Boathouse Row

[metro]

I agree, it would make much more sense than the "Devon River Cruisers" the city wastes money on. People could get a tour of the river and of the key parts of the city.

[Larry OKC]

There's also some misunderstanding of the intent of the origional design. Every concept that was, did NOT connect the canal to the river. As long as they've walked about it, they planned on them NOT meeting. The elevation change is the #1 reason for that. ...

But what I am mainly talking about is the Canal sections connecting with each other. Think it is obvious (for the reasons you mentioned) that River boats and Canal boats weren't going to run on the other. It was going to be a case where you have a River boat disembarking at the end of the Canal, and then taking the Canal "non-stop" if the rider wished, all the way to the Convention Center (the plan pitched during the original MAPS). For what ever reason, what was pitched seems to have fallen mostly to the wayside.

[ljbab728]

But uh, let's be realistic....how many of us have even taken a river cruise yet? How many tourists even know it's there when they stay on Meridian (and it's of no use to anyone but a Meridian tourist right now...maybe in 30 years when there is more development like the Norick plan, but not now)? So does it even matter? Not really.

I've been on the river cruise and found it to be very interesting and enjoyable. It was a nice afternoon outing combining it with Bricktown.

[metro]

These Walls: Devon Boathouse

By Brianna Bailey
Journal Record
October 1, 2010


A dedication ceremony for the Devon Boathouse will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at 616 SE Sixth St. (Maike Sabolich)

OKLAHOMA CITY – The site of the Devon Boathouse on the Oklahoma River bustled with activity last week as crews of construction workers rushed to ready the $10 million facility for its official christening party on Thursday.

Oklahoma City University’s rowing, canoe and kayak teams are expected to move into the facility sometime this fall.

About 15 Olympic hopefuls are already training in Oklahoma City, drawn to the area because of the Oklahoma River’s burgeoning Boathouse District and the training facilities being built there, said Mike Knopp, Oklahoma City University rowing coach and executive director of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation.

Knopp expects 30 world-class athletes training for the 2012 London Olympics to be using the Devon Boathouse facilities by the end of the year.

“This is a high-performance Olympic facility,” Knopp said. “There’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world.”

Designed by Oklahoma architect Rand Elliott, the boathouse is shaped like the prow of a rowing shell with an angular viewing deck that juts out over the Oklahoma River. Edmond-based Aduddell Development Group has served as developer of the Devon Boathouse.

An indoor rowing propulsion tank that is the only of its kind in the world has already been partially installed at the boathouse. The roughly $400,000 tank will hold an eight-man rowing shell and allow rowers to see their technique from a variety of camera angles on flat-screen televisions. The speed of the running water in the tank can be controlled, allowing for everyone from rowing novices to Olympic-class athletes to use the high-tech piece of equipment, Knopp said.

Devon Energy contributed $5 million to help build the boathouse.

“The Oklahoma River’s rapid development into one of the world’s top rowing venues is something everyone in Oklahoma City can be proud of,” said Wendi Schuur, Devon’s director of public and community affairs. “The Devon Boathouse and its role as a national high performance training center for developing Olympic athletes adds to the river’s stature, and we are excited to be part of that project.”

A dedication ceremony for the Devon Boathouse will be at 6 p.m. Thursday on site at 616 SE Sixth St. The event will feature fireworks, food by Cheever’s, live entertainment and wine from Joullian Vineyards. The event also will mark the beginning of this year’s Head of the Oklahoma Regatta. For information, visit www.blu2010.com.

[Watson410]

Will this ceremony be open to the public? Also, Is it going to be a tour through the boathouse? I personally would really like to take a tour of the place.

[metro]

No, the blu party costs money, it's an annual event, $75pp or $125cpl. You can get more info at the website linked in the article. Having gone in the past, I can highly recommend it.

[bombermwc]

I keep getting the fliers about the event in the mail, but i keep tossing them. They are wanting way too much for someone to just hang out and eat finger food. It's the typical OCU fundraiser event. You generally have a good time and all, but you have to remember that it is a fundraiser. So your money is going to the school, not the event. I'm just not in that crowd I guess.

[Popsy]

I was given a tour of the Devon Boathouse today, including the 2nd floor which I am told will not be open to Blu Party attendees tomorrow night. There is substantial work still to be done before completion, but it will be something fantastic when it is completed.

[OKC@heart]

Very Cool! Did you happen to have your camera with you? I would love to see the interior progress, but understand if you are unable due to work or legal reasons...or if you just didn't have one with you. I am very excited to see the finished results once it is open!

[okclee]

How many saw the river tonight? I drove by I-35 and nearly needed sunglasses the river was glowing for miles! Devon boathouse in blue clad lighting, the river lighted racing lanes, bridges with multi colored lights, and the megawatt stadium type lights all along the river. Very impressive and much more to come in this area too.

[Platemaker]

Outside is beautiful... inside still has substantial work to be done...

[Pete]

Very cool... Thanks Platemaker.


Can't wait to see all that neon (OCU, OU, UCO, Finishing Tower plus race course, signage, etc.) lit up with our skyline in the background.

[Dustin]

Very very cool indeed!

[therondo]

If my memory severs me correctly, the OU Boathouse will have similar lighting effects. I think in the renderings they were red and vertical though. Boathouse row will be absolutely stunning once finished! It's already looking quite impressive!!!!

[Architect2010]

Yup and UCO's would be yellow. Rand creates quite the colorful masterpieces.

[Pete]

Here are some photos from NewsOK.com:

[Pete]

They just launched a new website and recreation program:

http://riversportokc.org/

Lots of really great things, like organized runs and rides, $10 a day bike rental at the CHK Boathouse and free use of cycling computrainers inside the facility.

That area still has so much untapped potential but this is a move in the right direction. Hopefully, it will get more people to the area and get them moving.

[warreng88]

OKC Council plots lighting, wind screen by river
By Brian Brus
Oklahoma City reporter - Contact 405-278-2837
Posted: 05:28 PM Friday, October 15, 2010

OKLAHOMA CITY – City officials expect to spend about $1.5 million to reduce the wind along the Oklahoma River near downtown, they agreed recently.

Illumination is also an issue, at an expected cost of $3 million for a new lighting system to support night races.

The City Council agreed to put the two projects out for bids for professional design services, along with four or five senior wellness centers, as originally intended by the $777 million MAPS 3 temporary sales tax passed last year.

Specific details might not have been identified in some promotional campaign materials leading up to the election, but lights and wind screens were always considered part of the river-improvement package that voters approved, Program Manager Eric Wenger said.

They are listed in the MAPS 3 River Proposals master plan that the City Council, staff and advisory board members used to craft the projects.

“Included in the improvements is a wind screen which will mitigate strong wind conditions that compromise the quality of the river race course,” City Manager Jim Couch said. “Phase I will provide screening along the existing 1,000-meter course.

“The project is being proposed as an early package to accommodate the U.S. Rowing Masters National Championship scheduled for August 2011,” he said. “The wind screen project is intended to enhance equitable wind conditions along the race course and complement the design of other Boathouse District projects.”

Wenger said it’s too early to project what such a wind screen might look like, but it will likely be more elaborate than a simple pole-and-drape arrangement that one might see at a golf driving range. Basic renderings included in the master plan were intended only to suggest the purpose.

“The idea is that it will be more architectural panel-based,” he said. “Some of the early discussions would be that it involve an opaque panel that could receive projections on it as part of the event.

“It will be something that goes through a full engineering design and have the ability to redirect wind over the river, with the purpose of providing racing lanes with equal competitive fairness. So obviously there will be some modeling and design to determine a shape,” Wenger said.

Professional services are necessary to develop the scope of work and budgets prior to initiating the formal designs on the projects, Couch said in a memo to council members. The usual procedure is to issue a notice to architects, engineers and planners to seek firms interested in providing the services. Those services may include gathering information on similar facilities and developing the scope of work, which may include size, function and amenities.

[Easy180]

Hope they don't go cheap on the wind screen...they screw that up and it could really take away from that area

[Watson410]

It's going to look cheap regardless how they do it.. So let me get this straight, when Team USA goes to compete in the Olympics there's not going to be any wind, right?!? Hmmm.. seems like you would want to train and practice in conditions you'll see on race day. Is there any other rowing race courses that have "wind screens"?!? Kinda seems unnecessary... I'm just guessing, I've never seen anything like this, Let's say they put the screens on the shore.. Does that mean it's going to actually reduce the wind on top of the river which is 150+ feet wide?? If the screens are on the shore, does that mean the spectators will have to look through a screen just to watch the race?!

[okclee]

I think these wind screens could easily be mistaken for blighted area screens.

[Pete]

I'm sure the screens will be on the south shore, behind the proposed grandstand and running east and west.

And I think this will serve as much to screen off the ugly rail yard just beyond.

[Nuclear_2525]

A wind screen can block wind at a horizontal distance of 4-5 times the vertical height of the screen. So if they need to block the wind a total of 150', then the wind screen would have to be around 30' tall. Since the river is lower than the ground level around it, the wind screens won't have to be quite that tall.

[ljbab728]

I'm hoping that the screens can at least be taken down when they aren't needed. Even if they're opaque I think that would detract from the river if they're permanent.

[stdennis]

I could see how the wind screens could add to the area actually... IF they make them architecturally appealing. Think more along the lines of art that is functional or even make them covers for the grandstand too? Make them match or similar to the boathouses across the river and they will tie the area together.