Jewel Theater

[Pete]

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One step forward two steps back... This is from today's Journal Record:

Sign of the times
City officials are considering bulldozing a historic but long shuttered movie theater and beauty salon that are two of the last remaining relics of segregation here. A few small trees are growing out of the barrel-vaulted roof of the Jewel Theater at 904 NE Fourth St. and its brick façade is crumbling, but a red neon sign still hangs over the sidewalk. The Oklahoma City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to declare the Jewel a dilapidated structure, as well as the old Ora’s Beauty Salon building next door at 830 NE Fourth St. Both buildings would be slated for eventual demolition should the City Council approve.

[zimmerokc]

The theater there, the Jewel, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It would be a shame if it were to be bulldozed. Ora's beauty salon may well be eligible also, it has not been nominated. I sure hope it is not too late for these two buildings.

[Skyline]

Are these other building for sale?

[ljbab728]

The theater there, the Jewel, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It would be a shame if it were to be bulldozed. Ora's beauty salon may well be eligible also, it has not been nominated. I sure hope it is not too late for these two buildings.

With trees growing out of the roof that doesn't make the theater sound too salvageable.

[Spartan]

Even if a building "needs" to be demolished, I can't believe that somebody thinks that this is an appropriate time, or that they don't feel like they will get any heat for doing it in the middle of so many other demolitions lately. The sad thing is that there probably won't be any flack, maybe SR was our last big stand and now we're all going to sit on our hands while dozens of other great historic buildings are razed.

What doesn't make sense, even more than including this in the current slate, is the location and timing. This area is hardly urgent or high-priority. They're just demo-drunk at City Hall right now.

[ljbab728]

I don't understand what you're talking about, Spartan. If a building is not salvageable and "needs" to be demolished and the city decides to do so, how does that make them "demo-drunk"? Why is the timing bad if something needs to go? What possible advantage would there be to waiting and demolishing it later? Would you prefer that it be left for vagrants to break into and possibly start a fire? Why is the location a problem?

[dankrutka]

Would you prefer that it be left for vagrants to break into and possibly start a fire?

LOL. What?!?

[GaryOKC6]

I don't understand what you're talking about, Spartan. If a building is not salvageable and "needs" to be demolished and the city decides to do so, how does that make them "demo-drunk"? Why is the timing bad if something needs to go? What possible advantage would there be to waiting and demolishing it later? Would you prefer that it be left for vagrants to break into and possibly start a fire? Why is the location a problem?

I totally agree. If the building is gone then it needs to go. On the other hand if it is salvagable then we should try to save it. then there is the issue of someone that is willing to step up and spend the money on saving a building that will cost more to save than it is worth. I guess you could use the same approach as they didi when they "saved the Center Theater" for the Art museum. Leave 3 walls standing and tear down the rest. Don't get me me wromng, I love the Art Museum, it is just a good example of a building that cost more to restore than rebuild.

[UnFrSaKn]

I just got back from shootings hundreds of photos of both properties... I went inside the smaller one, despite the trespassing warning. It's totally trashed. There's an area between that building and one next to it, and homeless people have been living there. There's a tree that's practically growing out of the side between the two, and people were crawling through the window and living there. Beer bottles and cans everywhere. I'll let the photos explain it better.

The Jewel Theater has trees growing all on the roof, literally. On the west side, there's a partial collapse of the top of the roof and a pile of rubble. Couldn't see the inside of it.

Those were the main things I shot because I wanted to get photos before Tuesday. I took some of the actual Morgan building. I wasn't too happy of the cloud cover today. Did what I could do. I'll put them up when they get uploaded.

[Spartan]

I don't understand what you're talking about, Spartan. If a building is not salvageable and "needs" to be demolished and the city decides to do so, how does that make them "demo-drunk"? Why is the timing bad if something needs to go? What possible advantage would there be to waiting and demolishing it later? Would you prefer that it be left for vagrants to break into and possibly start a fire? Why is the location a problem?

You need to stop looking at one demolition at a time.

[UnFrSaKn]

March 10 2012

Ora’s Beauty Salon

http://www.flickr.com/photos/william...7629555122401/

[CaptDave]

Unfortunately it appears the beauty salon building probably is beyond salvaging. The trashed interior could probably been cleaned up or gutted. With the tree roots likely impinging on the foundation and the cracks in the brickwork, it is likely the structure is unstable - certainly not plumb any more. Sometimes you just can't save what may have been a neat building in the past.

[UnFrSaKn]

March 10 2012

Jewel Theatre

http://www.flickr.com/photos/william...7629555145309/

[UnFrSaKn]

[Teo9969]

I mean...trees growing out of a building...Isn't that the definition of Green?

[dankrutka]

If those walls could talk, I wonder the stories they'd tell...

[Thundercitizen]

If those walls could talk, I wonder the stories they'd tell...

Many of them would say, "put me out of my misery".

[Just the facts]

If those walls could talk, I wonder the stories they'd tell...

They would say, "Look at me, I'm a talking wall."

[UncleCyrus]

The hospital complex, or an organization acting on its behalf, has already been buying up properties in this area. I have been keeping an eye on this neighborhood for a couple of years and just within the last year and a half, a lot of structures have come down and the land cleared. Curious, I went to the county assessor's records to see if there had been any changes. A lot of properties in that area have been recently purchased by PHF Redevelopment, LLC at 655 Research Parkway (right across Lincoln). PHF is most likely Presbyterian Health Foundation. Also, Arthur Hurst, owner of the Jewel, just got a letter out of the blue from the city about his building, so I wonder if PHF is leaning on the city to get the property?

This is all my speculation of course, but I think there is something going on in this area.

[UncleCyrus]

Here is the Jewel in 2005: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonbondy/5500315/

Here is the sign from the beauty shop: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25726169@N03/3231811596/

Recent News 9 story: http://www.news9.com/story/17125016/...or-dilapidated

Sorry, maybe this should go in a separate Jewel Theater thread?

[UnFrSaKn]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_evil_one/4151670502/

[ljbab728]

You need to stop looking at one demolition at a time.

I disagree. I think that's exactly what we should be doing.

[ljbab728]

Were you out shooting photos this morning about 9 Will? I saw someone doing so when I was going to work, as I decided to drive by and see which buildings were for sale. I think something should be done to preserve those buildings.

I"m totally for preservation betts, but the buildings with trees growing out of them would basically have to be torn down and reconstructed. I don't see much that could be saved.

[Pete]

The bigger question here is how can we prevent great old buildings from getting to this point?

Seems like this might be a logical progression: 1) the city actually requiring owners to keep their property up to code; 2) if owners don't/can't respond, city takes property through condemnation / eminent domain before they become a pubic nuisance; 3) the new version of OCURA promotes properties to sell to new owners at reasonable prices.

[Pete]

I know the city doesn't do anything about buildings unless someone reports them.

Perhaps we could create a list of key properties and divide up responsibility for keeping watch and reporting any violations.

The problem is, if there isn't a process to take back and resell, then it won't matter anyway.