Level Apartments

[betts]

I don't see that vast expanse of white as a good fit, but really, if you look at it, it has a lot of similarities to the Maywood Lofts. It is four floors, with clean lines and corner balconies. And, although the non-corner balconies are indented, they still have the same regularity as Maywood. The feel like each other, to me. Maybe if the new building were all brick it would really look like the Maywood Lofts, and that would lead to monotony. I'll be interested to see what I think when they're together in the flesh, so to speak.

[city]

They said they won't be using stucco.

Uh OH! Does that mean they will be using EIFS?!!!!

[OKCisOK4me]

Not the right lot for a midrise. If it's built right with quality materials, 4 stories is fine (and as the article mentions, unlike most buildings, they are designing it to where it can be expanded upward in the future). A midrise tower would look out of place in a urban 4 story neighborhood. Leave the residential towers to the C2S area and the CBD.

My main concern is they used Legacy a lot as a reference. I hope we don't end up getting more stucco downtown.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I know the perfect lot for a midrise. That square block directly west of Stage Center surrounded by Walker, Dewey, Sheridan and California.

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=f...05493&t=h&z=18

It's full of cars right now but, man, I could just envision how downtown would look with a 20 to 30 story residential tower there--right next to the annual Arts Festival, Film Row, just a short walk from everything!

[city]

I have tremendous reservations about IDEAL Homes being involved in this project Downtown. I hope Wade controls the quality and the downtown design review doesn't fold on Design restrictions and the City enforces adherence to the restrictions.

[okclee]

Betts.... It is going to be an exciting upcoming year for you and your neighbors. With this project and the Aloft going up across from one another. Also aren't they starting more of the condos at the Hill location? I have seen quite a few that have Sold signs in front of them.

[edcrunk]

I hope midtown eventually gets some midrise towers similar to uptown in Dallas.

[city]

Also aren't they starting more of the condos at the Hill location? I have seen quite a few that have Sold signs in front of them.

I have heard plans are to be going vertical on the building directly behind the one facing Russel M Perry before the end of the year. The pad has already been poured.

[OKCisOK4me]

The Austonian is a luxury condo development, now the tallest tower in the city but the prices are sky high as well and still has plenty of units available for purchase. More along the lines of what OKC could use is The Monarch, a rental apartment tower or The Shore Condos (22 stories). The 360 (44 stories) was a little more than The Shore but still significantly less than The Austonian. I still believe that downtown residential needs to be spread throughout the financial spectrum, the build high-end now and the existing stock will be pushed down market way of thinking doesn't work if there is no existing stock to move down market.

I completely forgot about the Monarch. A design like that would compliment the Devon Tower nicely.

[bluedogok]

I know quite a few who have sold their suburban house and moved into The Monarch to "try out" downtown living before they buy a condo. Most have loved it and are looking for something about 6 months into their leases.

[betts]

Betts.... It is going to be an exciting upcoming year for you and your neighbors. With this project and the Aloft going up across from one another. Also aren't they starting more of the condos at the Hill location? I have seen quite a few that have Sold signs in front of them.

Yes, pretty exciting. Although my tires will probably suffer, my plants and balcony furniture will be dusty. I'm looking forward to having more neighbors. This morning, when I was out walking my dog, I felt like I lived in a real neighborhood. I saw a couple pushing a baby carriage, multiple people running and a few other dog walkers. The other night I saw about 10 people walking back to the Maywood Lofts after an evening meal in Deep Deuce.

I don't think they're starting more condos at the Hill location, but it looks like they're starting up again on the bigger ones back behind the street front townhouses. Those had just stopped mid completion a while back. I'm guessing they're using money from the sales of finished townhouses to complete what they'd started. There are footings back behind the others that haven't even been started, and I don't know what they'll do with those. Probably just keep adding as they sell more. The whole area is certainly going to feel much more finished when the hotel and apartment complex are completed.

[Spartan]

The whole area is certainly going to feel much more finished when the hotel and apartment complex are completed.

Sort of like the pie crust exists, and now we're filling in the pizza in the middle which is Walnut Street.

[CS_Mike]

Sort of like the pie crust exists, and now we're filling in the pizza in the middle which is Walnut Street.

I hope that between this project and the Aloft, someone will be motivated to find a good use for the old Calvary Church building. These should make the prospect much more attractive to a developer.

[Spartan]

To be honest though I would kind of like to see the Calvary Church remain as an African American Baptist church. It's a neat little historical landmark for the neighborhood. There are a handful of older buildings there fronting that side of Walnut that have enormous potential though..

[okcboy]

House of Blues Okc get my votez

[fuzzytoad]

To be honest though I would kind of like to see the Calvary Church remain as an African American Baptist church.

Wow, and here I was thinking we should stop encouraging segregation...

[Spartan]

Wow, and here I was thinking we should stop encouraging segregation...

So we shouldn't have a tango dance club or a Mexican restaurant?

Diversity is an African American Baptist congregation across the street from $800,000 condos...

[betts]

To be honest with you, I like seeing people go there for church. It's one more thing that makes it feel like a neighborhood. And, if we're out dog walking in the evening of a Sunday night, there are always people our on the lawn chatting, which I also like to see, and we frequently get to have a short chat and watch them admire our dog. So, I'd be very happy to see it remain a church. I believe one of the problems is that it needs fairly expensive renovations. I would think one could get public funds or fund raise for that, as it is a historic structure.

Also, since this was once an African American neighborhood exclusively, while I obviously don't want that to happen again, it's nice to see a few things remain from that era. That's one of the reasons I was excited to see Sage opening a Jazz Club. Their flyer said, "Jazz in the Deuce again" and I thought that was a very good thing.

[Architect2010]

I think something else might be happening soon north of the current Brownstones as well. According to the September Downtown Design Review Committee, there has been a request to close utility easement and private access in the Maywood Park Addition 1. The site is located between NE 3rd and 4th streets, and Santa Fe and Oklahoma Avenues.

"Intended Use: Consolidation of lots for multi-use family housing development."

Here's a link. September DDRC Meeting Minute. I would suppose this is the continuation of the Brownstones? Or maybe a similar, yet cheaper model. Infill seems to be ripe now and it's fantastic to see it happening. Maywood Park and Deep Deuce is becoming a true urban neighborhood right before our eyes.

[Kerry]

So we shouldn't have a tango dance club or a Mexican restaurant?

Diversity is an African American Baptist congregation across the street from $800,000 condos...

I think the commet from Fuzzytoad was that it should remain a church but welcomes anyone from the neighborhood, not just black people. I am sure a Mexican restaurant won't just service Mexicans.

BTW diversity is not an African American Baptist Church across the street from $800,000 condos. For all you know the condo owners could be black Baptists that attend the church.

[Spartan]

True, but you get the gist of what I mean..

[Rover]

Not to be controversial, but neighborhoods develop and have distinct character based on similarities of residents, not on diversity. Diversity is broader. I'm not talking about ghettos, but the distinctiveness say in New York City is that you have the Italian neighborhood with great ethnic restaurants, festivals, etc. It started with immigrants in the tenant buildings. You have Chinatown. You have the meatpacking district. You have Soho, the Village, etc. Each has distinction, difference and character. You have uptown and downtown, Park Avenue and Harlem. All are wonderful in their own way. It is not about throwing everything together in one big oleo and expecting a cultural big-bang. When we talk about diversity, it doesn't mean on the same street, but in the same town. It is both tolerance and encouragement. But it doesn't mean everything gets mixed together so that there is no real definition and no real spice. This is why Dallas is much less interesting than Chicago, or even Pittsburg or St. Louis. You cannot throw water, flower, sugar, a slab of meat, a couple of ears of corn and a few eggs all into one bowl, mix it together and have a 5 course meal. Each dish is prepared separately and relished altogether with each course of the meal complementing the other, not becoming part of one dish.

When you throw everything together the market is so fragmented that it is hard for anything to survive because the scale of each is so small.

[Kerry]

Not to be controversial, but neighborhoods develop and have distinct character based on similarities of residents, not on diversity.

Strength is always built on what you have in common.

[OKC@heart]

Not to be controversial, but neighborhoods develop and have distinct character based on similarities of residents, not on diversity. Diversity is broader. I'm not talking about ghettos, but the distinctiveness say in New York City is that you have the Italian neighborhood with great ethnic restaurants, festivals, etc. It started with immigrants in the tenant buildings. You have Chinatown. You have the meatpacking district. You have Soho, the Village, etc. Each has distinction, difference and character. You have uptown and downtown, Park Avenue and Harlem. All are wonderful in their own way. It is not about throwing everything together in one big oleo and expecting a cultural big-bang. When we talk about diversity, it doesn't mean on the same street, but in the same town. It is both tolerance and encouragement. But it doesn't mean everything gets mixed together so that there is no real definition and no real spice. This is why Dallas is much less interesting than Chicago, or even Pittsburg or St. Louis. You cannot throw water, flower, sugar, a slab of meat, a couple of ears of corn and a few eggs all into one bowl, mix it together and have a 5 course meal. Each dish is prepared separately and relished altogether with each course of the meal complementing the other, not becoming part of one dish.

When you throw everything together the market is so fragmented that it is hard for anything to survive because the scale of each is so small.

Well said Rover, you are absolutely correct in the fact that each of our areas should strive to develop that which makes them unique. Midtown has its own feel to it just as Paseo is completely different than Deep deuce, and we want it to remain that way.

[Spartan]

True, but OKC no longer has anything remotely near an African American business district anymore. The Walnut Street Baptist Church is one of the few vestiges left over from that.

[Platemaker]

True, but OKC no longer has anything remotely near an African American business district anymore. The Walnut Street Baptist Church is one of the few vestiges left over from that.

??? NE 23rd ??? MLK ???