Unless Braums is a partner in this development why are they keeping that parcel (house) in the middle?

I'm pretty sure that's where Ernest lives. Know what I mean?

Unless Braums is a partner in this development why are they keeping that parcel (house) in the middle?

Braum's just rents that house out and has no part in the development.

They bought that house some time ago and then had everything else under contract but when they filed their demolition plants with the planning commission,
I posted about it and a big protest ensued and Braum's backed out. So now they are just left with that random house.

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I wish there was a way to cross safely from there over to Edna's. I love close by and would love to walk to Edna's sometime but I'm not aware of a crosswalk and the multiple lanes make me anxious.

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Dream Hotels updated their website to say their OKC hotel will be opening in 2026.

Plans revealed for historic Donnay Building (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=962-Plans-revealed-for-historic-Donnay-Building)

As the massive task continues to save the Donnay Building off the old Classen Circle, the new owners have posted renderings of what will be the final product.


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Long neglected and in complete disarray, the property was acquired last year. Caleb Hill and Nick Preftakes have been gently peeling back layers of bad roofing, siding, and a disjointed interior.

Originally constructed in 1948, the Donnay Building is best known for being home to The Patio restaurant and until recently, the Hi-Lo Club.

Things had become so bad that all tenants had to be cleared in order for a proper reconstruction.

The new renderings show a new restaurant in the same location as The Patio, with patios on each of two levels. The remainder of the space will be leased as retail or office.

To the north of the Donnay is the Classen Grill which is undergoing major surgery of its own. A new patio has been added out front and the entire parking lot is being rebuilt with reconstructed retaining walls.

There will be extra parking for the entire project along 50th. The small house is not part of the project; it is still owned by Braums which attempted to buy the Donnay Building and demolish it before public outcry resulted in them abandoning their plans.

The new Classen Grill is set to open in September is will be operated by Happy Plate Concepts, proprietors of Sunnyside Diner, Taqueria El Camino, and Grill on the Hill.



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I'm glad to see this old girl is getting some good love. I also feel a little bad for the residents of that home. I have a feeling they are not going to enjoy being that close to what will be a hoping commercial building.

I'm glad to see this old girl is getting some good love. I also feel a little bad for the residents of that home. I have a feeling they are not going to enjoy being that close to what will be a hoping commercial building.

that is owned by braums and a rental so they know what they are getting into

Wow, if it all comes through, a complete home run, touchdown, and 3-pointer...

Not mad about it like some are on social media, but I am a little sad they went with the Chik-fil-a color scheme. Hahah! One of the best parts of this old building was all the color. I think the new updated design with a little bit of the old flare added to call back to it's past is nice. We can't always get what we want, but I am glad it is going to be back!

If you look at my photos you'll see about 10 different colors and types of bricks and stone, some cinder block, all types of painted brick, and a dozen different paint colors.

Unless you walk around that building you can't comprehend how bad it is, and this is after they already stripped off the worst parts.

The whole thing has to be painted and white is probably the best choice. Almost any other owner would have just bulldozed the whole thing.

That corner spot is going to be great with the new patios.

I like the signage and the up front Classen Circle branding.

I wonder if the 50s club sign is a placeholder for the HiLo Club coming back?

I wonder if the 50s club sign is a placeholder for the HiLo Club coming back?

The owner of the HiLo told me two days ago the new owners haven't even spoken to him.

The owner of the HiLo told me two days ago the new owners haven't even spoken to him.
So I assume then he is moving somewhere? That’s kind of rude and makes me not really like these developers if they don’t respect a long time institution for the OKC gay community.

Communication is a two-way street. Has the Hilo owner reached out to the developer?

Communication is a two-way street. Has the Hilo owner reached out to the developer?

Yes.

Still feel that a good spot for the Hi-Lo would be directly to the west of new Sauced, though I'm not sure if Humankind Hospitality already has plans for the portions of the Sauced building that are not currently being used.

In the meantime, I believe much of the Hi-Lo's event programming has migrated over to the Blue Note (which is now owned by the owner of the Hi-Lo).

Yes.

Welll that is a shame. For those on this forum who personally know Preftakes, and I know a couple here by first name, please ask him if he's willing to entertain a new life for HiLo. It's an important part of this city's cultural and social fabric.

Welll that is a shame. For those on this forum who personally know Preftakes, and I know a couple here by first name, please ask him if he's willing to entertain a new life for HiLo. It's an important part of this city's cultural and social fabric.

In fairness, I don't think they are far enough along.

People have no idea how bad that building is.

In fairness, I don't think they are far enough along.

People have no idea how bad that building is.

Yeah, I think the only thing people should be saying about it at this point is Thank You.

Thank you it's not a Braum's.
Thank you for keeping the buildings.
Thank you for refurbishing it for long term viability.

I don't think it's a risky move at all, but it's a lot of work to save these structures when so many wouldn't hesitate to just level it all and drop in some template designed chain restaurants.

I'd love to see the Hi-Lo come back and thrive here as much as anyone, but they first have to save the structure and then determine if it's still a good fit.

I just heard that Tommy John (https://www.tommyjohn.com/) is set to open a store in Classen Curve near Athleta.

I just heard that Tommy John (https://www.tommyjohn.com/) is set to open a store in Classen Curve near Athleta.

Classen Curve is an interesting spot for them but I always figured they'd choose a location under there.

Wrapping up the new parking and Classen Grill building, then will turn their attention to the Donnay.

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That house looks so out of place right there

That house looks so out of place right there

Agreed, it could easily be a dozen or so additional parking spaces.

This may be a strange opinion but I don't mind the house being there for the same reason that I like the quirkiness of the Donrey building to begin with.

This is an older, more mixed use type of neighborhood. This isn't "clear cut acreage for boring planning Memorial Road." This isn't a "we must have 60 parking spaces fronting the door of a building" type of neighborhood. When I visit the older, kind of quirkier parts of cities, I rather like the juxtaposition of different uses, of sometimes parking a block away, of using a sidewalk, seeing a house that's seemingly out of place, realizing there's a story there. It adds charm.

This might be me "reaching" just a bit but I just hate clear-cutting homogenization and the less we can do of that, the more interesting Oklahoma City will be.

This may be a strange opinion but I don't mind the house being there for the same reason that I like the quirkiness of the Donrey building to begin with.

This is an older, more mixed use type of neighborhood. This isn't "clear cut acreage for boring planning Memorial Road." This isn't a "we must have 60 parking spaces fronting the door of a building" type of neighborhood. When I visit the older, kind of quirkier parts of cities, I rather like the juxtaposition of different uses, of sometimes parking a block away, of using a sidewalk, seeing a house that's seemingly out of place, realizing there's a story there. It adds charm.

This might be me "reaching" just a bit but I just hate clear-cutting homogenization and the less we can do of that, the more interesting Oklahoma City will be.

I agree with this (my last post in this thread was sarcasm if it wasn't clear) and it's the type of quirkiness that I do wish OKC had more of. Just not as much of it here as in other cities, probably because we are a relatively young city and the automobile came about soon after we were founded. Not to mention the lack of natural barriers to growth.

As with most drone photos, that house doesn't look out of place at street level.

Right across the street there are single family homes. This street is actually a perfect transition for anyone walking north on Military into the area.

Sounds good in a vacuum. But, there is a strip center east of 10th & May where Glenn’s Hikr’y Inn used to be, that has a Family Dollar and 4-5 more store fronts. One of those is a Mexican restaurant that is so popular that the entire strip is overwhelmed on Saturday and Sunday. I can’t go to Family Dollar at anytime after 11AM on weekends and after 4PM weekdays because the Mexican place is so crowded.

Successful business in OKC draws people in cars. Not riding the bus, or walking. They have to park somewhere.

Sounds good in a vacuum. But, there is a strip center east of 10th & May where Glenn’s Hikr’y Inn used to be, that has a Family Dollar and 4-5 more store fronts. One of those is a Mexican restaurant that is so popular that the entire strip is overwhelmed on Saturday and Sunday. I can’t go to Family Dollar at anytime after 11AM on weekends and after 4PM weekdays because the Mexican place is so crowded.

Successful business in OKC draws people in cars. Not riding the bus, or walking. They have to park somewhere.

Successful businesses attracting cars only makes sense in a city that has spent the last 50+ years of development designating cars as the main, many times only method of arrival. Parking minimums are mostly important in cities without good pedestrian or bus infrastructure; per contra, if a city has good pedestrian and bus infrastructure, citizens are comfortable with the idea that they may not be able to park directly in front of their destination and adjust by parking in nearby neighborhoods, or if an area has a designated parking garage/lot (Plaza District, for example) then walking a distance is expected.

If the idea is to improve other options, at some point it’ll necessitate the easing of city codes that emphasizes cars as the solitary option. Even if parking minimum requirements are abolished, a developer can still have as many parking spots as they want to provide.

Has anything been done on the inside of Classen Grill? I'm glad to see some love being given on the outside, but it definitely could use some on the inside too. Good food, good coffee, but a bit sticky. Not anything nearly as bad off as the larger building, but it did need a bit more than just a good scrub-down.

Our favorite waitress there left when all of this started (loss of tips from slower business) but she popped up at Sunnyside on 89th/Western in the old A&W. We were all "hey, weren't you at Classen Grill?" and that's when she told us why she left. Bit off topic, but when you go somewhere long enough, you just get to know the staff from small talk. I was glad to see we found her somewhere closer to home.

The inside of Classen Grill has been completely gutted and will be rebuilt new.

The operators of Classen Grill (the Sunnyside group) told me their updated hope for reopening is December.

The completely refurbished Classen Grill is set to reopen in December near the old Classen Circle at NW 50th and Classen. Will be operated by the Sunnyside Diner group.


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The historic Donnay building next door is also being remodeled and rotten parts are still being peeled off to create a viable structure.



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Looking at the pictures with the roof off made me think of the long time rumor that there is/was a tunnel between the Donrey Building and the Edna's building that the legislatures used to go back and forth in. Would be cool if there was but I am sure it is an urban myth

Looking at those photos, it is incredible that the Donnay Building is even able to be salvaged, much less that there's someone actually spending the time and money to make it happen. Really hope this ends up working out, will be a great achievement if it does.

The historic Donnay building next door is also being remodeled and rotten parts are still being peeled off to create a viable structure.[/size]

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I know this is nitpicky, but what is the point of the wall between the main building and the smaller building? Did there used to be another structure there?

I know this is nitpicky, but what is the point of the wall between the main building and the smaller building? Did there used to be another structure there?

There is a huge grade change.

There is a huge grade change.

Oh, I see it now. It almost looks like it was the front of a wall for a building that was behind it and the rest of the building was torn down. From the pic that I had above, it's harder to see that.

Ugh...why did they have to put the trees in there?!?!?!

Ugh...why did they have to put the trees in there?!?!?!

I'm confused. I thought more trees were a good thing

^ It was a joke about the previous overreaction when concrete had just been poured that there wouldn't be trees.

I give so much credit to the new owners of Classen Circle. They keep peeling back layers trying to find a solid base on which to rebuild, and there is just more rot everywhere.

The Donnay building will be basically reconstructed but a reminder there is no design overlay so they could have saved themselves a lot of time and tremendous expense by just scraping the entire thing.

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I drive by this every day and its slowly gotten worse and worse. On the bright side I drove past Classen Grill this morning and it looked like all the tables were set and the open sign was on.

On the bright side I drove past Classen Grill this morning and it looked like all the tables were set and the open sign was on.

Just talked to the proprietor and she said they are training but not open for a couple more weeks.

I can smell the Hi Lo from the pics.

At this rate it will be like the OKC MOA (former Center theater) when they are finished. The MOA only kept 3 walls.

I can smell the Hi Lo from the pics.

Did it smell like Tito's and bad decisions?

Did it smell like Tito's and bad decisions?

Always.
Equivalent to a strip clubs in house fragrance of Tommy Girl and shame.

I give so much credit to the new owners of Classen Circle. They keep peeling back layers trying to find a solid base on which to rebuild, and there is just more rot everywhere.

The Donnay building will be basically reconstructed but a reminder there is no design overlay so they could have saved themselves a lot of time and tremendous expense by just scraping the entire thing.Totally agree with you here. They did the right thing saving the place but the cost has to be HUGE compared to demolishing it and starting over.

Any idea on whether they are over budget at this point?

It looks like they finally gave up on it today. Midwest wrecking is there and a fair amount has been razed, especially near the corner of Classen Cir and NW 50th

It looks like they finally gave up on it today. Midwest wrecking is there and a fair amount has been razed, especially near the corner of Classen Cir and NW 50th

Can't say they didn't try to save it.

This always kinda reminded me of the Kowloon Walled City with how it was all stacked on top of one thing and another. Now it really does since they couldn't find any firm foundation to build upon.

Classen Grill has a 12/21 opening date listed on Google.

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A shame that owners over the last 25+ years let the building go so badly.

For all the effort, it seems like the best thing at this point would be to demo the rest, buy the house, tear it down and build something iconic from the ground up

Those two remaining brick walls seem to be carefully preserved amidst the rest of the demolition, possibly a bit they decided they were going to be able to save?