OCCC Capitol Hill Center

[Spartan]

This building could have just as easily been demo'd. HP is always a winner, every time.

[Chitty]

What's the timeline for this project?

[Pete]

It's under construction.

I would guess about another year.

[shawnw]

That is surprisingly cool

[ljbab728]

I love the rooftop space. As far as I know, that is totally new for Capitol Hill.

[bchris02]

I really like it. Capitol Hill has so much potential.

A few questions I have about the area.

1) Why do they call it Capitol Hill being so far from the state Capitol?
2) What direction should the district eventually go?
3) How are the surrounding neighborhoods and how will they come into play when it comes to revitalizing the district?

[KayneMo]

^ Regarding question no. 1, I found this excerpt from a NewsOK article:

"In 1900, B.R. Harrington purchased 160 acres from a woman named Tryphosa Boyd, one of the first settlers to come to the Oklahoma City area in the 1889 Land Run. Harrington had plans for the land to be the home of the state Capitol. In 1904, Capitol Hill was incorporated as a town; six years later, it was annexed into Oklahoma City. The district joined with $12,000 and a population of 2,500. Across the North Canadian River from downtown, Capitol Hill was a successful commercial district for many years but had declined significantly by the 1960s and '70s. Over the last two decades, Capitol Hill received $14.8 million in public and private investment."

Oklahoma City neighborhoods: A brief history of ? Capitol Hill | News OK

I didn't know Capitol Hill was a separate town at one point, very interesting!

[SouthSide]

Capital Hill used to be a separate city. I believe it was established around 1900.

[hfry]

Someone far older and more informed than I will probably know but I believed it's named Capitol hill because as one of the highest areas in the city it is where many expected the Capitol to go once we stole it from Guthrie and it was in the naming and rouse that they put it east of downtown instead.

[Pete]

Took this Sunday:

[HOT ROD]

bring on the students, life, to Capital Hill.

[Mr. Cotter]

I'm glad to see OCCC growing. I've enjoyed this series on "The Takeaway" about community colleges: Community College Challenge

[Pete]

Have I mentioned how much I love Capitol Hill?

That area from Western east until you get to the main business district and then over to Robinson -- including Mount Saint Mary -- has as much potential as any place in OKC.

With the Wheeler District getting fired up and the streetcar sure to come, that area is likely to see big change, but not for a while.

[Pete]

This really turned out super sharp and makes a world of difference in the old Capitol Hill commercial district.

Interior finish still on-going.

[OKC2017]

hello.

I recently drove through the capitol hill area and saw some changes from a few months ago.
first off, there used to be a local super market called 'bravo ranch' on the corner of sw 25th and walker
that went out of business and remained closed for a while. recently a new sign has gone up and it looks
like work is being conducted in the interior. i've heard rumors it is close to re-opening again shortly.

i also saw construction activity on the yale theatre. i also spoke for a few minutes with a local resident and
heard rumors about several properties along sw 25th being sold recently to investment/development groups.

i wonder if there is any real strategy for the redevelopment of this district or is it just a bunch of individualistic
and scattered minor efforts here and there? i keep hearing about all the potential the area has and i believe it,
but if so then why are there still so many vacant properties? one would imagine everyone wants to hop on to
the next wave of development in the city core.

[shawnw]

See the Yale thread: http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...highlight=yale

[shawnw]

I don't know if Capitol Hill has an ED like the other districts, but if not, doing that would go a long way in helping with the vision of the area... IMO would have to be a local with a passion and vision for the area...

[OKC2017]

please excuse my ignorance, but what is ED?

[Pete]

please excuse my ignorance, but what is ED?

Executive Director.

[OKC2017]

Executive Director.

thank you.

for what i've read in the news there is a BID group making the effort to put capitol hill on the map.
according to sources the group is lead by a gentleman named randy king.
from what i've heard the two biggest stake holders in the area are UPTOWN DEVELOPMENT GROUP LLC and TRADESHARE LLC
who are both property owners, developers and are planning significant renovation efforts in the short term. according to a talk
i had recently with a local resident the properties along the sw 25th corridor are actually in demand and many people are buying
and selling. the actual investment and transformation part is still at an early stage and seeing very gradual, slow process.
OCCC is perhaps the biggest investor in the area to date and now that the yale theatre group has hopped on board perhaps others
will begin following suit. personally i think that with the new super market, the yale, occc and maybe four or five more significant
building renovations the area will move into a more dynamic stage of urban/commercial redevelopment.

[Spartan]

This project looks amazing. Hopefully the building next door sees some new activity next.

[Pete]

[HangryHippo]

That looks very nice.

[OKC2017]

is this already open and functioning? i read somewhere that it would open this past spring,
but then i heard this fall. I wonder exactly what classes you can take there.
i think i would enroll in one class just to try it out.

[Pete]

is this already open and functioning? i read somewhere that it would open this past spring,
but then i heard this fall. I wonder exactly what classes you can take there.
i think i would enroll in one class just to try it out.

Yes, they have been open and operating for a while.

Here is a link with all the info and course offerings:

http://www.occc.edu/capitolhill/index.html