$2 million building planned for Automobile Alley
Construction planned for Automobile Alley
By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman
Oklahoma City's Urban Design Committee will review plans today for a $2 million headquarters to be built on Automobile Alley next year for the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
The construction would mark the first new office building along Broadway in at least 40 years. The property, at NW 10 and Broadway, was last occupied by a Kerr-McGee service station and Studebaker dealership but has been unused for decades.
Nancy Anthony, the foundation's executive director, succeeded where many others have failed: convincing Kerr-McGee to sell the property to the organization for $175,000.
"I've had several real estate people smile and say, 'We've been trying to get that piece for the past 15 years, how did you get it?'" Anthony said. "Kerr-McGee was very supportive of us, by agreeing to sell it and working with us on the price."
The designs by architect David Hornbeek show that the building will be two stories high, 18,000 square feet and will feature a brick facade. Construction is expected to start by summer and last about a year.
Dave Lopez, president of Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., applauded the deal, saying NW 10 is becoming a key corridor between St. Anthony Hospital, the Oklahoma Health Center and downtown.
"It will be an anchor for the area," Lopez said. "We had Dave Leland, an urban planning and development expert from Portland, doing a helicopter tour recently, and he said the most critical intersection for downtown is 10th and Broadway."
As the building is on such a critical corner, the designs may prompt some debate at today's meeting.
A staff report on the project, submitted by city planner John Calhoun, reports an oval-shaped plaza at the corner of NW 10 and Broadway may counter guidelines that call for building frontage to abut the entire front property line.
"The guidelines are quite clear that the building line should be all the way across the front and side on corner properties," the report stated. "Under these provisions, a plaza could be located only on the back or middle of the property."
The report also states a corner plaza will have to be considered a significant contribution to the vitality of the streetscape to be exempted from the guidelines.
Other concerns include the use of "EIFS" -- an Exterior Insulation and Finish System, or a type of stucco on the building's plaza colonnades, tower top and window caps. The report notes the material is unacceptable to other Automobile Alley property owners.
Anthony said her organization made the building two stories to fit in with surrounding buildings and hopes the plaza will enhance the gateway into downtown.
"This will be our space to do something to honor the donors we've had over the years," Anthony said.
"We've really tried to make it a strong statement and have something that will be attractive. We're committing to a high level of landscaping with it."
The new headquarters will double the building space and parking of the organization's current home.
"The community spaces are the single biggest addition," Anthony said. "We have 23 employees now, and we'll probably be able to accommodate 35 to 40 in the new space."
Anthony said her foundation likes Automobile Alley because it is central to the city -- near downtown -- yet convenient to volunteers.
Originally Posted by John
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