BOK Park Plaza

[PhiAlpha]

Is it just me or does this garage look like the crappy concrete facade Kerr McGee put over the original facade of the India Temple Building?

[G.Walker]

This is Colorado Tower in Austin, 30 stories tall, in which the office space rests atop a 13 story parking garage. Pickard/Hines could easily do something like this for 499 Sheridan:

[UnFrSaKn]

Seems like a good way to maximize the tight space on that block. That would leave one parking garage left for like the general public, which I wouldn't mind the Carpenter Square becoming one as long as they kept the original exterior somehow. Tower parking could be for employees working in the building?

[s00nr1]

This is Colorado Tower in Austin, 30 stories tall, in which the office space rests atop a 13 story parking garage. Pickard/Hines could easily do something like this for 499 Sheridan:

Now that is sexy and far and away better than 499.

[OKCisOK4me]

G. Walker, you made my heart melt for a moment there.

[Head]

Looks like Coney Island will survive. WHEW! I love that place! (really! twice a year!)

[hoya]

Preftakes doesn't own Coney Island. The old guy who runs the place does.

[metro]

Preftakes doesn't own Coney Island. The old guy who runs the place does.

Thank goodness, otherwise we'd probably have seen it torn down as well as the place Preftakes owns next to it.

[UnFrSaKn]

Surprised this wasn't posted last night.

Downtown Oklahoma City development forces balance of progress and past | News OK

[Pete]

Very strange that there is little/no opposition to these demolitions from Preservation Oklahoma or the media.

Also, this is a ridiculous statement. There are still tons of surface lots and non-historic small buildings all over downtown, not to mention plenty of buildings that could easily be renovated or upgraded.

A quarter century ago, downtown was dead. It’s not just revived now — it is growing and is at capacity to accommodate more growth.

[UnFrSaKn]

The "media", meaning people who report these things to the public, probably don't know anything about the Hotel Black or the other buildings. Everyone is too busy with the Holiday season. Aren't there threads on here for all the targeted buildings?

[BDP]

Is it just me or does this garage look like the crappy concrete facade Kerr McGee put over the original facade of the India Temple Building?[/IMG]

It's not just you. This is very much a trade for a style of architecture and development philosophy that we probably won't see again, and is less and less represented in the city's architectural portfolio, for turn key value engineered parking garages.

The thing that strikes me is that throughout the discussion of the fate of this block the last few years many pointed to the importance of this block's location. That no matter what the availability of underdeveloped or undeveloped property that may be left in downtown, this block needed to be converted to a "higher use". But now were being told that it's not even a viable block unless over 50% of it is parking. Basically, parking garages are the higher use this block demands. I am no real estate expert, like Pete, but it seems to me that if a piece of ground is one of the most important in a community, that would demand that it be developed in a way where it's potential return is fully realized. If the only way to do that is convert most of it to parking, how can that be reconciled with the idea that it's one of the most important blocks of real estate in the city? They're either leaving a boat load of potential revenue on the table, or it really isn't that valuable of a block.

[s00nr1]

Very strange that there is little/no opposition to these demolitions from Preservation Oklahoma or the media.

I don't know about that...I'm seeing a lot of info being posted on their FB page about saving them.

https://www.facebook.com/preservatio...589832280745:0

[BDP]

This is Colorado Tower in Austin, 30 stories tall, in which the office space rests atop a 13 story parking garage. Pickard/Hines could easily do something like this for 499 Sheridan:

Even if they kept everything else the same and just put the parking underneath the tower like this, it'd be about 40 stories tall. But I think the biggest boon to the investors would be that they would still have more than half of the property they invested in left for development. I don't know how much more money it would cost to do this, but if I were a principle investor in what has been called one of the most important blocks in the city, I would be salivating over that scenario.

[BDP]

Thank goodness, otherwise we'd probably have seen it torn down as well as the place Preftakes owns next to it.

AND we wouldn't have had Coney Island for the last few years, as they would have been forced out to establish the property as functionally obsolete.

[Steve]

Very strange that there is little/no opposition to these demolitions from Preservation Oklahoma or the media.

Also, this is a ridiculous statement. There are still tons of surface lots and non-historic small buildings all over downtown, not to mention plenty of buildings that could easily be renovated or upgraded.

Downtown in this reference refers to existing building stock, not land, as shown in the overall context of the column.

[G.Walker]

I don't know if they need that much parking, but they could add a few floors to the west garage, and have the office space rest atop of the garage and that would bump the building up to 30+ stories. Then add a couple levels to the north garage. This should accommodate for the spaces they are losing with the garage modifications. By doing this, they could at least save the Union Bus Station, and convert it into a plaza/restaurant space for the public and employees of the tower.

[s00nr1]

I don't know if they need that much parking, but they could add a few floors to the west garage, and have the office space rest atop of the garage and that would bump the building up to 30+ stories. Then add a couple levels to the north garage. This should accommodate for the spaces they are losing with the garage modifications. By doing this, they could at least save the Union Bus Station, and convert it into a plaza/restaurant space for the public and employees of the tower.

Again, not sure if they are using this as a crutch or not, but security concerns could be influencing the decision.

[BDP]

I don't know if they need that much parking, but they could add a few floors to the west garage, and have the office space rest atop of the garage and that would bump the building up to 30+ stories. Then add a couple levels to the north garage. This should accommodate for the spaces they are losing with the garage modifications. By doing this, they could at least save the Union Bus Station, and convert it into a plaza/restaurant space for the public and employees of the tower.

And that would address the specific concern of the DDRC regarding the elementary school being surrounded by parking garages... at least on one corner.

[BDP]

Again, not sure if they are using this as a crutch or not, but security concerns could be influencing the decision.

What concerns are those?

[G.Walker]

Pickard/Hines have a lot of experience, and have developed many office projects, so I am sure they will make modifications to address some issues but not all, but again, you can't please everybody.

[UnFrSaKn]

I don't know about that...I'm seeing a lot of info being posted on their FB page about saving them.

https://www.facebook.com/preservatio...589832280745:0

Preservation Oklahoma has long been concerned over the proposed demolition of numerous historic buildings for the proposed development known as 499 Sheridan. We have demonstrated this concern by including the block on our 2014 list of Oklahoma’s Most Endangered Historic Places. While we applaud the continued economic development of downtown Oklahoma City, we strongly believe the proposed location will result in the irreversible loss of an important part of Oklahoma City’s history.

The block has been determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district for its significance to early Oklahoma City commercial development. Most of the buildings proposed for demolition would be considered contributing resources to the district and the Union Bus Station has been determined eligible for individual listing on the National Register.

Preservation Oklahoma respectfully requests that the DDRC deny the application to demolish these important and irreplacable markers of Oklahoma City's past.

https://www.change.org/p/oklahoma-ci...city-s-history

[Pete]

Preservation Oklahoma posted some things on Facebook but attended the meeting last week and didn't even speak.

They don't seem to pursuing their opposition very vigorously.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Can't be biting the hands that feed you...

[David]

After how thoroughly they got smacked down over their objections to the Sandridge demolitions, I'm not surprised they're keeping their heads down when Devon itself is the company looking to take down a few buildings.