First National Center

[Anonymous.]

How exciting! 683 parking spots is insane! Such a massive project, it will take years to pull this off. But by 2020, this will be amazing.

[Urbanized]

Overall effect is nice. Gary and team are always doing a great job on working their projects into the urban fabric. Still wish this project didn't require traffic to empty onto Broadway, but that die was cast many years ago when previous owners split up ownership of FNC and Main Street Garage. It's painfully obvious how much that hampered ongoing attempts at FNC renovation, and this is a good, creative solution.

[PhiAlpha]

Overall effect is nice. Gary and team are always doing a great job on working their projects into the urban fabric. Still wish this project didn't require traffic to empty onto Broadway, but that die was cast many years ago when previous owners split up ownership of FNC and Main Street Garage. It's painfully obvious how much that hampered ongoing attempts at FNC renovation, and this is a good, creative solution.

Yeah at least it allows for all of the retail on park to be maintained and only disrupts a small part of Broadway. It's a good compromise given the alternatives.

[Pete]

^

Yeah Park is so important to downtown but that is a ton of cars to be dumping in and out of that one drive on Broadway. Most garages that size have multiple access points.

Still, it certainly seems to be the best solution and I bet they end up using the valet extensively.

[jccouger]

Most of the parking will be reserved for residential and hotel use though, right? Shouldnt be much of a “rush hour” dump if you will as it will just be a constant trickle of cars coming in and out if that’s the case.

[Pete]

Most of the parking will be reserved for residential and hotel use though, right? Shouldnt be much of a “rush hour” dump if you will as it will just be a constant trickle of cars coming in and out if that’s the case.

Good point.

[KingOfTheNorth]

Incredible proposal. Can't express how excited I am just for a plan to be in place and knowing that this building will once again be full or being a revitalized heart of the CBD.

[gopokes88]

http://m.newsok.com/first-national-c...9?rotator=true

Two more fires today. This is getting weird.

[Pete]

A look ahead to 2020 from https://twitter.com/GaryDBrooks:

[Urbanized]

The renderings they have a simply incredible. Not sure how many here had the chance to take a VR tour when he did his series of open houses, but it was mind blowing.

[Pete]

I used to bank there when it was still First National (the very tail end) but even then the place was really dingy.

The clean-up, remodel and re-opening of the skylight will make the place unrecognizable to almost anyone even old enough to remember it 50+ years ago.

[warreng88]

First National Center garage project plan advances

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record December 21, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY – Developer Gary Brooks had originally planned to demolish the middle building of the First National Center. The exterior of the building, built in 1957, reflects its era, with yellow panels and a yellow awning that hangs over a door.

Brooks said at Thursday’s Downtown Design Review Committee meeting that he didn’t like the building.

But he has to keep it. The National Park Service, which oversees the federal historic tax credit applications, said the building was a contributing factor to the First National Center. That means the building was an important piece in the center’s history.

Brooks and his partner Charlie Nicholas’ other option was to demolish the 1972-built building on the east and use the remaining building as a parking garage. If that building was also seen as a contributing factor, then the developers were out of options and Brooks said they would have walked away from buying the First National Center.

“We received the approval (to demolish) about three days before closing on the building,” he said.

The Downtown Design Review Committee approved demolishing part of the 1972 building and replacing it with a parking garage, which will change the exterior that faces Broadway Avenue.

ADG Inc. architect J.C. Witcher said a little less than half of the 1972-built building will be demolished.

“The design is more consistent with Park Avenue than what’s been there,” he said.

A ramping system will be installed in the area that’s being demolished. The garage will be constructed inside the rest of the 1972-built and 1957-built buildings.

Witcher said the new exterior is glass with a combination metal panel, which will have a limestone-like color so it will match the BancFirst and 101 Park buildings.

The third floor in the 1957-built building will have office space, as requested by the National Park Service, said Witcher. The agency didn’t want car lights facing Park Avenue.

In total, there will be 683 parking spots, which is about 30 percent fewer spots than Brooks was planning for and had already built into his financing. People will enter the garage from Broadway, and the median will be cut so people can enter as they drive north, rather than only being able to enter as they drive south.

Demolition on the 1972 building will start by April, Brooks said. He said he knows it’s going to be an interruption to downtown, but he and his team are going to work quickly.

“Everyone has my mobile number and will be calling me if (broker Mark) Beffort can’t get people in his garage,” he said. “We’re going to move as quickly as we can.”

Financing on the garage will be finalized on Friday, Brooks said. Commission Chairman Cory Baitz asked about the federal historic tax credits and what they mean to his project. In the U.S. House of Representatives’ tax reform bill, the federal tax credits were cut, while the Senate’s version dropped the amount from 20 percent to 10 percent.

Brooks said as far as he understands it, his project will be grandfathered in as long as he gets it done by December 2020.

He said he didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about a Plan B if the tax credits were ended.

“I own the building,” he said. “We’ll finish it, with or without the historic tax credits.”

Brooks said he’s already spent $44 million on the $235 million restoration of the First National Center, which will include mixed-use residential and business space. He expects to have the tower complete by June 2020.

[traxx]

A look ahead to 2020 from https://twitter.com/GaryDBrooks:

Wow, what a great hall.

[edcrunk]

Looks like some of the facade fell onto Robinson off of First National. It's been taped off so I can't get close enough to take a decent pic. One of my co-workers truck might have been hit, but it's too dark to see.

[catch22]

Looks like some of the facade fell onto Robinson off of First National. It's been taped off so I can't get close enough to take a decent pic. One of my co-workers truck might have been hit, but it's too dark to see.

https://twitter.com/codylusnia/statu...12308172705793

[HangryHippo]

There sure seems to be some funky **** going on with this building since work started (the fires, falling concrete).

[GoldFire]

It is good renovations started when they did, seems like the building was falling into disrepair faster than expected.

[PhiAlpha]

There sure seems to be some funky **** going on with this building since work started (the fires, falling concrete).

Probably just complications with a 90 year old building under going a complete and massive overhaul for the first time ever after being neglected for 30+ years.

[CloudDeckMedia]

As GoldFire & PhiAlpha just said, this underscores the importance of having a building in good hands. Cotter Ranch comes to mind as a potential problem.

[Pete]

I suspect it was vibration from interior renovation that shook loose that piece of the facade.

They will be cleaning and repairing all that but first have to clear out all the asbestos and do some other work.

[HangryHippo]

Probably just complications with a 90 year old building under going a complete and massive overhaul for the first time ever after being neglected for 30+ years.

Without a doubt. It's just been odd to see unfold. It kind of just sat and then fire, fire, falling debris.

[catch22]

I suspect it was vibration from interior renovation that shook loose that piece of the facade.

They will be cleaning and repairing all that but first have to clear out all the asbestos and do some other work.

Probably a combination of that and water seeping into cracks and freezing.

[LakeEffect]

Probably a combination of that and water seeping into cracks and freezing.

From fighting the recent fires, per Gary Brooks in the Oklahoman's article...

[GoldFire]

The street is still shut down, but they have some workers up there looking at the damage and I assume checking for other loose pieces.

[ChaseDweller]

Some time ago, I was told that the entire West facade is in danger of falling off because the anchors holding it to the building had rusted through. That may be what happened here after the water got behind it.