Lexford Park (formerly First Christian Church)

[Plutonic Panda]

I got bored... Photoshop is fun.

Haha thank you sir! You win the internet today!!! ������

[Celebrator]

The dome could serve as covered parking. Just clear out the sanctuary, open up that wall of windows, and drive right in! That way you keep the icon in place but provides guests with a bit of shelter. Maybe build a short multi-level parking deck under there!

[barrettd]

One could probably turn that entire church structure into retail if they were so inclined. I'd hope they'd keep the dome intact somehow, but who knows? That piece of land would seem pretty valuable.

[jbrown84]

There's an upscale strip center (not quite a lifestyle center) in Fort Worth that incorporates an historic Community Chapel that is operated by a non-profit and was there before the shopping center was built. It's used for weddings and other events. Maybe something like that could be done.

[sooner88]

There's an upscale strip center (not quite a lifestyle center) in Fort Worth that incorporates an historic Community Chapel that is operated by a non-profit and was there before the shopping center was built. It's used for weddings and other events. Maybe something like that could be done.

Is this the same one where Central Market is?

[jbrown84]

Is this the same one where Central Market is?

Yes, that's the one I'm referring to.

[John_T]

Any word on what's going to happen to this Church? Think it will get torn down for some big-box style development

[Fantastic]

Any word on what's going to happen to this Church? Think it will get torn down for some big-box style development

I don't want to say too much, as I am not sure about real estate type stuff (as in when is it ok to say stuff). Nothing is final and the process has just started, so take it with a grain of salt, but much of what I'm hearing leads me to personally believe that the structure itself is safe, and at least one potential new use would maintain its legacy in a positive way.

Hopefully that's vague enough...

[barrettd]

I don't want to say too much, as I am not sure about real estate type stuff (as in when is it ok to say stuff). Nothing is final and the process has just started, so take it with a grain of salt, but much of what I'm hearing leads me to personally believe that the structure itself is safe, and at least one potential new use would maintain its legacy in a positive way.

Hopefully that's vague enough...

How about a brewery and taproom?

[bombermwc]

I found out some details on this over the weekend that is NOT good news for any of us. The sale comes from the issue that the building has an insane amount of asbestos in it. The entire dome is reported to be made out of the stuff. So i'm thinking we're pretty much going to call this place gone and the cleanup/demo is going to probably be slow and methodical and add a lot of cost to whomever wants the land.

The Disciples of Christ regional office that's on the same land, is planning on moving. I understand there is a school in the far north end of the lot. Not sure what will come of that.

Fantastic - i'm hoping your information is right on this and mine is wrong. My info is church to church info, so i'm not within that congregation to know exact details.

[Urban Pioneer]

I found out some details on this over the weekend that is NOT good news for any of us. The sale comes from the issue that the building has an insane amount of asbestos in it. The entire dome is reported to be made out of the stuff. So i'm thinking we're pretty much going to call this place gone and the cleanup/demo is going to probably be slow and methodical and add a lot of cost to whomever wants the land.

The Disciples of Christ regional office that's on the same land, is planning on moving. I understand there is a school in the far north end of the lot. Not sure what will come of that.

Fantastic - i'm hoping your information is right on this and mine is wrong. My info is church to church info, so i'm not within that congregation to know exact details.

It seems to me that this is the beginning of a narrative to try to justify tearing it down. The dome itself is made out of thin shell concrete, not asbestos. I would not be surprised if mechanical rooms and such may have ductwork and thermal systems insulated with it. However, the majority of the surfaces throughout the complex are hard surfaces such as concrete, steel, granite, marble, etc. I have had to run wiring throughout and am careful about the environments that I crawl around in. This sounds suspicious to me.

[Urban Pioneer]

And maybe this is a tactic by the undisclosed parties not just to justify tearing it down but to help scare off potential contenders and force a reduction in price. Widespread rumors about rampant asbestos would be a highly effective narrative in achieving that goal.

[Pete]

Asbestos is only dangerous if disturbed.

Even if the dome contains it, that wouldn't matter unless you were going to tear it down or substantially remodel it in some way.

[traxx]

Asbestos is only dangerous if disturbed.

Even if the dome contains it, that wouldn't matter unless you were going to tear it down or substantially remodel it in some way.

This is what I've always heard too.

[mugofbeer]

Tearing down the sanctuary of 1st Christian would be nearly criminal. Most people only know it from the outside but the reall wonder is inside. As you might expect, because of the dome and acoustics, a microphone is unnecessary. However what most people don't know is the unique air conditioning system.

Along the west side of the building is a pool that has cooling fountains. There are ducts that feed water into ducts that run under the old part of the building that are significant in distance. Air and water both circulate through the duct system and the air is cooled by evaporation. Even on hot summer days, a/c isn't needed.

I know of no other sytem like it. I went there and worked there a while and I dont recall there being asbestos. I recall a lot of blown texture but my understanding is the dome is concrete.

[Paseofreak]

Blown, or any surface texturing are always suspected ACM. Don't know if anyone has sampled and analyzed. Further, asbestos was commonly added to concrete products before the late 70's. That said, if it was in concrete it should not be friable ACM and therefore unregulated by the State of Oklahoma. My impression is that the presence of ACM will not have much influence in the decision to demo or not demo this building. ACM is typically a much bigger deal when the building is being renovated for future occupancy.

[Fantastic]

I found out some details on this over the weekend that is NOT good news for any of us. The sale comes from the issue that the building has an insane amount of asbestos in it. The entire dome is reported to be made out of the stuff. So i'm thinking we're pretty much going to call this place gone and the cleanup/demo is going to probably be slow and methodical and add a lot of cost to whomever wants the land.

The Disciples of Christ regional office that's on the same land, is planning on moving. I understand there is a school in the far north end of the lot. Not sure what will come of that.

Fantastic - i'm hoping your information is right on this and mine is wrong. My info is church to church info, so i'm not within that congregation to know exact details.

I can pretty much guarantee that asbestos had nothing to do with the sale. The fact that the congregation is down to 50-60 members does.

[mugofbeer]

There was a bad split in the membership years ago that, I think, had something to do with the long time pastor. It never recovered from that split.

[Fantastic]

There was a bad split in the membership years ago that, I think, had something to do with the long time pastor. It never recovered from that split.

There was a lot of politics, and a lot of bad decisions.

[Laramie]

Recall seeing this egg shell shaped structure in many encyclopedias in the 60s; it was originally referred to as Oklahoma City's Church of Tomorrow.

First Christian Church (Space-Age Architecture), aka the Church of Tomorrow (1956)

[bombermwc]

There was a lot of politics, and a lot of bad decisions.

That's too bad. Disciple's churches typically have a smaller congregation anyway. I'm a member of one, so I know the struggle of keeping relevant in times when the flashy churches seem to draw people away in droves. And in the Baptist dominated south, it's somewhat difficult given the pretty heavy differences in views. To be honest, i dont think most people actually know what the DoC's views are, but often get intermingled with Methodism. And I'd say they're pretty similar. Having grown up Methodist and switching later, i didn't feel like my world changed or anything. Now had i gone from Methodist to Church of Christ or something....yeah that would have been a shock lol.

It's always a shame when politics gets in the middle of a church and causes a struggle. It's especially troubling if the pastor contributes to it. ESPECIALLY a long-term one (i'm not speculating on this case, i dont know squat about what happened). Multi-generational churches seems to have a lot of issues with things like that because of the conflicting views between the ages of members. I feel extremely lucky that my congregation has been able to grow and change (and even move locations) to keep relevant. And location is a part of this story that FCCOKC would probably never recover from. The socio-economics of an area tie directly back to attendance and as the economics of an area trend down, so does attendance....the smaller ones tend to close...survival of the largest really. And for FCCOKC, even housing the regional office couldn't help it enough. The age of the congregation, im sure, was a major factor in this. I dont know the inside details, but it's a story told over and over, and it's very sad. Im concerned about what Refuge is going to do. At only a year old, it's a church within a church and won't make it if they dont get some help on the location.

[barrettd]

https://newsok.com/article/5620075/o...is-up-for-sale

End of an era for the Jewel Box Theatre inside the First Christian Church. Not sure how the church will finish the season without a production director, or what this means for the Jewel Box, but, as a longtime friend of Chuck and the Jewel Box, I'm sad to see his tenure end so unceremoniously.

If I had to guess, I'd say this is the last season of the Jewel Box in that building, but that's a completely uninformed guess. The church has no idea what work goes into producing a season of live theatre, nor do they have any interest in maintaining the standards they've had for the previous 61 years.

[aDark]

Are there any notable possible buyers? Is the price just too high?

[mugofbeer]

It seems to me that this is the beginning of a narrative to try to justify tearing it down. The dome itself is made out of thin shell concrete, not asbestos. I would not be surprised if mechanical rooms and such may have ductwork and thermal systems insulated with it. However, the majority of the surfaces throughout the complex are hard surfaces such as concrete, steel, granite, marble, etc. I have had to run wiring throughout and am careful about the environments that I crawl around in. This sounds suspicious to me.

I used to go to that church and worked on the grounds as a kid. l don't recall talk of asbestos, even when kids painted the dome, but l've been about everywhere there and don't recall it. As for ductwork, it is as unique as anything you will ever see.

Outside the dome is a water pool with a fountain. Water from the pool is channeled into a tunnel system running under the dome section. The tunnel is large enough for a walkway and a channel for the water. Air is pumped through the tunnel and cools the dome segment via evaporation of the water in the tunnel like a huge swamp cooler. The water is then pumped back out into the pool for circulation. The tunnel zig zags a couple of hundred feet IIRC.and does a great job of providing a/c. This building should serve some historical or architectural significance and be preserved.

l would think a small professional company office of some sort would work best. Utilities for the rest of the classroom and Jewell Box are traditional.

[mugofbeer]

Or maybe one of those TV churches. What a PR and civic duty coup to acquire this church and all thag valuable land.