Union Station

[dankrutka]

Union Station is also a walk through the park to a streetcar stop that provides access to thousands of parking spots. Heck, maybe people could even get there without a car.

[boilerup35]

There's a thousand spot parking garage two blocks away. It would be ridiculous to try to add parking here for this. No one should reasonably expect to park front door en masse at an urban park.

No high end event is going to make their guests/donors walk 2 blocks in Oklahoma. In a bigger city your argument would be valid. Valet parking would also be very slow if they have to park 2 blocks away

[Sooner.Arch]

Lol. Literally laughing at the argument that there isn't enough spots. There's tons of parking, even the whole park is surrounded by parking spots. You can park by the convention center and walk through a beautiful park. People need to stop worshipping their cars. And there's no difference in our city vs a big city, especially since that entire area is clean, safe, and well lite. This argument of " there won't be enough parking" is like creating something out of nothing. You are surrounded by parking....

[Canoe]

I wonder if the city could have taken the extra funds and completed the lower sissortail park instead. Then I am sure COPTA could have rented the existing place to the private sector for them to upgrade and rent out for parties.

I am sure there was a good reason this approach was not chosen. I will laugh if someone says no private firm would rent it out if it didnt have parking.

I just think the private sector would have had a chance to come up with something more interesting.

[zefferoni]

Kind of off-topic, sorry, but are there currently any plans for that little bit of land south of the convention center parking lot (SE corner of 7th and Robinson)? I know it's been used as construction staging/parking, but am curious if there's been any long term plans made known.

[Pete]

Kind of off-topic, sorry, but are there currently any plans for that little bit of land south of the convention center parking lot (SE corner of 7th and Robinson)? I know it's been used as construction staging/parking, but am curious if there's been any long term plans made known.

No plans as of yet.

The long-term plans for the surface lot are for convention center expansion, so the lot you're asking about may then be surface parking.

[warreng88]

I am curious to see if Tom Elmore has gone on one of his rants on the facebook comments.

[Qwo]

Is there any chance for some sort of noise mitigation being put in along the this stretch of I-40 as projects like this and the park continue to grow? Be it sound barriers, quiet asphalt, or even covering the highway?

[Pete]

Is there any chance for some sort of noise mitigation being put in along the this stretch of I-40 as projects like this and the park continue to grow? Be it sound barriers, quiet asphalt, or even covering the highway?

Very little money is invested in highway noise mitigation in Oklahoma.

I can personally attest, as I live several blocks from I-44 and at times the noise is very loud and it carries a long way in every direction.

Considering this section of I-40 is almost new, I wouldn't expect any further investment any time soon. And yes, the freeway is loud in parts of Scissortail Park.

[baralheia]

I am curious to see if Tom Elmore has gone on one of his rants on the facebook comments.

I mean, the man does have a point - Location aside, the platforms and everything that used to exist at Union Station would have been better than Santa Fe Station in most respects for building a commuter rail/light rail system around, and would have been perfect for the long-proposed passenger train to Tulsa. With the park and everything, it could have been our version of Chicago's Millennium Station.

That said, that train has long since left the station.

However unlikely it may be, I admit I do remain hopeful that someday there might be some role for this grand station to play in a light/commuter/passenger rail future - especially considering the City will have ownership of the property. In the meantime, I absolutely support the current effort to activate the space and ensure - even if not in a transportation role - that this gorgeous building can still continue to have a purpose and serve the needs of the public.

[Plutonic Panda]

From OKC FP:

The plan approved by City Council on Tuesday will fold the hoped for, and now planned, renovation of the space for public and private use will be folded into the MAPS 3 funding and management plan. This will allow MAPS staff to administer the renovation of the space more easily, as well as open funding from extra collections from the MAPS 3 sales tax.

The building will include multi-use spaces for community and private events, in addition to historical interpretive experiences.

The budget for the project is $17.2 million. It was approved as part of the Council’s consent docket, which passed unanimously.

- read more here: https://freepressokc.com/okc-city-co...-station-reno/

[Pete]

^

That's great news.

Union Station is a bit like First National Center: amazing architecture inside and out and almost completely intact, just waiting for a quality renovation. And a place that will knock the socks off many because so few have ever been in it.

Even in its present state, the first time I went in about 10 years ago I was blown away and excited about what it could become.

[Pete]

Here's a quick summary of how things are going to move forward.

The original renovation plan and design have not changed. But now they plan to implement a phased approach, with the first image showing the work they have budgeted under excess MAPS 3 funds. The second image shows the full renovation which will have to come later as revenue is generated by the first phase completion and future funding becomes available.

This seems to be a great way to get the building renovated, open and in use instead of being stuck in limbo indefinitely due to the entire project being so expensive there is no way to make progress.

This building is an absolute treasure and I'll be thrilled when it's open to the public once again, even if that means a lot will still remain to be done.

[Pete]

[Plutonic Panda]

Kinda bummed about that timeline I was hoping for a possible late 2023 or 2024 opening but given your comparison to the First National it must be a complicated project that needs to be carefully done.

[Pete]

The MAPS 3 board (yes, this project is a part of 3, not 4) is set to award design fees to GSB architects so the final design work can commence.

As per the timeline I posted above, the final plans should be ready in the spring with construction starting next fall.

Incredibly excited to see this building come back to life; people are going to be amazed when they see the inside.

[Pete]

Renovation of Union Station set to go forward

The City of OKC has filed a building permit to finally start work on the renovation of the historic Union Station at the south end of Scissortail Park.

The building served as a passenger train station for the Rock Island and Frisco lines from 1931 to 1967. Since rail service ceased, it has sat largely idle.

The exterior of the station has been well maintained and preserved, while the grand and ornate former passenger waiting rooms have been cluttered with cubicles and offices.

Now, using excess funds from MAPS 3, $17 million has been budgeted to refresh the original interior spaces and create an event center and offices.

Plans for the first phase show the two former waiting rooms – the largest being 5,000 square feet and able to accommodate hundreds – being converted to flexible event areas with supporting kitchens and bars.

Future work would include renovating the rear docks into more event space. What had originally been used for U.S. Mail services is now being utilized by Scissortail Park for storage and maintenance items.

Effectively, the north half of the station will be completely renovated with the current funds with the remainder to be performed at a later date.

Construction should start in March of next year and be completed in about a year.

[Jake]

Yay!

[Bullbear]

Happy to see this is starting soon. its our number one pic for possible wedding. fingers crossed

[Pete]

Happy to see this is starting soon. its our number one pic for possible wedding. fingers crossed

Best wishes!

I'm planning my 50-year high school class reunion; not for five more years but already compiling a venues list.

Union Station is going on it and hopefully I can add the Dream Hotel and some others before that date comes.

[Bullbear]

Best wishes!

I'm planning my 50-year high school class reunion; not for five more years but already compiling a venues list.

Union Station is going on it and hopefully I can add the Dream Hotel and some others before that date comes.

Thank you!
first date was at the park so we figured it would be a perfect spot!

[Mississippi Blues]

Happy to see it getting some love. It will be lovely no matter what but it would be fabulous if the floors in the waiting areas could be left as marble (or whatever material) if they are in good enough condition, rather than being carpeted over.

[Pete]

Happy to see it getting some love. It will be lovely no matter what but it would be fabulous if the floors in the waiting areas could be left as marble (or whatever material) if they are in good enough condition, rather than being carpeted over.

They are the original terrazzo and they look to be in good shape; the structures to the right are merely installed on top of the floors:

[Pete]

Here are a couple of more I took about 10 years ago:

[baralheia]

Here are a couple of more I took about 10 years ago:

I am very well aware that the ship has long since sailed... and I do love Santa Fe Station... but man... How absolutely incredible would this place have been if we'd been able to make Union Station the intermodal transit hub instead? It's an absolutely gorgeous building inside and out!

Even though that won't ever happen (unfortunately), I'm exceedingly glad that at least it will be open to the public once again. This place is also on my list for a wedding venue, hopefully, once the renovations are complete.