First National Center

[Laramie]

*Nicholas

Thanks Urbanized, so it's Charlie Nicholas...

[Urbanized]

Thanks, so it's Charlie Nicholas...

Yes, and to be clear he is a Dallas-area guy, though he is heavily invested in OKC and has been involved in quite a bit here, especially in the past decade.

[Ross MacLochness]

Pretty amazing to think that just in the last several years we've seen renovations all well over $100 million for 3 of OKC's tallest buildings: FNC, Kerr McGee and BancFirst.

City Place has also recently been completely remodeled from top to bottom.

Now if only Mr. Dowell would sell...

[Jeepnokc]

Did Ruth Chris pull out of this project? If so, any hint as to anyone filling the spot?

[chssooner]

Did Ruth Chris pull out of this project? If so, any hint as to anyone filling the spot?

Unfortunately yes. And as for replacing them, it will be another run of the mill "fine steakhouse", I'm sure.

[Pete]

Did Ruth Chris pull out of this project? If so, any hint as to anyone filling the spot?

Yes. There is a place called The National Steakhouse going in and I believe it will be operated by the Coury Hospitality team, the same that will be managing the hotel (also manages The Colcord and Flint and The Ambassador and their restaurant).

[David]

I saw the OKCTalk account tweet with the pictures go out this morning, I am really curious to see what the Facebook and Instagram impressions are.

[Pete]

I saw the OKCTalk account tweet with the pictures go out this morning, I am really curious to see what the Facebook and Instagram impressions are.

2,500 'likes' on Insta and counting.

[theanvil]

Unfortunately yes. And as for replacing them, it will be another run of the mill "fine steakhouse", I'm sure.

I don't understand this comment. I travel a ton, and upscale chain steakhouses like Ruth's Chris, Fleming's, and Morton's are exactly what I consider to be "run of the mill". In my opinion, local OKC steakhouses like Ranch, Mahogany, and RedPrime beat them in quality and service. I don't think people realize how good OKC has it when it comes to steakhouses. Maybe The National Steakhouse will be a disappointment, maybe not. But I'd rather see a locally operated restaurant succeed than a chain steakhouse any day.

[Pete]

*Nicholas

What happens when you rush to copy a story OKCTalk has already broken and before we had a chance to correct a typo:

[chssooner]

I don't understand this comment. I travel a ton, and upscale chain steakhouses like Ruth's Chris, Fleming's, and Morton's are exactly what I consider to be "run of the mill". In my opinion, local OKC steakhouses like Ranch, Mahogany, and RedPrime beat them in quality and service. I don't think people realize how good OKC has it when it comes to steakhouses. Maybe The National Steakhouse will be a disappointment, maybe not. But I'd rather see a locally operated restaurant succeed than a chain steakhouse any day.

True. I just know that you get a consistent quality at those steakhouses. May be run of the mill to some, but it is consistent across the country. The local ones can be exceptional, or they can flop. Name recognition also matters.

I hope this succeeds, since the development has been incredible, and looks stellar!

[catch22]

What happens when you rush to copy a story OKCTalk has already broken and before we had a chance to correct a typo:

Hilarious, and sad. You ought to leave “Easter eggs” in more of your reporting work.

[David]

How lucky are we to have someone like Gary Brooks and Charlie Nichols this city?

Congrats on being an unintentional source for the Oklahoman!

[shawnw]

A fun thread about how awful this is if anybody wants to get into it. I just don't have the energy...

https://twitter.com/ANNthropologist/...97018588684300

[Pete]

^

This is why I almost never read the comments on our social media posts.

[HOT ROD]

never imagined that there wouldn't be a few hundered families in a metro area of 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE that might want to live downtown in a highrise. .. OMG -

the thought of it in no income increasing Oklahoma!

[OKCDrummer77]

That's a rather appalling lack of awareness that other people exist.

"That's not what *I* want in life, therefore *nobody* wants that, so you're stupid for building it!"

[Plutonic Panda]

That's a rather appalling lack of awareness that other people exist.

"That's not what *I* want in life, therefore *nobody* wants that, so you're stupid for building it!"

lol they deleted their Tweet. I said on this more or less this same thing and suggest this person go stand outside of FNC when the apartments open and fill up asking the residents why they bought units there.

[Anonymous.]

That person was also claiming to work across the street weren't they? So I guess we can assume they will use none of the retail, restaurants, or bars in FNC.

[mugofbeer]

The main lobby renovation appears to be beautiful and should be a real local landmark. Looking forward to visiting some of the eateries.

[Pete]

I used to bank at First National when I worked downtown in the '80s just so I could experience the Great Banking Hall.

Can't wait to see it all cleaned and restored. It was pretty dingy after over 50 years of use (and smokers).

[HFAA Alum]

Iconic First National Center set to reopen

Oklahoma City's third tallest building is set to reopen early next year as a hotel and apartment complex with 8 eating and drinking establishments.

The 193 luxury apartments, known as The First Residences at First National, are currently leasing and will welcome their first tenants starting February 1st, 2022.

The 146-room hotel will open on March 1st and be known as The National, part of the exclusive Autograph Collection by Marriott.

First National Center is actually 3 separate structures: The 33-story art deco Tower built in 1931; the 14-story Center building finished in 1956; the East building opened in 1974.

The Tower has been extensively renovated to include the apartments and hotel rooms. The stunning Great Banking Hall has been painstakingly restored, including the decorative painted ceilings, stone columns, and several large murals. The huge skylight has also been renovated, once again bringing natural light into the marble-lined space.

The hall, originally used by First National Bank, will serve as a public lobby as well as a bar, cafe, and event space.

Atop the two wings of the tower, a new pool, deck, and dog park have been installed.

The Center and East buildings were gutted and now provide 620 parking spaces. The Arcade, on the ground floor and spanning from Robinson to Broadway, has been completely renovated.

In the basement, a restaurant and bar will occupy the former bank vault area. The former Beacon Club space at the very top of the tower will reopen as a bar.

After First National Bank failed in 1980, the complex saw a variety of owners. In 2015, the few remaining tenants vacated and the building was placed into receivership. In 2017, the property was purchased by a group led by Gary Brooks and Charlie Nicholas and the restoration plans were announced.

After many broken promises by previous owners, the reopening represents years of work and over $200 million in investment in the heart of Oklahoma City's central business district.

https://firstnationalokc.com/
https://thefirstokc.com/
https://thenationalokc.com/

This place is absolutely class. It looks like a place you'd see straight out of New York City with the way it's done! This is brilliant! The designer really kept to the integrity of the structure in many areas, while providing a 21st century style in others that don't take away from the classic appeal. This is a remodel done right.

I can expect some movie scenes being made here, especially of the espionage and rom-com variety. Prairie Surf Studios might actually rent out the place to shoot a scene here. It's that well-done.

[soonerguru]

I don't understand this comment. I travel a ton, and upscale chain steakhouses like Ruth's Chris, Fleming's, and Morton's are exactly what I consider to be "run of the mill". In my opinion, local OKC steakhouses like Ranch, Mahogany, and RedPrime beat them in quality and service. I don't think people realize how good OKC has it when it comes to steakhouses. Maybe The National Steakhouse will be a disappointment, maybe not. But I'd rather see a locally operated restaurant succeed than a chain steakhouse any day.

The comment is directed at the fact that there will now be 6 "fine steak houses" downtown: Bob's, Mickey Mantle's, Mahogany (practically across the street from First National), Red Prime, Broadway 10, and this place, whatever it's called. Maybe we can push to get three or four more downtown so we can have a steakhouse on every block.

I'm sure I'm not alone in loving a great steakhouse but wow, OKC's culinary scene could use a little variety in the near downtown region. Hopefully this makes things a little more understandable.

[shawnw]

I will say that it would be nice to have a bit of parity with fine veg/vegan places (and I'm neither of those, just have lots of friends that are).

[warreng88]

That's a rather appalling lack of awareness that other people exist.

"That's not what *I* want in life, therefore *nobody* wants that, so you're stupid for building it!"

Agreed. I had the same discussion with a friend of mine that didn't understand the appeal of the Wheeler District. "Who would want to live that close to their neighbors?" :eople already live that close to their neighbors in cookie cutter areas of Edmond and small homes in OKC:: "Who would want to pay that much per square foot?" :eople are already paying that much per square foot in DD, DT, Edmond, NH, etc:: "They have no yard, who would want to live there?" ::someone does, otherwise, they would have a bunch of houses available for sale::