully this latest move will help to push things along.

The newish abandoned buildings law were designed to force owners to either maintain or sell.

Hopefully this latest move will help to push things along.

I can't really find anything discussing this law after it passed (as in what it actually says not what some side said in the paper). By what means does the city have to force action. Fees I presume. Which I've got some examples in Tulsa where fees probably wouldn't have done the trick either (Tulsa Club Building most notably).

^

Yes, fees and fines which can really add up if the city wants to be aggressive.

And ultimately, the city could use eminent domain.


The bottom line is that Bricktown and Sheridan in particular is rapidly growing and improving and this building is right in the middle of it all with plenty of interest on the part of buyers.

Sounds like this process may take 2-3 weeks.

Hopefully this puts pressure on the owners to sell for a reasonable price.

Good. Hope the city runs up a fine in the millions, then uses eminent domain to buy it with their own money.

Flip it to a local developer. Red rock canyon grill would be awesome there.

Just watched Steve Shaws FB live video & he said the owners hired somebody locally to board up open windows & the city can no longer deem the building as abandoned.

Lincoln Plaza, Spaghetti Warehouse removed from abandoned property list

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record May 16, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two landmark properties were taken off the city’s abandoned buildings list Tuesday, saving City Hall the cost of locking them down and pursuing compensation from owners. They remain shuttered, however.

The Lincoln Plaza conference center, 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd., was secured this month by its owner group, Lincoln Plaza/261 LLC, according to code enforcement specialist David Oen. The empty hotel and restaurant has 145,000 square feet and multiple openings representing a risk for transients, he said. It is surrounded by a chain-link fence.

The plaza has attracted developers’ attention over the last decade, but insufficient financing and investor interest has failed to push the property back into service. In 2011, for example, documents filed with the Oklahoma City Planning Department showed the distinctive crescent-shaped hotel transformed into student housing units. The plans also included some type of food service, a lake, at least two pools and several outdoor tennis and basketball courts.

The second abandoned property – the former location of Spaghetti Warehouse in Bricktown – was bumped off the city’s list Monday night before it could be formally approved by the City Council on Tuesday morning. Oen said a representative for the owner, a New York real estate investment trust identified on Oklahoma County assessor records as USRP FUNDING 2001 LP, worked to almost 11 p.m. to secure the 82,000-square-foot building in Bricktown.

“And he’s going to continue to do weekly inspections on the property,” Oen said. “So at least now there’s someone local looking over the situation instead of an out-of-state person.”

The building has been vacant since the Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant closed a year ago. Formerly home to a furniture manufacturing company, Spaghetti Warehouse became one of the first magnet attractions in the district when it opened in the 1980s.

Oen said that if the buildings had remained on the city’s list, owners would have had just two more weeks to close all the openings before City Hall hired a contractor to do the work itself. He said company representatives have not discussed further plans.

The owners of both properties could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Bad deal. They could make a buck selling it, and I am guessing there would be tons of buyers with potential ideas. The options for this building are huge with some investment, but it will sit on a New York balance sheet instead.....

Don't be surprised if this building sells sooner rather than later.

Don't be surprised if this building sells sooner rather than later.

To someone local perhaps?

To someone local perhaps?

Imagine if Rick and Skip Bayless bought it and turned the first two floors into a Dick's Last Resort meets ESPN Zone style sport bar and restaurant. Sports can be played and Skip can do his radio and TV shows live on site, but when he isn't working him and the employees come out to yell at you relentlessly about your lack of sports knowledge all while Rick creates world class food with his kitchen staff in the back. The rest of the floors could be a boutique full service hotel or something.

Where do I vote against anything that brings Skip Bayless back to Oklahoma? ;)

I understand the owner is finally getting serious about selling and there is certainly interest.

Hopefully we'll have more news soon.

Where do I vote against anything that brings Skip Bayless back to Oklahoma? ;)

But if it meant we got a restaurant or two from his brother?

But if it meant we got a restaurant or two from his brother?

As much as I'd love to have easy access to Rick's food..... It's Skip Bayless we're talking about here!!! I'll make the trip to Chicago! ;)

Agree. I'm thinking maybe Skip would fall off the media map entirely after a year or two in the middle of the country, and we'd get to keep Rick long-term. Short-term sacrifice for long-term gain.

Rick ain't ever gonna leave Chicago. Wish he would, but there's no way he'd leave what he's got up there for what is down here.

+1 for keeping Skip out of OKC. It's a shame that he's connected to this city in the first place.

Now what I would love to see is Rick come back and reopen Hickory House..... Even if he split his time between here and Chicago..... It could put OKC on the map for BBQ.

Now what I would love to see is Rick come back and reopen Hickory House..... Even if he split his time between here and Chicago..... It could put OKC on the map for BBQ.

I'd sure love to see someone try to reproduce a contemporary version of Glen's HikRy Inn. That, at least for me, was a really special place for OKC to have lost.

I understand the owner is finally getting serious about selling and there is certainly interest.

Hopefully we'll have more news soon.

Please, Pete, we are having a VERY serious discussion about the Bayless brothers glorious return to OKC. Which, based on the past decade, seems more likely than this building actually selling.

So, they didn't even get all the windows boarded up? https://twitter.com/stevelackmeyer/status/865263899318394880

The response to that tweet is that the city is working with them to get that work done.

The response to that tweet is that the city is working with them to get that work done.

Yep, saw that, but I just thought the deadline indicated that the work had to be done already. Not sure what the incentive is in providing an extension to negligent owners like these. Then again, I don't know the fine details of situations like this...

They reached an agreement to take care of things and the city is working with them.

Rick ain't ever gonna leave Chicago. Wish he would, but there's no way he'd leave what he's got up there for what is down here.

Maybe we could get Lanie Bayless to come and open her own restaurant.

I was in Bricktown over the weekend and noticed several windows completely uncovered on the Spaghetti Warehouse building. I thought someone representing the owner said they'd be doing weekly inspections on this building and would take care of things like that.

I was in Bricktown over the weekend and noticed several windows completely uncovered on the Spaghetti Warehouse building. I thought someone representing the owner said they'd be doing weekly inspections on this building and would take care of things like that.

You could probably report it to the Action Center, let them know there's someone out there watching...

http://m.news9.com/story.aspx?story=35712757&catId=112032

http://m.news9.com/story.aspx?story=35712757&catId=112032

Channel 9 is totally mis-reading the OCURA agenda item.

It is merely to bring this building into the urban renewal plan that generally encompasses the area .

The over-arching plan has 'parking' in its name and thus the confusion.


The City of Oklahoma City has previously adopted the Amended MAPS SportsEntertainment-Parking
Support Redevelopment Plan (“Redevelopment Plan”), an urban renewal
plan pursuant to the Oklahoma Urban Renewal Law (11 O.S. § 38-101, et seq.) and an evolution
of the former 1977 Central City Industrial District Urban Renewal Plan, to support the
redevelopment of the area just east of the City’s downtown core and surrounding the primary
portion of the Bricktown neighborhood. The main goals of the Redevelopment Plan are to
support the MAPS projects, provide assistance for the development of south and easternmost
portions of Bricktown, and to create parking areas to support Bricktown’s continued
redevelopment.
The City wishes to amend the Redevelopment Plan to revise the boundaries of the Project
Area, as described in Section II.A. and illustrated in Exhibit URP I of the Redevelopment Plan,
to include the following described property (“Property”), which is primarily known for
containing the building that until recently housed the Oklahoma City franchise location of the
Italian restaurant, “Spaghetti Warehouse”

^^^^^^^
Good grief that is terrible reporting. The entire story is garbage, based on misinterpretation and sloppy research. You can start with the fact that 1989 was not "more than 30 years" ago, and that isn't even the meat of the story. How embarrassing.

I saw that article this morning when Steve called them out point blank on Twitter about it. https://twitter.com/stevelackmeyer/status/877516807229366272


This is absolutely false. You should retract this it's an embarrassment for you. I will have the real story later today.

More from Steve: No, Urban Renewal does NOT want to tear down Spaghetti Warehouse to Create a Parking Lot (http://newsok.com/article/5553634?utm_source=NewsOK.com&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=ShareBar-Twitter)

"The building is deteriorating and some believe its in danger of falling down."

Who thinks its in danger of falling down? Deteriorating yes, but I wouldn't say its in danger of falling down.

Who thinks its in danger of falling down? Deteriorating yes, but I wouldn't say its in danger of falling down.

Right? it's not like there was a restaurant in it that operated without any issues or danger of it falling down less than 3 years ago. You think a problem would've address during SW operation if it existed in the first place.

I saw that article this morning when Steve called them out point blank on Twitter about it. https://twitter.com/stevelackmeyer/status/877516807229366272

Steve committed Twitter murder with that tweet. Way to call them out.

http://newsok.com/former-spaghetti-warehouse-declared-abandoned-by-city-being-targeted-by-urban-renewal/article/5553739

I don't get why the owners haven't sold it. Having it declared abandoned and a blight just lowers it value.

I don't get why the owners haven't sold it. Having it declared abandoned and a blight just lowers it value.

I am completely in awe of why some property owners do what they do. This building and the Walcourt are perfect examples. You have multiple people and companies wanting to buy your building and refurbish it, yet it sits there and just decays more. I can't assume it is greed and they want more money as they have to know what it is worth in the condition it is in. Maybe it is just sheer ignorance? Maybe they don't think the building is in as bad of shape as it really is? I just don't get it. Sell it, get it off your books and manage your other properties.

Right? it's not like there was a restaurant in it that operated without any issues or danger of it falling down less than 3 years ago. You think a problem would've address during SW operation if it existed in the first place.

But SW was only in the bottom floor. With exposed windows above, it's hard to say how bad the upper floors and walls have been deteriorating. Wood could be rotting, mortar crumbling, etc.

Right? it's not like there was a restaurant in it that operated without any issues or danger of it falling down less than 3 years ago. You think a problem would've address during SW operation if it existed in the first place.

It was notorious for being in bad shape even during operation. From what I recall there was a gaping hole in the floor in the back area, rotting, and all sorts of issues.

Spaghetti Warehouse building under contract to sell (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=396-Spaghetti-Warehouse-building-under-contract-to-sell)

After years of neglect and abandonment, the historic building at 101 E. Sheridan, formerly home to Spaghetti Warehouse, may see a new owner and renovation.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw062217c.jpg


Spaghetti Warehouse closed its doors in February 2016 and had been the only tenant.

The upper 4 floors had not been occupied in years and the entire structure became so dilapidated that the City of Oklahoma City threatened fines if it was not secured.

Although Spaghetti Warehouse never gave a detailed explanation for their closure, photos taken by OKCTalk immediately after shut down showed rotten floors and various other issues that would likely impede future health inspections. Former employees told OKCTalk that the condition of the building and the needed repairs where primary factors in the closing.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw062217db.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw062217ea.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw062217fa.jpg


Recent photos of the 2nd floor – ostensibly in 'better' condition than the levels above – show buckled floors and generally poor overall conditions.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw062217aa.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw062217ba.jpg


The building has been owned by a large out of state real estate trust which over the last several years has refused offers from several potential buyers.

However, OKCTalk has learned the building has recently gone under contract for sale to a group of local investors led by broker Don Hayes. The contract price is $3.8 million.

Preliminary plans call for office or boutique hotel space on the upper floors with retail and restaurant use at ground level.

A process is underway to secure financing and finish inspections but the new group is hopeful of getting control of the property and then starting a massive renovation project.

As Bricktown and downtown boom all around, this building may finally be on track for full rejuvenation.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw062217ga.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw062217h.jpg

Wow. That's great news.

I'll have to reserve judgement on this news (cautiously optimistic) until we know more about who the local investors are. I hope it's some of our local guys that do great work.

I'll have to reserve judgement on this news (cautiously optimistic) until we know more about who the local investors are. I hope it's some of our local guys that do great work.

They are, and with deep pockets.

They are, and with deep pockets.

Well that's just fantastic news then!

Who is Don Hayes? The name doesn't ring a bell.

Who is Don Hayes? The name doesn't ring a bell.

He's a local real estate broker but has big money investors behind him.

I believe he has had a relationship with the real estate trust for a while.

He's a local real estate broker but has big money investors behind him.

I believe he has had a relationship with the real estate trust for a while.

Great news.

Also, Pete, I see nothing on NewsOK still, so congrats on another scoop.

Yes! I look forward to this building being revived.

http://newsok.com/sale-contract-confirmed-for-spaghetti-warehouse-in-oklahoma-city/article/5553869

Pete beating The Oklahoman on major news again. That's why OKCTalk is my first stop every morning for OKC news.

It would make a great hotel. I hope they go that direction with it.

This is probably one of the most pivotal buildings in Bricktown. So much operates around it and it will have infill occur all around it. Excited for its future.

It's highly visible, ,especially as you enter Bricktown on Sheridan from the west, as many people do.

It is also right across the street from the soon-to-be-built Marriott Renaissance and is at a key intersection.

And, it's really the last big piece of the Bricktown puzzle, as all the other major structures have been renovated or in process.

On smaller scale, you could say SW is to Bricktown what First National is to the CBD.

Who owned it in the past? Just wondering if it could have a better name than SW.

Oklahoma Furniture Manufacturing Company. At least that's what it was at one point.

Took this yesterday and a little hard to see but Don Hayes now has signs up on this building.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/sw070617.jpg