Downtown showroom displays new addition
By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman
Riding his scooter home from work, Chad Huntington abruptly stopped at NW 8 and Broadway to check out Automobile Alley’s newest resident.
The first-floor of the former European Motors Building, 824 N Broadway, has been home to plenty of temporary tenants selling everything from medical smocks to discount items. But in the past month, passersby have been treated to a full screen computer animated clip of the future Block 42 housing project planned for nearby Deep Deuce.
“I definitely did a double-take,” said Huntington, who operates Bricktown’s water taxis and is shopping for a downtown condominium. “It just draws you in.”
That’s just the response being sought by Grant Humphreys, who opened downtown’s first housing showroom last month. At night, the animation, created by Skyline Ink, plays on a 10-foot by 6-foot reverse projection screen in the front window.
During the daytime, the animation can be viewed on a plasma screen inside the showroom - also visible from the sidewalk and street.
Music is piped out onto the front walkway, and once a person goes inside, they first see a mock-up of a bamboo-wood floored living area decorated and furnished by Tulsa-based SR Hughes Interiors.
Humphreys is planning to start construction on the $11 million mid-rise development in March. But he knows that he will be facing competition from other for-sale housing being constructed at the same time - including The Hill at NE 2 and Stiles and The Triangle at NE 3 and Oklahoma Avenue.
“Downtown residential product is something I might have a real clear vision of, and I can see it in my mind’s eye,” Humphreys said. “But to transfer that understanding and vision to someone off the street who might be familiar with downtown but has spent most of their life in the suburbs is a challenge. And you don’t have a product that is finished out.”
The Automobile Alley location, Humphreys said, was ideal for communicating his vision.
“We needed the exposure to the traffic flow, and this space offered that,” Humphreys said.
Huntington is still shopping - he’s renting just north of downtown and is willing to wait and look at all of the upcoming projects. But Humphreys has had a couple other passersby turn into sales - and has presold six of the 42 units, which are priced between $165,000 and $535,000.
Dave Lopez, president of Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., thinks Humphreys’ showroom is just the start of a marketing effort previously unseen in downtown Oklahoma City. He said future efforts will include home tours and cooperative advertising campaigns.
“We’re blessed to have these developers who are innovative in how to market housing,” Lopez said. “What these showrooms do for us is they help us to imagine with more precision what the opportunities for downtown housing are going to be.”
Downtown living update (Block 42, the Classen)
Well apparently someone listened because the entire area has been cleaned up. A local police officer told me they were instructed to patrol the Arts district several times a night. It's been a nice improvement!
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