I love this... A little reverse urban sprawl!

This is where the housing downtown will continue to pay dividends as more employers will want to be close to the "creative class".

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Steve Mason, owner of Cardinal Engineering and Earl’s Rib Palace, and architect Terry Blatt plan a redevelopment of the 1000 block of N Broadway into offices and retail.


Fri April 27, 2007
‘Suburban guy' is going downtown in a big way
by Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

Steve Mason is a self-admitted lifelong suburban guy who has the downtown bug — and is sinking $3.8 million into remaking a block of Automobile Alley.

"I've officed in the suburbs since I started Cardinal Engineering in 1989,” Mason said. "I have 43 employees. I love where I office, I love the suburbs, I'm in a great building. But I'm excited to come down here.”

Mason calls his decision a strategic move intended to attract and retain the best employees in the market. Younger employees, he said, prefer the urban lifestyle where they can walk to restaurants, clubs and attractions, and if they so choose, an apartment or home downtown.

"It's an investment, it's a belief,” Mason said. "I've owned Cardinal Engineering for 17 years. I've owned Earl's Rib Palace with partners for 10 years. I'm patient, I have patient money, and I don't have investors.”

That patience may be needed. Mason admits the three-story building at 1015 N Broadway in Oklahoma City, last home to Habitat for Humanity's Renovation Station, has been a heart-breaker to previous owners. He bought the property from attorneys who completed architectural renderings but then dropped plans to convert the building into their offices.

The property needs extensive repairs, including a new stairway and elevator.

He credits federal tax credits and federal loan funds created in the wake of the 1995 bombing of Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, for helping make the deal doable.

"Fifteen years ago, the tax credits were not friendly. You could have asked any developer and they would have said the costs were more than the credit,” Mason said. "Today, that's reversed.”

Another issue, Mason said, has been the building's lack of parking. By buying all but the Habitat for Humanity office at the corner of NW 10 and Broadway, Mason is adding 40 spaces along NW 9. He refused to follow the lead of other Automobile Alley developers who converted the first floors of their buildings into enclosed parking.

"It tempts you,” Mason said. "That's what a rational person does to solve a parking problem. For Broadway to work, you have to have activity on that first level.

"At lunch you need to be able to walk along the street and see activity.”

Mason wants to see retail and restaurants fill those first floor storefronts and saw the opportunity to open a bike shop in the first floor of 1015 N Broadway as a benefit for his company.

"I like to ride a bike, and I'd like to ride my bike to the river for lunch,” Mason said.

"My engineering company has a big wellness program, and anything we can do to encourage our employees to ride or run at lunch, we want to do that.”

Mason said he is in talks with at least one restaurant and has possible tenants for the temporary space currently being leased to Bicycle Alley.

Mason considers NW 10 and Broadway to be the crossroads of the next big downtown hot spot.

"There are three things happening: Automobile Alley, Deep Deuce housing and the 10th Street corridor. There is more than just Automobile Alley here. I'm surrounded ... and this 10th Street thing, for the uninformed, is the biggest thing of them all.”

Mason believes the impact of a medical corridor between the Oklahoma Health Center at NW 10 and Lincoln, and St. Anthony Hospital at NW 10 and Walker, will transform his block for decades to come.

"Those are big hitters, big money” Mason said. "That's not been talked about much. They're still getting organized.”

Brett Hamm, president of Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., considers Mason's investment a validation of a decade of work and investment by Automobile Alley pioneers like Chris and Meg Salyer.

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Businessman Steve Mason is spending $3.8 million redeveloping a block Automobile Alley, including a $2.4 million renovation of the former home Habitat for Humanity’s Renovation Station at 1015 N Broadway.

Glad to hear his money is "patient" so if AA takes longer than we hope for, he'll still be around. He obviously has the right vision for retail and restaurants at street level. I just hope these other AA developers will get it. There is way to much 1st floor offices and parking. We need to move the offices up a floor or two and let the retail in on the first to make AA long term viable. Glad to hear AA finally coming to fruition with Red Prime well underway, two bicycle shops almost open, longtime AA staple CD Warehouse, and a possible restaurant underway. Not to mention Java Daves nearby on 10th.

Is he moving his company down there? It never really says.

This sounds great. There is so much potential and it seems to me there is even room for parking without using up existing structures for that. I think his head is in the right place as to what it takes to make a district come to life: first floor and street level activity. Actually, it's almost so obvious it's weird that anyone has tried to do it any other way.

BTW, when did 'office' become a verb? :)

Is he moving his company down there? It never really says.


Yes he is. There is another pic in the paper showing the 3rd floor where his future office will be.

This is very interesting. I was driving down Broadway last night and noticed that the NW corner of 13th and Broadway has been cleared. Maybe somebody already addressed this but does anybody know what is going on there?

Yeah, the NW corner where the car dealership that adjoined to the Garage Lofts was razed about two weeks ago. I'm not sure if/what is going in there. To my knowledge, no announcement has been made on here.

The old Downtown Mazda and whatever it turned into more recently -- used cars and used furniture...

I remember reading about the demo, but think it was more just cleaning up blight than something actually in the works.

Neglected Automobile Alley building shows signs of life
The Journal Record
March 4, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – One developer took a chance on a dilapidated building on Oklahoma City’s Automobile Alley and is now seeing his first tenants after a multimillion-dollar renovation.

In July 2005, Steve Mason purchased a building originally used as a Cadillac dealership when it was built about 100 years ago, but it had fallen into decline since the 1970s.Interior work is still being done in the three-story building, at 1015 N. Broadway Ave., and a coat of brick-red paint was recently applied to the faded exterior. The total renovation costs are about $3.5 million.

Mason has also moved his company, Cardinal Engineering Inc., from its offices on N. Western Avenue into the Automobile Alley building.

One focus of the renovation was to bring retail to the street-level space of the building. Mason said he simply put up a “For Lease” sign and picked up two tenants. He said what he didn’t want on the interior first level was parking.“We all want retail downtown,” Mason said. “In a well-functioning neighborhood the first floor is occupied and used for a beneficial purpose.”

Bicycle Alley, owned by Terry Enos, moved into the street-level space on the south end of the building about two weeks ago. Coffee Singers, a coffee shop owned by Melody Harwell, is set to open later this month in the street-level space on the north side of the building.

When Mason bought the 31,275-square-foot building in 2005, the initial plan was to renovate it as an investment property, as suggested by Mason’s Realtor.“I took his advice as an investment,” Mason said. “Then as I started thinking about this building, rather than make it an investment to sell, I wanted to renovate it and move down here.”The building had been largely vacant since the 1970s. The last tenant was Habitat for Humanity’s Renovation Station building supply store, which occupied space on the first floor. Mason said the building held many structural surprises, but is now shaping up into his vision of a thriving mixed-use project. “This has been an underperforming property,” Mason said.

Cardinal Engineering, and its 40 or so employees, are occupying about one-sixth of the building’s space. Mason said overall about half of the building is currently leased.

Enos initially set up shop last year in a neighboring building, also owned by Mason, while awaiting his new space. Bicycle Alley has a 4,400-square-foot sales floor with bicycles on display, as well as bicycle gear and accessories. The shop also features a separate space where customers can rent space to keep their bikes and belongings, and a shower to freshen up after a bike ride before work, during lunch or before heading home. Enos said he wanted to tap into the urban environment downtown, and saw Automobile Alley as the perfect spot to cater to downtown bicycle enthusiasts.

Harwell, who has lived in Oklahoma City for a little over a year, said she knew Automobile Alley would be a prime spot for a coffee shop, due to the revitalization in the area. “When I first moved here, I was always targeting this area,” she said. “I saw opportunity like crazy here.” Automobile Alley, once a thriving car dealership district, fell into decline over the years and was devoid of much activity in the early 1990s.

After the federal building bombing in 1995, a group of developers and property owners received a Main Street Program designation that created a business improvement district, and work began to restore many of the historic buildings.A new streetscape project made the area pedestrian-friendly and included Automobile Alley signage.

Brett Hamm, president of Downtown OKC Inc., said he is glad to see Mason not only renovate and move to the building, but also provide opportunity for the retail tenants.“This is an important addition to Automobile Alley,” Hamm said. “The owners there have really pulled together and through the BID had the opportunity to continue the progress and momentum there.”Hamm said one focus of downtown as a whole is to encourage areas like Bricktown, Midtown and Automobile Alley to each create a unique flavor for the districts.

Among other businesses, Automobile Alley is home to a CD Warehouse store, the Red Prime Steak restaurant and Schlegel Bicycles.Mason said despite setbacks and headaches, he is happy with the project and glad to bring retail and office space, and his own office, to the district.“It seemed this was a good time to move down here,” he said.

http://journalrecord.com/_images/articles/t_labskc%20-%20bike%20alley%20-%20Terry%20Ennos%20a%20-%20JP.jpg

Bicycle Alley owner Terry Enos, right, stands at his custom-made counter as one his sales and service managers, Eric Melton, left, works on tuning a bike Monday at 1015 N. Broadway Ave. in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Jennifer Pitts)

Very exciting. I think that I went to school with the architect and his name is actually Tony Blatt. Nice guy.

Make that THE CD Warehouse store--the flagship.

I will definitely have to support the coffee shop when it opens. It will be tough, although it will be a little less off the beaten path than BrewHaHa was, but they had a much better name.

But Java Daves is only a block away of this new coffee shop opening up. Java Daves is nice and has been there forever and also houses other businesses and an urban drive through, if one of them has to go, I hope it's the new one although I hope they can both coexist without hurting the others business too much.

I was afraid Automobile Alley was so psychologically removed from the center of downtown it would never catch on. I'm glad to see this happening.

I predict AA to the next local entertainment destination. I look for many restaurants and bars to dot the street, something like Tulsa's brookside, but occupying much grander buildings of course.

I wish we had a Brookside here, but I don't think Automobile Alley is it. The area on Western north of 36th is already kind of like Brookside. That would be a better candidate.

Western is our Brookside, as close as it comes.

Western is our Brookside, as close as it comes.

True. I like the AA area upgrades. The tie-in with the Triangle area should help.

I have a friend who calls the Western area Bohemia. She means it in a positive way. I like that name

I see Paseo as a little closer to Bohemia, but that's on track.

The Fixed Guideway Study (OKFGS.org (http://www.okfgs.org)) has a light rail/streetcar route running down NW 10th from OUHSC to Walker and then down Robinson to the blvd. and then back to OUHSC via Walnut through Bricktown. I think this is a good route but I would prefer something that utilizes Broadway and helps Auto Alley. Plus Broadway is so wide it wouldn't be as big of a problem to lay tracks.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the Cox Convention Center once they build the new one on the blvd. Would they ever extend Broadway down to the Ford Center from Sheridan (where it currently ends) to Reno, assuming they tear down the Cox and redevelop the site? That could be a nice end to Broadway with the Ford Center visible and better connections to that part of downtown and Bricktown. I think regardless Auto Alley has a bright future with so many historic buildings, and will continue to be a link between Bricktown and midtown, the CBD and OUHSC. Now we just need to start developing those ugly parking lots, especially the ones between 4th and 6th.