Cafe do Brasil

[Jeepnokc]

wow... it had apartments?! i'm not an overly superstitious person, but i'd have to be in pretty dire need to live over a funeral home. i'm sure it was built for the family that operated the business... but, still.

my great grandmother's funeral was in this building in 1957, so it was definitely operating as a funeral home then. my mom refused to eat at cafe do brazil for that reason.

My best friend owned a embalming service at 13th and N. Robinson (1321 N Robinson)) and we stayed in the apartments upstairs. Never bothered me but I used to also sleep on the couch in the office downstairs.

[Bill Robertson]

I'm with Martin. I'd have to be hard up to stay in an apartment above a funeral home. And with all the brunches I had there I'm glad I didn't remember it being a funeral home.

[Martin]

My best friend owned a embalming service at 13th and N. Robinson (1321 N Robinson)) and we stayed in the apartments upstairs. Never bothered me but I used to also sleep on the couch in the office downstairs.

ha! you're a better person than me! i think two things would get me: #1, the smells... i'd think cremation and embalming would have some sort of smell. not that they'd be overly 'bad', it's just knowing what they are would (potentially) be an odd reminder. #2, any sounds in the middle of the night. i've seen way too many horror movies to check on any sound during the night in a place like a mortuary. it never ends well. : )

[Martin]

midtown renaissance just posted these two pics on facebook:

[Dob Hooligan]

Was Guardian Midtown the one on Robinson, just south of the Stryker/Baptist Building? White, frame 2 story house. They did my great aunt there around 1990.

[Pete]

Was Guardian Midtown the one on Robinson, just south of the Stryker/Baptist Building? White, frame 2 story house. They did my great aunt there around 1990.

Yes. It's now the site of the Monarch building.

[Pete]

midtown renaissance just posted these two pics on facebook:

Thank you; that's amazing.

Can't wait to see MidtownR restore that building to glory. They have done so many truly great restoration projects, and the large majority have to have been big short-term money losers. So few developers anywhere willing to do that -- they have done so much for OKC.

I drove by there today and for the first time noticed all the cracks in the stucco which have probably been there for quite some time.

[Bill Robertson]

Odd. I guess it's just the angle but it doesn't look like there was room for the building length patio that ran along Walker.

[Urbanized]

Thank you; that's amazing.

Can't wait to see MidtownR restore that building to glory. They have done so many truly great restoration projects, and the large majority have to have been big short-term money losers. So few developers anywhere willing to do that -- they have done so much for OKC.

I drove by there today and for the first time noticed all the cracks in the stucco which have probably been there for quite some time.

Unfortunately it looks to me on first blush that they will be forced to simply reapply stucco rather than revert back to the original brick. It appears that whoever applied stucco originally scored the brick in order to have a base to adhere to. When you can find a stucco job that instead used mesh screwed into the brick it's usually possible to restore the brick. Here I think that will be impossible.

One way that scored brick has been "repaired" on some HP projects is to REMOVE the brick veneer, and then rebuild it by turning the brick backwards so that the un-scored side is now on the front of the facade. Unfortunately that is pretty cost-prohibitive on a commercial project such as this one.

[Pete]

^

Based on your astute observation about the scored brick, it looks like little progress has been made and perhaps once they discovered the damaged brick underneath, they are now rethinking their renovation plan.

If you look closely or just walk by, you can see the existing stucco is all cracked and in pretty bad shape. As much charm as this building has, it is in serious need of some expensive TLC. For example, look at the glass block in the lower right corner... That entire property is really tattered.

[Pete]

Looks like they have decided to repair the stucco rather than try and strip down to the brick.

They have cleaned up the offices upstairs (separate from the large bar area) and they are for lease.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^^
Yeah, unfortunately the original brick had been terribly scored/defaced in order to accept plaster decades ago. The only possibility other than repairing/replacing the plaster would have been to remove all of the brick and turn it around, using the back side as the new front side. I've seen it done, but only on projects where money was no object. Midtown Renaissance never does stuff on the cheap, but I'll promise the only money LOSING project they will ever do was the Marion Hotel. They only took THAT on because the City asked them to as a part of the TIF funding request for the parking garage that serves Marion and the building where Broadway 10 is located. They do really great work, but they're still a decidedly for-profit endeavor.

[Martin]

i totally understand the brick, but i wonder why they chose to remove the decorative columns on the second-floor arches. maybe they plan on enclosing that section?

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^
I don't have any specific insight regarding that decision.

[Pete]

They continue to make progress on repairing the stucco, which was badly needed.

From https://www.facebook.com/MidtownRenaissance:

[HOT ROD]

Dreaming, but just imagine if Fogo was able to make a go here. It would be like a Brasilian embassy.

[Pete]

Nearing completion of the remodel. Note they have replaced all the windows.

[Pete]

They redid all the funky concrete and tile work leading into the building -- it was looking pretty shabby.

[ManAboutTown]

This really is a beautiful building. Props to Midtown Renaissance for preserving and upgrading it.

[bamarsha]

ha! you're a better person than me! i think two things would get me: #1, the smells... i'd think cremation and embalming would have some sort of smell. not that they'd be overly 'bad', it's just knowing what they are would (potentially) be an odd reminder. #2, any sounds in the middle of the night. i've seen way too many horror movies to check on any sound during the night in a place like a mortuary. it never ends well. : )

Somehow I missed this part of the conversation, until now. My grandparents lived in the 2nd floor of a funeral home (all of first 1st floor), complete with embalming (just no cremation). As a kid, I spent many nights with my grandparents. I don't remember anything too crazy that happened, never even saw a ghost. I did have one friend that refused to even step foot onsite, even to shovel snow for pay!

Needless to say, this wouldn't bother me a bit.