50 Penn Place

[Pete]

[category=]Office Buildings[/category]
[category=]North[/category]



[toc]no[/toc]

Address: 1900 NW Expresway Status: complete Finish Date: 1973 Floors: 16 Sq. Feet: 184896 Acreage: 10.27 Other:

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[Pete]

New Regent Bank sign up on 50 Penn:

[Mr. Cotter]

It's not a good look, and appears very cheap in person.

[shawnw]

Just when I was finally starting to "accept" the last makeover...

[HangryHippo]

The last few changes to this building have all been poor.

[OkieBerto]

just want to clarify. Is it Regent Bank or Regency Bank?

[ksearls]

Oh the memories!

50 Penn Place Pig Coming Down | News OK

[Pete]

just want to clarify. Is it Regent Bank or Regency Bank?

Regent.

I corrected the typo above.

[Urbanized]

"The swine wouldn't shine..." You crack me up, Kimmy. Kudos for getting additional mileage out of a 20 year old wisecrack, BTW.

[C. B.]

Regent Bank has a retail branch on the first floor opening tomorrow.

[ksearls]

Thank you Urb, some things are timeless. I got more mileage off of that story. I was always successful with pork based stories.

[Bellaboo]

"The swine wouldn't shine..." You crack me up, Kimmy. Kudos for getting additional mileage out of a 20 year old wisecrack, BTW.

Another nightmare about the pig with the big 'S' on it. After OU lost to Arkansas in the Orange Bowl, I was reminded by a Razorback fan that was the 'Hog that ate the Sooner' on top of the building....

[warreng88]

Thank you Urb, some things are timeless. I got more milage off of that story. It was always successful with pork based stories.

Is this the old BOA space around the elevators from Belle Isle?

[bombermwc]

The place is so vacant in the retail area, who's going to notice? The faster they give up on retail and convert that to office space, the better off the place will be. So much wasted space in the mall design....and things the restrooms in the retail area are a joke. I'm not sure what could have been done at 50 Penn to make it LESS likely to thrive as a retail environment.

[sixtninecat]

Does anyone have any pictures of the old neon pigs. i have told my daughter of them and she wants to see

[Plutonic Panda]

Tedford expands office with move to 50 Penn Place | The Journal Record

[Pete]

I walked through 50 Penn Place for the first time in years...

Belle Isle Brewery is open, but not the brewpub which is a big chunk of space. Full Circle Books is still in operation. Both are almost completely accessed from outside entrances.

Besides that, the old Balliet's space hasn't been touched since they moved out many years ago and everything else looks dead/empty or converted to straight office space.

Epic Charter School looks like they take the entire 3rd floor.


In its heyday in the '80s, 50 Penn was the top place in Oklahoma for apparel, with multiple Harold's, Orbach's, Balliet's, Polo, Talbot's and many more. Still very nice on the inside but it made me sad to see the current state.

[barrettd]

I walked through 50 Penn Place for the first time in years...

Belle Isle Brewery is open, but not the brewpub which is a big chunk of space. Full Circle Books is still in operation. Both are almost completely accessed from outside entrances.

Besides that, the old Balliet's space hasn't been touched since they moved out many years ago and everything else looks dead/empty or converted to straight office space.

Epic Charter School looks like they take the entire 3rd floor.


In its heyday in the '80s, 50 Penn was the top place in Oklahoma for apparel, with multiple Harold's, Orbach's, Balliet's, Polo, Talbot's and many more. Still very nice on the inside but it made me sad to see the current state.

I got my vaccinations at Epic a month or so ago, which led me inside 50 Penn for the first time in many years. I remember my mom taking me shopping for special occasion clothes there when I was very young. You're right, it used to be very active with nice stores. If I recall correctly, Williams-Sonoma was at 50 Penn before moving to Penn Square.

Weird to see it in its current state.

[ksearls]

In its heyday in the '80s, 50 Penn was the top place in Oklahoma for apparel, with multiple Harold's, Orbach's, Balliet's, Polo, Talbot's and many more. Still very nice on the inside but it made me sad to see the current state.

I used to be the Marketing Director at 50 Penn Place when all the stores were there - also Old School, Ann Taylor, Williams Sonoma, Mondi, and of course Rt. 66 which is still there! The brewery upstairs is still open, has live music and seems to be doing well. And the restaurant downstairs is open too and actually the food is great. I always forget to go there!

When we took the pigs down off of the building I threw a huge party - the 50 Penn Pig Out Party - it was fun. I served whole roasted pig. When they delivered it looked like it had been shot between the eyes. I put sunglasses and a 50 Penn hat on it! Problem solved!

[barrettd]

I used to be the Marketing Director at 50 Penn Place when all the stores were there - also Old School, Ann Taylor, Williams Sonoma, Mondi, and of course Rt. 66 which is still there! The brewery upstairs is still open, has live music and seems to be doing well. And the restaurant downstairs is open too and actually the food is great. I always forget to go there!

When we took the pigs down off of the building I threw a huge party - the 50 Penn Pig Out Party - it was fun. I served whole roasted pig. When they delivered it looked like it had been shot between the eyes. I put sunglasses and a 50 Penn hat on it! Problem solved!

I miss the pigs.

[HOT ROD]

Kim, very nice to know. So do you think 50-Penn can make a comeback with Oak coming onboard and Penn Square assuming a more traditional regional mall focus not to mention the upcoming transit and pedestrian improvements in the immediate area?

I too miss our "galleria" mall but think it has so much potential still if in the right hands. ..

[ksearls]

So do you think 50-Penn can make a comeback with Oak coming onboard and Penn Square assuming a more traditional regional mall focus not to mention the upcoming transit and pedestrian improvements in the immediate area?

I too miss our "galleria" mall but think it has so much potential still if in the right hands. ..

The entire retail area there was designed as an afterthought and was just never that retail friendly. I think that "galleria" concept is dead and gone; people want to be outside again or at least have the perception of open space. I just think it would take so much money and then how do you do it with a 20 story office tower on top?

[HOT ROD]

maybe Houston has some ideas on how theirs works. We have one in Seattle as well (Westlake Center) that yes the retail is not the same as before it still has a LOT of retail with a office tower on top.

Not saying that these are equal to OKC but could offer some ideas to benchmark from. And I agree that the retail mall would need redeveloping - I personally would expand it and envelope with a glass curtain then you're not locked into a specific design period or customer. From there, carve out restaurant space and destination retail with their own entrance and get upscale boutiques/salon infill inside - that will always be inside right.

I personally think the three (Penn, Oak, 50-Penn) can work and if so would create Oklahoma's true retail destination. We just need vision, investors that care, and the will to make it happen.

[mugofbeer]

I walked through 50 Penn Place for the first time in years...

Belle Isle Brewery is open, but not the brewpub which is a big chunk of space. Full Circle Books is still in operation. Both are almost completely accessed from outside entrances.

Besides that, the old Balliet's space hasn't been touched since they moved out many years ago and everything else looks dead/empty or converted to straight office space.

Epic Charter School looks like they take the entire 3rd floor.


In its heyday in the '80s, 50 Penn was the top place in Oklahoma for apparel, with multiple Harold's, Orbach's, Balliet's, Polo, Talbot's and many more. Still very nice on the inside but it made me sad to see the current state.

Don' forget Sooner Federal. I used to work there, unfortunately, but they had a large space at the west entrance.

[catch22]

I think I have only been in 50 Penn twice. Once to pick up some tickets I won on the radio (remember calling in to shows to win tickets?), I think it may have been for an airshow or a concert at Frontier City. What radio station was up there? KRXO? The other time was to buy a book at Full Circle.

I think the galleria shopping concept is just a relic of times past.

It may just be my memory playing games, but is there a pedestrian walkway underneath to Penn Square that was abandoned? Was that just folklore?