Fordson Hotel (formerly 21c Museum Hotel)

[skanaly]

This from ��about a week ago��

[Pete]

^

Wow, had no idea they had done so much demolition to those metal buildings to the south.

That whole area will soon start to look very different, just due to the cleanup.

[pkirk]

Driving along the Classen side of the building, you can see in. The first floor has been completely cleaned out.

[Pete]

They just opened their fourth 21c in Durham.

The building is very similar to the one in OKC and this video gives you an idea of how ours will turn out:

[Pete]

From https://twitter.com/dtOKCbuilds. Great to see all the lights on.

[Roger S]

Yeah... It looked really cool when I arrived at work at 6:00 this morning.

[Spartan]

This is going to be the coolest project when finished.

I'd be curious to actually take a step back and look cumulatively at Albert Kahn's works as they are in 2015. This one may be fairing better than most, but there have also been some really, really cool rehabs.

[Plutonic Panda]

3/28/2015

[skanaly]

How do you get these shots..haha

[Plutonic Panda]

There was a hole in the window and I was able to stick the camera part of my phone in far enough to get it. :P

[Pete]

That's a great photo.

It also illustrates how much work it's going to take to convert that building into a luxury hotel.

Because they had so much manufacturing equipment and heavy parts on the upper floors, those columns had to me massive. Will be very interested to see how they design the interior spaces around them. I'm sure they'll find a creative way to do so.

[Plutonic Panda]

Renovations continue at Fred Jones building in Oklahoma City | News OK

[Pete]

Went by there quickly today and the who place is gutted and most or all the slab foundation is torn out.

Tons of work to do but they are really getting busy now.

[David]

Drove by Monday night on my way home, it really is great seeing it lit up. It's amazing how much difference that makes compared to no lights, even with no other visible exterior work.

[Urbanized]

Cue somebody to start arguing with me, but casement windows are magical in a historic structure. The default position should AWAYS be to retain them.

[Spartan]

Agreed wholeheartedly. Surely they are preserving them?

[Pete]

Agreed wholeheartedly. Surely they are preserving them?

The are being replaced with replicas.

[traxx]

Cue somebody to start arguing with me, but casement windows are magical in a historic structure. The default position should AWAYS be to retain them.

Agree.

I know some of it's necessitiy, but the old buildings around town that have been refurbished lose a bit of their historic charm with the new, large, plateglass windows.

[SoonerFP]

So is it cost that prevents keeping the casement windows? Building code changes?

[TheTravellers]

So is it cost that prevents keeping the casement windows? Building code changes?

Inefficiency of the old windows is most likely a big part of it.

[Rover]

There are lots of reasons for not using casement windows in commercial buildings. Open windows creates all kinds of problems for a HVAC system, particularly when it comes to humidity control. To properly control fresh air and proper conditioning, filtration, etc. when random windows can be open can be difficult, depending on the HVAC system type and sophistication.

Also consider that open windows in a hotel could be a safety issue. They would have to be restricted as to opening amount.

[Urbanized]

Weld the windows shut. Problem solved.

Regarding inefficiency of the windows if all remain closed, that is a dramatic overstatement, promoted in part by people who want to sell new windows. If single-pane, the individual lights can be replaced with more efficient double glazing. Very little energy is passed through the steel frames, and additional insulation around them can make updated original casements very comparable with new windows. Retaining the old windows also is a greener approach, as there is a carbon cost in production and transportation. If you amortize that cost across the century life of those windows to date, it is exceptionally low. But when you bring in new windows, your project becomes LESS green, no matter the incremental energy savings.

It's unfortunate, but very often windows are replaced at great expense, mostly out of ignorance.

[10 on Tuesday] 10 Things You Should Know About Retrofitting Historic Windows - PreservationNation Blog

[Jersey Boss]

Also consider that open windows in a hotel could be a safety issue. They would have to be restricted as to opening amount.

FWIW, I stayed at the AMBASSADOR in March of this year, and the windows in my room opened all the way. There was a stop installed that you could pull that would allow the windows to fully open.

[jccouger]

I stayed at the US Grant in San Diego recently. It had old windows and they opened up. And it was soooo lovely to let the fresh air in. I'll take that over the recycled 'balanced' air of a forced air system, any day.

Its hard to beat San Diego's air lol

[Just the facts]

Trying to think back, but I have stayed in very few hotels that the windows didn't open and most had giant glass doors leading to a balcony that would create an opening 4' X 7'. In Paris we slept with the windows open every night because the heater made the room too stuffy.