Chesapeake empire marches on

[Pete]

Of course, the journalist doesn't bother to ask about their plans for that site.

And no matter how you look at it, there has been a drastic reduction of restaurants in that immediate area (Laredo's, Pearls, Varsity, Subway, Wendys, etc.)

[jbrown84]

Yeah, this is one thing I won't miss. And the way it was still standing after the rest of the strip had been torn down on both sides looked really trashy.

Hopefully they will put something really cool and iconic on the corner there. A big fountain or something.

[OKC PATROL]

I was wondering when that guy/subway would pull out. Families in Nichols Hills found it to be funny because many of them know Aubrey McClendon as a friend. The campus he has created is great for OKC. My only draw back was when the campus had to destroy an old house/mansion. This had turned into some kind of female society meeting place. The facility was located on western behind that nasty shopping place with the liquer store and that disgusting salon/tanning. It had so many trees surrounding it that it was always hard to see when driving up western. The area is increasing in value with the construction/improvements he has done. The average house value has increased in Nichols Hills dramatically. Using sq feet some homes/mansions have risen to be some of the most expensive in the region.
I cant imagine his company having the wealth to create a downtown skyscraper along with his current offices. If he does, it will blow my mind. I feel he might develop a highrise in the Glenbrook establishment in time. He certainly wont be keeping that building.
Of course, he also owns Nchols Hills Plaza. This has drawn good and bad sentiment from the general public of OKC. I lived in NH for 20yrs on Grand Blvd. down the street from the Plaza. As a kid I became very familiar with NH Drug and Crescent Market. Many before me came to eat at the old soda fountain and many memories will be lost because of the demolition of the current structure. But, the previous owners were not keeping up with the constant upgrades and general beautification of the neighborhood. So much money came in because of urban renewal that many residents of NH had to fight off new comers. Because they were dividing land and destroying old smaller homes to build new huge ones. So the money factor coupled with "we want the best shopping in oklahoma" lead to a general conclusion by the community that the Plaza needed a remake. Many feel that Aubrey will make good decisions regarding the Plaza, because he loves NH and only wants the absolute finest shopping in Oklahoma. He wants to rival Highland Park and forget about Utica Sq. He has already secured Sprinkles as a tenant along with some kind of grocery store that is supposed to be one of the best. He is supposedly going to try to keep NH Drug and Fountain kinda the same by using the same old fountains/tele booth and interior. But that is still up in the air. Also, The Coach House will not be touched. Many locals are looking forward to what will happen with the Plaza. I dont think Aubrey will make any bad judgement calls on his own turf. Securing a tenant like Sprinkles is huge especially before any sort of ground breaking.
So I will miss the old red carpet in Crescent Market, along with the smell of its BBQ in the front entrance and the wonderful dusty throne. The feeling of comfort that NH Drug gave me as a child and as an adult. But the Cathy Cupboards and the Madison shops are gone now. Its time to move forward.

[jbrown84]

If he wants to tear part of the Plaza down, he should tear down the north section. It has much less character and none of the icons like Coach House, Crescent Market, etc. I will be VERY upset if they tear down the older, south section.

[trison]

I think it would be a tragedy to take any of the buildings down. That property is absolutely amazing and looks great. I wish they would try and save the buildings that they are buying. It's been proven that you can renovate older properties and still maintain the charm of the area.

[OKC PATROL]

I have ALWAYS believed in keeping older buildings. I hate the destruction but the south section isnt historical and you cant build up on it. It has a great look- but there is NO absolutely amazing about it. . I think it will be best for the NH community to have more retail and some business on a second or third level in the Plaza. It needs to thrive and the current structures cant handle the expansion. Anyway it is a catch 22 situation or whatever for most people

[Karried]

Anyone have any photos?

[jbrown84]

I have ALWAYS believed in keeping older buildings. I hate the destruction but the south section isnt historical and you cant build up on it. It has a great look- but there is NO absolutely amazing about it. . I think it will be best for the NH community to have more retail and some business on a second or third level in the Plaza. It needs to thrive and the current structures cant handle the expansion. Anyway it is a catch 22 situation or whatever for most people

I'm absolutely baffled as to why you would tear down the south section as opposed to the north section.

[OKC PATROL]

No- I would rather keep the south section obviously. The north I could care less. If I had my ultimate wish for the plaza it would be to keep the south section and build up and renovate. But what do we do with the north section? Aubrey would not only have to blend in the renovation on the south. He would also have to build a whole north section that would need the same materials that the south section has. That is asking quite a bit from the man. Our expectations cant be that high. It hurts but the pain will go away.

[okclee]

Sprinkles ??

Is this the Sprinkles, you are referring to?

::: Sprinkles Cupcakes Locations :::

[jbrown84]

If there's anywhere in the metro where an upscale cupcake boutique would fit, it's Nichols Hills.

[SuperScooper]

We need to get everyone on here to go the website and vote for OKC.

We are on the list for future locations.

I have posted a thread so everyone can cast their vote.


http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-are...tml#post106667

[bwana_bob]

[Sorry for the duplicate - wrote this out before the other posts appeared but took a long phone call before clicking on reply. Admin - feel free to delete this one.]

Just to keep the folks at Sprinkles feeling the love from Oklahoma... vote for OKC to be the next Sprinkle's location. Go to:

::: Sprinkles Cupcakes Locations :::

and click on the link labeled "Vote for the next Sprinkle's location!"


Sprinkles is somewhat like the Krispy Kreme of this decade. Hopefully Sprinkles has better accounting practices.

[OKC PATROL]

Thats hilarious- I voted when I looked up the store online also. Good God its impressive. The other locations are unbelievable! I know this Info. just because my mother(bless her heart) wanted to put in a local cupcake boutique in the 'new' plaza also. That is when she told me that Aubrey is putting in Sprinkles. So she backed off of the idea. If I am wrong then everyone can make a thread called OKC PATROL is an idiot. You never know with business, but to even hear about the possibility shows how far OKC has come. VOTE FOR SPRINKLES!

[okclee]

If you are wrong then you and your mother must put in the cupcake boutique at the new plaza.

You can name it Sprinklz.

[jbrown84]

[OKC PATROL]

If you are wrong then you and your mother must put in the cupcake boutique at the new plaza.

You can name it Sprinklz.

he...he...

[Pete]

Chesapeake buys Nichols Hills church
by Kelley Chambers
The Journal Record
7/6/2007

OKLAHOMA CITY – Chesapeake owns shopping centers, office buildings, multi-family units, vacant land and now at least one church.

Records show Chesapeake Land Company LLC purchased a church in Nichols Hills in June for $10 million. The building, at 1203 Sherwood Ln., is just blocks from Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s main campus at NW 63rd Street and Western Avenue.

The building was sold by First Church of Christ Scientist, an Oklahoma not-for-profit corporation. Since the property was a church with a not-for-profit status, the county did not return specific results other than that the property appears to have had a church on the site since 1911. The building sits on about 3.8 acres.

Chesapeake is creeping a bit farther north and west into Nichols Hills with the recent purchase of the church building, although it also owns several multifamily units on Sherwood Lane. Nearby, Chesapeake also owns the neighboring Nichols Hills Plaza shopping center, which records show the company purchased for more than $16 million in 2006.

Last week Chesapeake bought out a lease for a building that housed a Subway restaurant just east of Western on 63rd Street for an undisclosed amount. After purchasing and razing the remainder of the shopping center in recent years, Yogesh Mangu who owned the Subway franchise, finally relented and gave Chesapeake a key piece of land to expand its campus.

Chesapeake also recently purchased Pearl’s Oyster Bar, just down 63rd Street from the Subway location, for $1.85 million.

[OKC PATROL]

Chesapeakes properties are getting very close to Grand Blvd. I hope they can find the heart to keep the church. I have never seen anyone using it. But it is really beautiful and is a very old building. It would be a real shame if the church is destroyed. Hopefully the company will use the property for beautification and leave the church alone. If anything they should buy the old Buttram mansion that once housed the Museum of Art, renovate and make it a NH museum again.

[okclee]

I wonder if they have any plans on buying the cemetery near their campus.


Did you say Buttram??

[OKC PATROL]

I wonder if they have any plans on buying the cemetery near their campus.


Did you say Buttram??

Good question. Im sure the cemetary will be left alone unless someone forgot about the movie Poltregiest.

Yes the mansion is called Buttram. I dont believe anything happened there that would imply the name. It is a British name like many of the streets and other mansions in NH.

1977
The Museum of Conservative Art moves to the Buttram Mansion, 7316 Nichols Road, donated by the S. T. Fee and James H. Milligan families, in Nichols Hills, and "conservative" is dropped from its name.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oct. 21, 1977
Artsplace, a branch of the OAC, opens downtown at 115 Park Avenue. The Artsplace is an extension gallery, providing paintings and sculptures for rental or sale.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980s
The Oklahoma Art community struggles to maintain two Art Museums with the Oil Bust and the depressed economy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989
The Museum of Art and the Oklahoma Art Center merge and become the Oklahoma City Art Museum. Now, with over 3,000 works of art in the combined collections, the Museum threatens to outgrow its building.

[Pete]

From this site plan, it sure looks like they will be removing all retail from that corner.

It also looks like even though they are building a parking garage east of Classen, there will still be plenty of surface parking as they expand:

[Martin]

interesting... those plans don't show anything where the newly demolished pearl's sits.

-M

[BDP]

Aubrey would not only have to blend in the renovation on the south. He would also have to build a whole north section that would need the same materials that the south section has. That is asking quite a bit from the man. Our expectations cant be that high. It hurts but the pain will go away.

We're supposed to feel sorry for Aubrey because its too hard for him to destroy a district and displace businesses so that he can recreate it in his own vision?

I'm sorry, but since he's decided to buy up upper western with obvious intentions of gutting it and rebuilding it how he wants it, then my expectations are VERY high. This is not an area that needed this work, especially relative to many OKC districts. To justify this destruction, with no attempt at preservation so far, the end result must be a much nicer development with more services and unique businesses. Given what he's done to the are so far, our expectations should be no less than that.

Unfortunately, if the cheesy facade they slapped on the building where Radio Shack used to be is any indication, I am prepared to be unimpressed.

[john60]

Does CHK own the old Radio Shack where that new facade is? I was under the impression that they only owned Nichols Hills Plaza and the old Shamrock gas station right there...

I have no doubt that Aubrey McClendon has the ability to create the finest retail district in the State at Nichols Hills plaza, and I don't think many will be disappointed. He has grown up in Nichols Hills, so I would imagine that he would attempt to preserve the existing plaza somehow.