Drinks x Design
We attended this event last night and had a great time. It was neat to see the four architecture firms and to hear about their projects. So many of the awesome things being done right now, or that have been done in recent years here in OKC, are the work product of these folks. You could just sense the pride and love coming from the architects as they spoke about their facilities and their work.
To set off, we boarded a party bus (complete with coolers of beer and cold water) at the OKC Foundation for Architecture offices near 13th and Shartel. The bus was a little cramped but still lots of fun. I mean, how often does one get to ride standing, holding onto a neon pole, right? As the evening progressed and people loosened up a little, it didn't seem as crowded.
Each of the four stops had a restaurant sponsor and a craft beer sponsor. The food and drink were plentiful and we were encouraged to eat and drink as much as we wanted. I'm not much of a beer/ale person, but I absolutely cannot rave enough about the Elagrad Strawberry Tart Ale provided by the Stonecloud Brewing Company. So much so that I'm going to seek it out in the future. Our favorite food stop was the one sponsored by the Pump Bar. Their offerings were Pumpuletta--little pork shoulder, provolone, salami sandwiches--and frito chili pies. All four stops had great food and drink, for sure.
Stop one was ADG, which is located on the west end of the Fred Jones/21C building. Although I've been to the building many times, I had never noticed ADG. Really super-cool use of the space:
Second stop was TAP architecture downtown at 4th and Broadway. Cool second-floor office with an almost art-like set of stairs and open elevator. I should've snapped a picture of it but didn't. They had an enormous aerial photo of the central core of the city on the wall in a conference room, and we enjoyed finding our house.
Stop three was Alford Hall Monaghan Morris on the fourth floor of the historic Rock Island Plow building in Bricktown. As we marveled at the fantastic renovation this building has undergone, I reminisced about how long those windows were boarded up. Now they offer the most amazing views of the city! It was nearing sunset by this time, and we were treated to a beautiful scene with the approaching storm clouds in the distance.
The final stop was Fitzsimmons Architects in the Paseo district. We were welcomed into their "extra" space next to where they house their offices. They had a neat video loop showing a ton of their recent projects. It's incredible how many things they've done.
Afterward, we boarded the bus and it took us back to the OCFA office. We were encouraged to go into the office to get a goodie bag and gourmet cupcake. The bags each had a nice glass and a big coffee/tea mug, plus a water bottle. Cool stuff.
This was the first time they've done this event, and I'd love to see another one. Our hostess said that they were encouraged by the turnout and how everything went, and that hopefully it'd become a tradition. If so, we'll go again!
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