Lesson Learned this week

[yukong]

While I have always bemoaned the nearsightedness of many OKC leaders, past and present regarding the historic treasures that have been lost, and those about to be lost.…I fully realized the sadness of that nearsightedness these past three days. I have been in Portland, Oregon, attending a conference. This afternoon I was finally able to really meander about town for a few hours just exploring this beautiful city. And the things I learned really saddened me. I'm sitting in my hotel room now pondering what I have learned.

I realize there are many differences between Portland and OKC. I realize the metro area of Portland is quite a bit larger than OKC. I realize the city is older and situated on two beautiful rivers, surrounded by mountains and gorgeous scenery. But what Portland has done…that OKC has not done…is they have saved and re-purposed their historic buildings. At the expense of large, glass towers…Portland has saved their historic buildings. The hotel where I am staying was the old Lipman and Wolfe Department store. A beautiful building that is now a beautiful boutique hotel. Another historic building is now a Macy's and several other stores. Another is a multi floor Target store. Several are hotels of nearly every banner. Hotels we have in OKC, but they are in old historic buildings and not new fake stucco cookie cutter buildings. Most all the buildings in Portland are older buildings that have been restored and house businesses, hotels, restaurants, stores and housing. In the Old Town section, there is one large 5 or so floor building that houses a branch of the University of Oregon. Many of the old buildings are from the early part of the century. This building was constructed in 1912-17 area. But most are not any older than many of the ones we tore down. And this is a great walking city. Just so much to see walking around. Old theaters still being used as theaters or live production venues. Parks every few blocks. And food trucks/trailers in several places. Nearly every vacant lot…has food trucks parked around the perimeter of the lot and they are quite busy during lunch. We ate at the food trucks every day. There were dozens. One whole city block was ringed with food trucks. And I love the Max light rail system. Makes me excited about our coming street cars. I just hope we extend them further out from the downtown area.

I realize we have a bit of that in Bricktown…but think about it…a boutique hotel in the Baum building? What a great place that would be. The Criterion theater hosting live music and movies. The Midwest theater doing the same. Housing in the Black hotel. Housing or a hotel in the Biltmore. That would be so sweet. I could go on and on but I know you get what I'm saying.

I just walked around this city thinking what could have been for OKC if our leaders had realized the treasures we had/have. And it saddens me more to realize we are about to tear down several more great old treasures. Don't tell me they are functionally obsolete. You could have said the same about the old Lipman and Wolfe Department Store. But now…it's a great boutique hotel that is quite popular and quite pricy.

Really the only thing Portland has that I'm glad we don't have is the huge population of homeless. I was amazed how many homeless there were here. And what was surprising was the vast majority are young people. 20-somethings. There are thousands of them. Nearly every street corner has several congregated or camping out. I walked down to the river park, and on the walking trail along the river I found 25-30 camped out under a bridge. I asked the Doorman at the hotel about the many homeless and he said it was a situation that has gotten out of hand because of the long-time acceptance of the problem by the city leaders here. It was somewhat sad. Especially when he told me that may come from out of state because of tales of how fun it is to live on the streets in Portland. They come…get addicted to drugs and then become a nuisance. It was sad seeing kids digging through the trash cans at the park by the food trucks to find un-eaten food. We gave one our leftovers. Most of them are nice enough…but they are a blight on this beautiful city.

Anyway…I just felt the need to vent. I see these great old buildings and think of what could have been if out leaders had exercised the same foresight and restraint as it regarded the fabulous old palaces we had in OKC. And it saddens me that we are continuing to repeat the same mistakes.

[Just the facts]

I enjoyed reading your first hand account. Even though I am a suburban dweller (for now) here in Jax, I go to downtown at least 2 times a week and walk; not for exercise but as a tourist in my own city. When the city is scaled for walking it makes you want to walk. The homeless population is a relatively recent American phenomena and I could talk about the problem and why it exists for hours. If you are interested in that subject you can read up on "mainstreaming" and the problems it created.

[Urbanized]

Yes, Portland is nearly unique in its awesomeness vs the rest of the U.S.. Every bit as much as HP played a role, so did land use and planning (and topography). One of the main differences is that while most cities "saved" their empty/derelict/underutilized old buildings, Portland never really stopped using theirs. It's much easier to preserve buildings and neighborhoods that have benefitted from continued use and maintenance.

The massive homelessness population is also pretty peculiar to that city. The two things are not closely intertwined, however.

[bchris02]

I completely agree with this. Portland is an amazing city and is the envy of a lot of cities today. Austin tries to be Portland but Portland is the real deal. It's a huge magnet for twentysomethings but unfortunately too many of them who go there end up on the streets.

In terms of comparison to OKC, I don't think the two cities could be any more opposite. Urban renewal wasn't unique to OKC, but the saddest part is by 2015 most cities have learned from their mistakes and are revitalizing what historic stock they have left. OKC is still tearing stuff down for parking. It's not like everything they are wanting to build could not be build on surface parking or empty lots. One poster here (KayneMo?) made an image that showed how the entire 499 Sheridan proposal could be built without demolishing a single structure. Developers and leaders in this town have no vision beyond the bottom dollar and what is best for the big corporate CEOs here and now. If different decisions would have been made back in the early 1960s, OKC today would be a very different place and could possibly be a destination for its history and its vibrancy. It's mindnumbing that civic leaders and developers continue to make the same mistakes they were making 50 years ago, further stripping OKC of its character and identity.

[jccouger]

Another city that seems to be experiencing a boom in homelessness is Denver. I think it has a lot to do with the same reasons for Portland's homeless problem. It gained a reputation for being a fun place to be homeless AKA easy access to drugs.

Its kind of too easy to ignore the homeless problem. Sure you have to see them on the corners begging for money & food, but really more people are just annoyed by it so they don't feel bad for them. Its getting out of hand now though, its something we need to figure out & start to solve because whatever we are doing now is not fixing anything. Its not even a band-aid at this point. Poverty, mental illness & drug addiction has hit our country hard over the last decade & its a problem we can no longer ignore.

Hell, nearly a quarter of the American population that HAS shelter is 1 missed pay check away from being homeless themselves.

[Pete]

One of the main differences is that wile most cities "saved" their empty/derelict/underutilized old buildings, Portland never really stopped using theirs. It's much easier to preserve buildings and neighborhoods that have benefitted from continued use and maintenance.

This is really the key point in any American city that has preserved a good deal of it's historic building stock.

The reasons cities (like OKC and many others) cleared full blocks was because the people and businesses left and they felt the only way to get them back was remove largely rotted sections. It happened in every U.S. city to a greater or lesser extent and in my research I've come to believe that what happened in OKC was pretty typical, it's just we are all much more aware of it, and then the 80's caused the brakes to go on for about 25 years leaving the scars longer than some other towns.

I think it's a false perception that misguided bureaucrats are responsible for most urban renewal. The responsible parties are the car and oil companies and government polities which all fueled the rapid expansion of the suburbs post WWII. The unique racial tensions of the 50's and 60's in the U.S. were another big contributor to many leaving the cities for tract homes and independent school districts. The massive highway building and lack of investment in public transportation kept the sprawl momentum going in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

I posted aerials a while back that showed Midtown after all the urban renewal demolitions (late 60's) and it was still a dense area with few vacant lots. Then by 2000, there were all the huge holes we are still trying to fill. And that was due to decay, neglect and abandonment, not any urban renewal plan.

If you look at other young countries like Australia and Canada where economies were not dominated by car and oil companies (and never had the same racial tensions), they never went through their leave-the-city phase. They are both bigger geographically that the U.S. with far less population, yet their cities are much more dense and generally have great public transportation.


Now, as for the more recent decisions around demoing buildings and building infrastructure in cow pastures around OKC, that's a different matter and despite all our gains is a serious black eye on our leadership and planning.

[SOONER8693]

I completely agree with this. Portland is an amazing city and is the envy of a lot of cities today. Austin tries to be Portland but Portland is the real deal. It's a huge magnet for twentysomethings but unfortunately too many of them who go there end up on the streets.

In terms of comparison to OKC, I don't think the two cities could be any more opposite. Urban renewal wasn't unique to OKC, but the saddest part is by 2015 most cities have learned from their mistakes and are revitalizing what historic stock they have left. OKC is still tearing stuff down for parking. It's not like everything they are wanting to build could not be build on surface parking or empty lots. One poster here (KayneMo?) made an image that showed how the entire 499 Sheridan proposal could be built without demolishing a single structure. Developers and leaders in this town have no vision beyond the bottom dollar and what is best for the big corporate CEOs here and now. If different decisions would have been made back in the early 1960s, OKC today would be a very different place and could possibly be a destination for its history and its vibrancy. It's mindnumbing that civic leaders and developers continue to make the same mistakes they were making 50 years ago, further stripping OKC of its character and identity.

Every opportunity to take a shot at and badmouth OKC. Soooo predictable. Change it up once in a while, just for the entertainment value for the other posters.

[zookeeper]

Excellent post, excellent rebuttals, but right now in OKC we have few mid-century structures left downtown -- and they're on the table as we speak.
Which is where Pete's last sentence comes into play.

[Laramie]

We can't resurrect the dead.

Let's preserve the few structures we have left; think of some creative uses in which we can blend the historically old with the new.

[Spartan]

Historic buildings gain authentic character over time as they are lived in. OKC is just suppressing uniqueness.

[White Peacock]

Good observation, OP. I used to live in Portland, and the constant refreshing of old buildings (as opposed to razing and rebuilding) is part of what gives the city its character.

The biggest problem I have with OKC is its absolute lack of walkability. In Portland, you can go to any of their districts, park your car where you can find as pot, and walk for hours as each district is loaded with destinations. You can park in the Hawthorne district and hit up a number of cafes, restaurants, record stores, clothing shops, and various other specialty shops, and you'll be occupied all day. Same is true for the Belmont district, Pearl district, downtown, etc. OKC's districts, if they have the park-and-peruse kind of setup, they lack the scale of a Portland district, and if they have the scale of a Portland district, they lack the make-a-day-of-it setup that Portland's areas seem to have just developed organically. The closest in atmosphere to a PDX district would be our Plaza district, but it's like a miniature version.

Bricktown is almost entirely a place to eat food and get drunk. There's not much reason to go there beyond that. The Asian district is somewhat properly themed, but really disjointed and again, doesn't offer much more than a million places to eat. I live in what I recently learned is called the Windsor District. I love living in the area, but I've never even considered that one might call it a 'district' since there's really nothing to tie the area together, thematically, that warrants such a distinction. It's a forced conversion to a type of environment that the area wasn't preinclined to become, and I'm not sure things like that work very well usually. That's always been my biggest complaint about OKC's renaissance; it's largely inorganic. Portland's neighborhoods don't feel engineered or designed by a council.

And don't get butt-hurt; I'm not bashing OKC. I think we're on a good track, but it's going to take a while before it feels entirely authentic. And I really think we need to do a lot more to encourage independent business owners to set up shop instead of trying to attract chains.

[Spartan]

I am usually the king of blunt remarks on OKC, but just wanted to say I think the Plaza District is still underrated. There is now vibrancy on a lot of the side streets north AND even south of 16th, which when included, are on par with a Portland hotspot. Most of the housing stock around it has now been renovated in conjunction with 16th Street's resurgence, and it also connects to Carey Place (one of OKC's coolest streets).

I think there, we should "just add streetcar" ... West-Northwest OKC is still vastly underrated, and I predict will evolve more organically like South Austin or Portland.

[Pete]

There is more housing coming for the Plaza area.

Some projects that will be announced soon plus tons of smaller infill.

I agree, if anything it's underrated as an urban district and there is more to come.

[bchris02]

The Plaza district and the Paseo are currently the most organic and "finished" districts the city has. Those districts are underrated while I believe Midtown is overrated (with the exception of on H&8th nights). I think Western Avenue has the potential to join it once the streetscape and placemaking is complete. Very cool area.

Film Row has tons of potential as well but needs a strong catalyst to kick things off.

[Spartan]

The Plaza district and the Paseo are currently the most organic and "finished" districts the city has. Those districts are underrated while I believe Midtown is overrated (with the exception of on H&8th nights). I think Western Avenue has the potential to join it once the streetscape and placemaking is complete. Very cool area.

Film Row has tons of potential as well but needs a strong catalyst to kick things off.

Have you really done a night of bar hopping in Midtown? When you talk specifics and think about it, Midtown really has a ton of stuff. I spent New Years there actually. Had dinner at Packard's (only place we could get reservations, strangely), walked down and showed people the Hanging Staircase and lights on Broadway, then had a drink at the Iguana, drove (sadly) over to a friend's apartment in the Seiber, later went over to McNellie's, then finished at Dust Bowl.

I could have done any combination of a dozen more things. I now have friends in the Seiber, the Guardian, The Edge, and SoSA. Tried having bfast at Waffle Champion but the wait was over an hour. Midtown is getting decent, but it's so incredibly spread out still. More infill coming, plus the streetcar, and then it will be an urban district to behold.

[Pete]

10th Street will soon look like this in a line:

Sidecar
Broadway 10
Bleu Garten
R&J Supper Club
Fassler Hall
Dust Bowl
McNellies
Cafe do Brasil
O Bar
Louies

Plus 1492 and Stella.


That's pretty strong and we still have a bunch more infill to come.

[Spartan]

If you're not sold on OKC, go have a few Caipairinhas (sp? rum and sugar limeade) on the rooftop deck at Cafe do Brasil. It's a phenomenal view and experience. I imagine the O Bar has a good view, too.

[bchris02]

If you're not sold on OKC, go have a few Caipairinhas (sp? rum and sugar limeade) on the rooftop deck at Cafe do Brasil. It's a phenomenal view and experience. I imagine the O Bar has a good view, too.

I agree. I think O Bar is one of the best bars in OKC honestly. In terms of Midtown being overrated, I am speaking strictly in terms of being a complete, organic urban district like in Portland (or many other cities). Midtown is still very much an emerging district. In 5-10 years (probably closer to 5), as long as development doesn't stall out, I think it will be second only to Bricktown and will even be better in a lot of ways. It isn't there yet though. The Plaza and the Paseo have that feel already in 2015.

If I was showing somebody OKC for the first time and wanted to paint a good picture, I would start with dinner at Empire, maybe go to Oak and Ore. I would walk the Plaza strip and then neighborhood directly north of it which is one of OKC's greatest hidden gems. After that, I would go walk the Paseo and maybe have a drink at the Pump Bar afterward. About 11pm or so I would hit up O Bar in Midtown and then from there end the night in Bricktown or Deep Deuce.

[Spartan]

That's a ton of ground to cover. Better to concentrate your evening in one walkable area, especially if drinking is involved. OKC will have arrived when all of these areas are connected by streetcar. An added benefit of high level transit service is that when the streetcar is 8 minutes away from OCU, someone is likelier to just walk to the Paseo because it really isn't much farther. This kind of infrastructure is unique as a pedestrian extender.

[Teo9969]

Drove around in Downtown Raleigh tonight for the first time…mmmaaaaannnn

As Raleigh-Durham isn't SO much bigger than OKC (considering that it's 2 major urban centers instead of just 1), I think it's a reasonable place to compare, and even comparing it to the very little that I remember of Austin, I just couldn't believe how rock solid it felt in the little area I was.

[HangryHippo]

I don't recall being that impressed by Raleigh, but it's been awhile since I was there. What did you find rock solid?

[adaniel]

Seconded. Unless a lot has changed since I was there visiting family back in 2008 (and I doubt it since there was a major recession between then and now), I was not impressed at all with their DT area. Although I will add the Research Triangle as a whole is a very nice area, its just "multi polar" and not downtown-centric.

[bchris02]

Seconded. Unless a lot has changed since I was there visiting family back in 2008 (and I doubt it since there was a major recession between then and now), I was not impressed at all with their DT area. Although I will add the Research Triangle as a whole is a very nice area, its just "multi polar" and not downtown-centric.

Raleigh, like Charlotte, has continued to grow quite briskly even through the recession. Being that RDU's economic is a lot more tech focused as opposed to banking, they had it easy during the recession compared to Charlotte. I prefer Charlotte's downtown, skyline, and vibe but Raleigh is a nice city. Raleigh is a bit younger and more progressive like Austin. I would say they are easily ahead of OKC in about every possible way. With that said, they aren't directly comparable. The Raleigh-Cary and Durham-Chapel Hill are separate MSAs but they function like DFW. The population of the urban region is 2 million so it is peers with places like Charlotte, Austin, Kansas City, and Denver.

[Spartan]

Raleigh is way more sprawly and newer as a whole. But they have embraced urban infill recently.

[SOONER8693]

Raleigh, like Charlotte, has continued to grow quite briskly even through the recession. Being that RDU's economic is a lot more tech focused as opposed to banking, they had it easy during the recession compared to Charlotte. I prefer Charlotte's downtown, skyline, and vibe but Raleigh is a nice city. Raleigh is a bit younger and more progressive like Austin. I would say they are easily ahead of OKC in about every possible way. With that said, they aren't directly comparable. The Raleigh-Cary and Durham-Chapel Hill are separate MSAs but they function like DFW. The population of the urban region is 2 million so it is peers with places like Charlotte, Austin, Kansas City, and Denver.

Shocker.