OG&E Tower

[Dubya61]

Again, the time to save it was a generation ago. The last real chance to save it was during P180/Devon TIF. In retrospect it never resonated with a champion who had enough horsepower, and we never brought the right mechanism to bear.

I still don't agree that it required tax dollars. Only earlier intervention. This problem should have been solved in the seventies or eighties. Any time an architectural fight is done in the eleventh hour it generally is a losing battle and ALWAYS costs the preservationists political capital.

So, lets finally learn this lesson. Now what? What can we do NOW to prevent this to other buildings? Do we have any buildings in OKC now that we can save (even though they aren't presently in danger)?
Please (not necessarily directed at Urbanized) don't take this down the "ripping-our-garments-and-wailing-and-gnashing-of-teeth-our-city-sucks-because-we-already-I.M.Pei'd-everything" road. I know about the Baum and the Biltmore, etc. I just wanted to know what we have now that might require some future salvation.

[Spartan]

Dubya - look to Core 2 Shore. There is still a lot left down there that we will end up replacing with suburban styled office parks given the emerging comps. The boulevard scenario is scary. SW 3rd could be the next Plaza District.

Does anybody think the Overholser Mansion cash flows? The Oklahoma Governors Mansion? The Round Barn in Arcadia? Marland Mansion in Ponca City? Frank Phillips' home in Bartlesville? Price Tower? Robie House in Chicago? Taliesin West? They are preserved because they are important places for one reason or another. In some cases thanks to the occupant, in some cases thanks to the designer or a movement it embodies.

By the way, as long as I mentioned his buildings, Frank Lloyd Wright designs were/are notorious for leaks, engineering failures and poor function. Wright was famous for forcing design ideas on clients. He made you use his furniture - designed for your house - which was uncomfortable as hell, and made you leave it where he placed it. If you were a patron, you accepted that - even embraced it - as a consequence of owning a building designed by Wright. You valued that you were a part of moving the needle in the world of architecture.

I'm sure that sounds really dumb to some people.

Stage Center was important enough that we should have been recognized locally as such a generation ago and its ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE brought to bear rather than the continuous head-beating-against-the-wall of trying to force theater tickets and little nonprofit organizations to pay for it. We missed as a community and failed on this one. Life goes on.

There is embodied life and energy, too.

[bchris02]

As a taxpayer, I am happy to support things that improve Oklahoma City. We pay for the maintenance of every building the city owns already. I would have been thrilled to see any movement from the city to, for example, create a Children's Museum in the Stage Center. It would have cost a negligible amount of money compared to what we will pay to build and maintain a new convention center, for example.

+1

[bchris02]

I just wanted to know what we have now that might require some future salvation.

The Cox center? Just kidding.

The one area that kind of concerns me as far as possible frivolous demolition is the Bricktown shakeup.

[Spartan]

We also may lose the Walcourt soon.

We should be in open battle with the state GOP over the vacant property registry.

[soonerguru]

We also may lose the Walcourt soon.

We should be in open battle with the state GOP over the vacant property registry.

Too bad all the major donors are supporting the Rs this cycle. Hopefully Dorman will be able to mount a serious campaign.

[BoulderSooner]

Too bad all the major donors are supporting the Rs this cycle. Hopefully Dorman will be able to mount a serious campaign.

Lol

[Pete]

Rainey Williams has applied to close some of the right away around this property. I believe this would allow them to build right up to the sidewalk on the west, north and east sides.

Looks like they are getting closer to starting construction; I bet we see the full plans when Clayco's plans are revealed for the property to the south in early October.

liIntended Use: Mixed Use Commercial office building.
This case is scheduled to be heard at the Planning Commission meeting on September 11, 2014. This closure will allow the applicant to develop the property over which the rights of way run. The existing sidewalk and streetscape improvements will remain.

[betts]

Could we rename this thread? This tower has nothing to do with the Stage Center, except as the author of its demise.

[shawnw]

Block 61 at Stage Center might be a cool name. But then there's Block 42, which makes me wonder if that's why it's named that, due to it's original designation...

[warreng88]

Block 61 at Stage Center might be a cool name. But then there's Block 42, which makes me wonder if that's why it's named that, due to it's original designation...

Block 42 is named that because there are/were 42 units when it was built.

[OKCisOK4me]

How about finding the original plate map and naming it something to do with that?


Sent from my Inspiron 7537 using Tapatalk

[NWOKCGuy]

How about OGE Building.

[OKCisOK4me]

How about Monopolizing Mongerers Building?

[Pete]

I'll change it back to OG&E Tower, which was the original name of this thread.

[metro]

Block 42 is named that because there are/were 42 units when it was built.

I could be wrong, but I believe the Block 42 name was for the legal block name in City Records, not the # of units.

[warreng88]

"Downtown Oklahoma City's first LEED certified project, Block 42, is a residential community consisting of 22 townhomes and 20 condos, or flats." (22+20=42). Not sure about the location, but I guess I always assumed it was because there were 42 units on one block. I could be wrong, it's happened before.

[shawnw]

maybe it's both

[sroberts24]

maybe it's both

Mind Blown!

[windowphobe]

Being the curious soul I am, I asked Grant Humphreys during the 2007 Architecture Tour. There are, indeed, 42 units; but the legal description of the block, as it appeared on an early plat of Oklahoma City, was in fact block 42.

[hoya]

Being the curious soul I am, I asked Grant Humphreys during the 2007 Architecture Tour. There are, indeed, 42 units; but the legal description of the block, as it appeared on an early plat of Oklahoma City, was in fact block 42.

[OKCDrummer77]

Yes way, Ted!

[shawnw]

Nice! And good to know. Thanks!

[BDP]

Just to keep it off topic, I think it's also interesting that the address of the AT&T building is '405'. Not sure if that's total coincidence or is it had something to do with our OKC's area code was assigned.

[shawnw]

They must be using Broadway for their address then instead of McGee because I'm west of them and my address is 333...