This historic 1918 building at 1 NW 12th was sold to a local construction company 2 years go which promised renovation, but I went by on Sunday and the place is a deplorable mess (see 2nd photo below).

The new home to Oklahoma Contemporary is well under construction directly to the south, so hopefully that will spur some action here as the current state of the property really warrants city intervention.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains1.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains060318.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains060318b.jpg


https://newsok.com/article/5484005/praising-cains-historic-cains-coffee-building-to-be-renovated-after-recent-sale

HGL did the same thing with 229 E. Sheridan.

Plans submitted to renovate former Cain's Coffee Building (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=577-Plans-submitted-to-renovate-former-Cain-s-Coffee-Building)

Building permits were submitted for a $4 million renovation to the long-neglected building a 1 NW 12th, formerly home to Cain's Coffee.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains021919e.jpg


The 5-story building was purchased in 2016 by Midwest City contractor HGL Construction and the company has been marketing the space for lease for the last two years.

Plans call for a full renovation of the 1918 structure built in the Art Deco revival style. The white glazed brick and cast stone will be repaired, cleaned and sealed. The original steel windows will be restored with new insulated clear glass lights with repaitned frames to be made operational.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains021919i.jpg


Design is by Method Architecture of Tulsa with preservation overseen by Preservation and Design Group of Oklahoma City, which has been involved significant renovations at the Ambassador Hotel, Calvary Baptist Church and the nearby Buick and Pontiac Buildings.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains021919g.jpg


Similarly, the entire interior, 50,000 square feet across 5 levels and a full basement, will see stucco cleaned and repaired and a reopening of existing lightwells. The current state is shown in the photo below.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains021919a.jpg


Lease plans show a fitness center in the basement and either tenant or restaurant space on the ground floor.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains021919j.jpg


Although generally know as the Cain's Building, the coffee company only leased space from 1941 to 1961.

The project comes amid a flurry of activity in the Automobile Alley district, with the Oklahoma Contemporary (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=29284&p=524252#post524252) well underway on it's large new campus just to the south, OG&E in the process of relocating a substatio (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=44788)n to the north to allow for private development at that site on the corner of NW 10th and I-235.

Just to the north, Dolese (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=563-First-look-at-new-HQ-for-Dolese) recently released plans to relocate its headquarters to a new building near Wilshire and Broadway Extension, with their entire 14-acre campus to be marketing to a new owner and developer.

To the west and south, a former Mercedes Benz dealership will soon be converted to an office building and new home to the HoganTaylor (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=44519) accounting firm and the 5-story Broadway Park (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=41953) building is nearing completion.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains021919h.jpg


And just south of 10th, a score of new redevelopment projects (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=576-Yet-another-redevelopment-planned-for-Automobile-Alley) are underway.

All design plans will require approval by the city's Downtown Design Review Committee.dings.

This is a beautiful building and I always wondered about it when I drove past.. I’m glad something is being done and the renderings look good

This literally has made my week! One of my top fav buildings in the urban core. I’d love to see the upper floors become apartments. And I hope the Dolese campus become apartments with retail and restaurants as well. I’m so pumped for this!

The interior picture reminds me of how the Fred Jones Building looked inside prior to renovation.

This is such a cool building.

It was just a matter of time, can't wait for this!

Isn't this where that creationism museum used to be?

Anyways, it's very exciting to see this being renovated. There's so much potential along Broadway in that area.

so cool! i do hope for some residential apartments!

I have a feeling that this is what the uhaul building in bricktown (Itens biscuit building) would look like if restored. I really hope that in the near future someone will bring that building back to life as well.

They've started work and are not messing around:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains030319a.jpg

So I take it Rick Dowell isn't involved with this one...

YOU win the internet today!!!

So I take it Rick Dowell isn't involved with this one...

There's still hope that they could set up some scaffolds quickly and then quit work.

No business district sidewalk to block for years on this project, or the green "Dowell Center Parking" sign that sprouts up like a weed. Lol

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains070619a.jpg

Windows are being replaced:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains101319a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains120819a.jpg

No changes to this building whatsoever since Pete's last pic, at least externally

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains040420a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains040420b.jpg

I never paid attention to this building. Are you showing progress or work halted?

The work is on-going.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains091320a.jpg

My old friend and college fraternity buddy had an apartment in this building around 1978 or so. It was quite nice and he enjoyed living there.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains101820a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains101820b.jpg

New windows going in; looks super sharp:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains110820a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains070619a.jpg

what a fantastic renovation

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains021221a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains092321a.jpg

Is anything happening with this project? It seems to have stalled.

Is anything happening with this project? It seems to have stalled.

I go by there all the time and they are working away, but mostly inside now.

That building was a huge mess.

I go by there all the time and they are working away, but mostly inside now.

That building was a huge mess.
Good to know. I went by the other night and I couldn't see much progress I just assumed they would be wrapped up by now. Wasn't aware how bad of shape that building was in. Glad they are saving it. I wish they would build a trail along the train ROW. That could be a cool pedestrian corridor.

The owner (a construction company) will be occupying most of that space once finished, so it's not just a shell remodel.

The owner (a construction company) will be occupying most of that space once finished, so it's not just a shell remodel.
Even better with a tenant already lined up. This is a really cool little pocket of the city. Thanks for the heads up on this.

As I mentioned, they continue to finish out the interior of this building, which will be the new offices for the owner, HCL Contracting:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains120421a.jpg

Looks like they getting pretty close to finished; they have done a lot of work inside:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains032722a.jpg

Oh dang! I hadn't been over there in a bit, nice to see this progress.

They are making very slow but steady progress.

Lights are on inside and they finally have started to finish out the entrance - the lighted arch surround was added in the last couple of weeks.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains061223a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains072923a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains072923b.jpg

Looks like they are finally close to having tenants move in.

This has taken forever but they've done a great job.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains112324aa.jpg

I had assumed this one was dead, glad to see it's getting there! Very interested to see how the inside turns out.

The outside is finally done, including a complete re-do of the parking lot to the west.

What a huge improvement.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains011925a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/cains042219a.jpg

I've been watching this one for a while now, what a great finish! I do some of my early evening runs in this area and there are some great buildings in this hard to get to area, a lot more accessible if you're walking. Those buildings to the west of the tracks such as Neighbor's Storage and that brick building at 50 NE 14th are definitely worth a look.