SoSA District

[Rover]

Spartan, I am intrigued with the steel buildings as residences. All I have ever really seen looks pretty temporary and cheap - like in Montana. Can't say I have noticed in urban areas. Can you post some links to the Houston projects?

[Questor]

This lady's house was recently featured on the MTV show I had mentioned. She is apparently starting up a steel container home company in Kansas City. I love the interior:

http://homeinabox.blogspot.com/2011/...rg-kansas.html


Look through her blog it contains many examples and proposed designs.

[MidCenturyModOKC]

WOW Questor, thats impressive! It takes a bit of imagination and eccentricity to live in an "out of the box" home like that but I think I am both so Game ON!

[Spartan]

Spartan, I am intrigued with the steel buildings as residences. All I have ever really seen looks pretty temporary and cheap - like in Montana. Can't say I have noticed in urban areas. Can you post some links to the Houston projects?

The Fourth Ward in Houston is an area immediately across I-45 from downtown Houston, and just north of Midtown. Midtown has been almost entirely developed with infill, and Downtown continues to see skyscraper and mixed-use development, while Fourth Ward was targeted in a C2S-type way. It used to be run-down New Orleans-style shotgun shacks, whereas today it's all been cleared for large-scale redevelopment in chunks. Link with more info: http://www.tenyearstoclarity.org/?p=492


Proposed Carnegie Vanguard High School anchors planned green square, shown in map above. I think you can certainly notice the steel incorporated into the design of this high school, at the very least as a tactile compliment. ^



Another street of metal urban townhomes in the Fourth Ward (compare to photo I posted on last page).




More photos of the metal townhomes.


New community center in the Fourth Ward.


Different faux-Tuscan style of another large Fourth Ward redevelopment.


More traditional brick loft style of another development linking Midtown to the Fourth Ward.

[MidCenturyModOKC]

Here is a question that I would like to send out to cyber space because I have no experience with it but I would like to know where to start...

I read about a couple in DWELL magazine who bought the infill lot for their container home from their city for $1. It didn't go into detail at all, and I can't find that article again. I guess there are houses/lots (typically with condemned houses or lots of debt like fines or taxes) which the government essentially repossesses and will resell or auction. Does anyone have experience with this or any ideas. Just thought it might be a creative way to get ahold of a lot to build on in Midtown or NW OKC.

[Skyline]

^^ Try searching NE Okc.

[MidCenturyModOKC]

^^ Try searching NE Okc.

Haha, THANKS, but everything I want to do and see is in NW OKC or downtown! I know a $1 or even a $1000 property is a once in a lifetime occurrence. But I love the idea of winning the land lottery!

[Questor]

I would actually be concerned about building on some random land like that for fear that the neighbors would complain and moan about the look of the structure forever.

[Skyline]

Haha, THANKS, but everything I want to do and see is in NW OKC or downtown! I know a $1 or even a $1000 property is a once in a lifetime occurrence. But I love the idea of winning the land lottery!

There are actually a few modern designed homes that are being built on infill lots and they are on the NE side of Okc too.

Also noticed a modern infill project under construction in the 10Penn area and another in the Aurora neighborhood. Again a little rough around the edges type neighborhoods, but the land is cheap.

[One Dot Less Than Nine]

I think Skyline may be referring to the NE8th and Lottie area and also perhaps the house on NW 14th just west of Lincoln

[MidCenturyModOKC]

For those of you who live in this fantastic area, how has crime been? Especially those who have built a home - vandalism? theft? during construction...

I am in no way saying that it doesn't happen everywhere - in fact I live in a very nice area close to Penn Square Mall and Nichols Hills right now and I have recently been broken into and they stole everything - it was a horrible deal, I just wondered about SoSA, I continue to try and find a reasonable lot in this area!

[Doug Loudenback]

I can't speak to SoSA, but I moved from Heritage Hills East (a one block strip from Robinson to Broadway, south of 23rd, north of 13th) about 12-13 years ago. While living in Heritage Hills East (for a time on NW 20th but longer on NW 19th), altogether around 4-5 years, my residence was burglarized and stuff taken about 4-5 times, as I recall (memory is bad). I remember the 1st instance much better than the latter.

But, since my wife and I moved west on NW 19th to Mesta Park, 12-13 years ago, no attempted or accomplished burglaries have occurred to our home. Not one. It might be bad karma for me to write this, and I don't know how it might or might not affect SoSA less than a mile south of where I live, but that is my report.

[dwellsokc]

We moved here from Yukon, where on separate occasions our car, and garage were broken into... I don't want to cause a karma rift either, but we've had absolutely ZERO security issues. Our neighbors had a bathtub stolen during construction... And only occasionally, inebriated street entertainers might pass by, adding to the authenticity that makes SoSA great.

(Incidentally, our home insurance is substantially less costly than it was for our less-valuable house in Yukon!)

[MidCenturyModOKC]

What builders have completed infill homes in SoSA?! I need to get in contact with some options so I can move forward joining this neighborhood! Thanks!

[dwellsokc]

What builders have completed infill homes in SoSA?! I need to get in contact with some options so I can move forward joining this neighborhood! Thanks!

If you have a site, and a design, I can give you some starting points for finding a builder. Contact me offline...

[Bellaboo]

We moved here from Yukon, where on separate occasions our car, and garage were broken into... I don't want to cause a karma rift either, but we've had absolutely ZERO security issues. Our neighbors had a bathtub stolen during construction... And only occasionally, inebriated street entertainers might pass by, adding to the authenticity that makes SoSA great.

(Incidentally, our home insurance is substantially less costly than it was for our less-valuable house in Yukon!)

Dwells, if you don't mind saying, why would your insurance be lower ?

Thanks

[dwellsokc]

Dwells, if you don't mind saying, why would your insurance be lower ?

I really don't have a clue... at first I thought it was because of proximity to a fire department, but both properties are about the same distance.

[Bellaboo]

I really don't have a clue... at first I thought it was because of proximity to a fire department, but both properties are about the same distance.

I know that I recently changed, about 3 years ago, and the new insurance home policy went up (also increased coverage) but the vehicles came down enough for a plus $600 in my favor.

Just wondered - I live in Kingsridge in Yukon.

[dwellsokc]

New project: http://www.freesosa.com/projects.html

[MidCenturyModOKC]

Who's the architect on this project Dwells?

[dwellsokc]

Butzer Gardner...

[Spartan]

New Old House and Morgan residence?

[Spartan]

I think Skyline may be referring to the NE8th and Lottie area and also perhaps the house on NW 14th just west of Lincoln

Right, there are those two streets, as well as at Lincoln and NE 6th ("Lincoln Street House"), and also on Oklahoma and NE 7th.

[dwellsokc]

New project up for approval on 7th Street... Cool. (Wish we could say the same for the one that shares its East property line.)
http://www.freesosa.com/projects.html

[dcsooner]

These residences are very urban! Exactly what is needed in and around DT. very nice