Maywood Apartments Phase II

[ChrisHayes]

I don't think it looks TOO bad. Hopefully as they finish up construction on sections of it they'll be adding stuff to the exterior to bring it to life more.

[Anonymous.]

I will try and get photos tomorrow. It is pretty bad, I thought it was just unfinished, but they are getting really close to finishing the exterior and ready to pour concrete soon. And the structure is embarrassing. Sore-thumb roof drains, tiny cloth awnings, and the "historical" aspects of the two razed structures are tucked away and basically invisible.

If you compare it to the renderings, it is hideous. If you compare it to Maywood I, it is a laughable improvement.

I really wish a project like the Metropolitan was in this block. Hopefully across the street, a nicer development takes place - because that is basically the last block left on Walnut for 'I-235 to downtown' exiters.

[Anonymous.]

Only drive-by shots for now:

[Colbafone]

Oh god. It looks like a giant old Eckard Drug Store that would be in Edmond.

[catch22]

Oh my Lord. This is terrible.

[pickles]

Oh my Lord. This is terrible.

It's amazing. I drive past this thing every day and I'm just in disbelief at how bad it is. I can't stop looking at the thing.

[hoya]

I will try and get photos tomorrow. It is pretty bad, I thought it was just unfinished, but they are getting really close to finishing the exterior and ready to pour concrete soon. And the structure is embarrassing. Sore-thumb roof drains, tiny cloth awnings, and the "historical" aspects of the two razed structures are tucked away and basically invisible.

If you compare it to the renderings, it is hideous. If you compare it to Maywood I, it is a laughable improvement.

I really wish a project like the Metropolitan was in this block. Hopefully across the street, a nicer development takes place - because that is basically the last block left on Walnut for 'I-235 to downtown' exiters.

Honestly, I think the Metropolitan is even uglier than this thing.

[HangryHippo]

Honestly, I think the Metropolitan is even uglier than this thing.

That's crazy talk, hoya. I had my doubts based on the renderings, but I think the Metropolitan turned out pretty well - a hell of a lot nicer than Maywood II.

[Pete]

Metropolitan is one of my favorite projects in all of downtown.

The common areas are amazing.

[Teo9969]

Maywood I taught to me to hold all judgement on a rendering with brick as a major exterior material. The quality of brick can make a horrible design (in the rendering) look palatable and can make a quality design (in the rendering) look like...well...this...

[Pete]

[soonerguru]

Metropolitan is one of my favorite projects in all of downtown.

The common areas are amazing.

Love the Metropolitan -- with the glaring exception of the baby poop green accent color. Ugh.

[dankrutka]

I don't by any means think this development looks good - the choice of bricks, color, and awnings are all terrible. However, the balconies, variation (especially on the corners), and retail make it a lot better than Maywood I in my opinion. If businesses are successful in those spaces then I think the whole development will be a bit more palatable. Again, not saying it's good, but I do think it's an improvement over Maywood I.

[_Cramer_]

Blue was a bad awning choice. Just awful.

I would have added something more industrial. Like this:
v

[warreng88]

To quote Deadpool: "What the sh!t?!?!"

[turnpup]

Yeah, the blue awnings just really stand out—in a bad way. The bright colors do a disservice to the building, IMO.

[Pete]

I am actually sitting in Meatball House in Norman this very moment and just talked to chef Andrew Black who is putting in a MB House, La Baguette Express and Chef's Table in this complex.

He said rather than rush, they may not open until after the first of the year.

Don't know if I've mentioned this previously but I've seen all the plans for these restaurants and it's all going to be very high-style and super slick.

I really love this Norman location and in the evenings it turns into a pretty high-energy bar with karaoke and live music. They get big crowds here and Deep Deuce could use a more dynamic bar or two.

[Anonymous.]

Sign is up on the northwest corner of the complex, actually looks pretty nice.

[Pete]

[Chadanth]

Meh. Boring, but it will bring some more bar/restaurant space, so it's a net positive.

Might have preferred the retail spaces on Oklahoma, though.

[dankrutka]

While it leaves a lot to be desired, it's definitely a big upgrade from Maywood I in my opinion. The construction is more varied with balconies and material, and the big win is the somewhat strange (for better and worse) ground level retail.

Do others think this was the best spot for retail? I'm not sure. It's been an area to drive past as cars get on/off 235. But maybe the feel of that area changes with the retail. Oklahoma wasn't ideal either since LEVEL added no retail on Oklahoma, which left it both an afterthought and off the beaten path.

[Chadanth]

While it leaves a lot to be desired, it's definitely a big upgrade from Maywood I in my opinion. The construction is more varied with balconies and material, and the big win is the somewhat strange (for better and worse) ground level retail.

Do others think this was the best spot for retail? I'm not sure. It's been an area to drive past as cars get on/off 235. But maybe the feel of that area changes with the retail. Oklahoma wasn't ideal either since LEVEL added no retail on Oklahoma, which left it both an afterthought and off the beaten path.

Yeah, the lack of planning and standards led to a very disjointed neighborhood.

[Teo9969]

I'm not even sure that it was lack of planning and standards. I just think we didn't know exactly what we were doing. There was a "master plan" awhile back and it resurfaced sometime in the last 12-24 months on this site (I believe this thread)...I remember looking at it and thinking "Really?"

That being said...it's still a fine neighborhood. It's just much more of a residential zone...Every urban city has neighborhoods like Deep Deuce and it has both provided a great learning opportunity and given us some quality developments: aLoft, Brownstones, The Clark building (I think that's the name of the house/office way west on 2nd), the Church law offices. Even accounting for its disappointing nature, Maywood I being the worst development in the area is not that bad. At the end of the day, downtown needs warm bodies to really turn on the heat and start developing quickly, and everything in Deep Deuce accomplishes that without destroying urban fabric.

[Pete]

[wsucougz]

At least it's weird?