Academy of Contemporary Music (Okla. Hardware Building)

[metro]

Video Link to construction progress:

http://www.newsok.com/multimedia/video/30097987001

[wsucougz]

I found it interesting that the 15,000 sq. ft build-out in OKC is the same size as the full school in Europe, which meets the needs of over 1000 students. Previously there had been talk about them quickly outgrowing their space in Bricktown - is that still the thought?

[Steve]

Yep. In the UK they have students crammed into every nook and corner, I'm told. UCO is already pursuing a permanent home for when they might outgrow Bricktown (probably next few years)

[jbrown84]

Probably in the UK there is a different culture as far as housing. It's much more urban there and the mass transit is better. Student housing is probably not a factor there, but would be needed here.

[wsucougz]

I hope they figure out a way to stay in Bricktown. Maybe piecemeal some different spaces together on the upper floors of a few different warehouses. It's good for the district.

[warreng88]

Grand opening planned for UCO's 'School of Rock'
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 12, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY — Grand-opening festivities are set for the University of Central Oklahoma's Academy of Contemporary Music, also known as the "School of Rock."

The first ACM in the U.S. will celebrate Wednesday with a free public concert at the United Way Plaza in the Bricktown district in Oklahoma City. The concert will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and feature Oklahoma City-based bands The Uglysuit, Mama Sweet and Rainbows are Free.

Classes at the ACM will begin on Monday and about 160 students are enrolled. The school is located in the Oklahoma Hardware Building along the Bricktown Canal. Its CEO is Scott Booker, who also is the manager of Oklahoma City-based alternative rock band The Flaming Lips.

The school will offer training in both music performance and production.

http://newsok.com/grand-opening-plan...adlines_widget

[BDP]

That's a nice little local lineup for the opening. Wonder if I can make it down there....

[progressiveboy]

Leave it to Tulsa, in today's TW in latest news, it states the "so called" Rock school opening.Sounds a little condenscending to me. Maybe Tulsa truly is jealous of OKC's accomplishments? Anyone think?

[Urbanized]

It's an AP article, not a Tulsa World article. Totally positive. Journalistically, he did the right thing in calling it the "so-called School of Rock," because that is a nickname that has no official relationship to the school. Any "jealousy" read into that is imagined or made up.

Link

[CCOKC]

This was on NPR this morning. Pretty cool.
A Real-Life School Of Rock : NPR

[Steve]

I agree with Urbanized.

[Urbanized]

Here are several videos that were made of a Q&A session with ACM@UCO Executive Director Scott Booker at Bricktown Rotary earlier this year. Among other things, Scott discusses how the school came to be, and how it came to be located in Oklahoma City and Bricktown.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[metro]

NewsOK

[Watson410]

I'm not sure if this is good news or not... It's great having them in Bricktown with all the extra foot traffic from students walking back and forth to class, I'd really hate to see them have to move locations.

[metro]

They'll either stay in Bricktown or move over to Film Row.

[Steve]

Another bad headline - story doesn't say ACM is outgrowing Bricktown. There's still plenty of space for ACM to grow into if the property owners can be reasonable...

[lasomeday]

Great story Steve! I am so excited about their exponential growth rate.

It sounds like they could be our version of SCAD that exploded in Savanna. SCAD draws artists from around the world and has spread like wildfire throughout historic Savanna restoring old buildings and creating a vibrant unique atmosphere.

I could definitely see ACM spreading through the empty upper floors of Bricktown. Maybe the school could get lower rates if they promise that their students could perform every Saturday night for some of the clubs or restaurants. Kind of a work study/ bartering system.

[okclee]

Who owns the Rock Island Building in Bricktown corner of Reno and ??

[metro]

Another bad headline - story doesn't say ACM is outgrowing Bricktown. There's still plenty of space for ACM to grow into if the property owners can be reasonable...

Looks like your headline writers already changed it digitally, the wonders of evil modern technology.

[Spartan]

Who owns the Rock Island Building in Bricktown corner of Reno and ??

Avis, right? Either that or the one across the street. I know there's a different group Avis has nothing to do with that has plans for that building.

I would assume that the Ford factory becoming the new home of OCU Law would reduce the chances of them moving to Film Row for "more space."

[bombermwc]

Come on...how many buildings down there are empty above the ground level??? There's plenty space to expand.

[Steve]

metro, I had the headline changed this morning

[Spartan]

Come on...how many buildings down there are empty above the ground level??? There's plenty space to expand.

Believe it or not a lot of them have law firms and Class A office space inside of them, you just wouldn't know by looking at the exterior.

[Steve]

Both of you are correct.
Bricktown property leasing above the first floor has improved ... but...
Those empty include:
- Building w/ Melting Pot on first floor
- Spaghetti Warehouse (tons of empty space)
- Abuelos/Brix
- Miedeke Building top three floors (formerly known as Bricktown Mercantile)
- Haunted Warehouse building
- Zio's stretch (though that's set to change)
- Kingman Building (lost its tenants)

[warreng88]

I would think the area above Spaghetti Warehouse would be the best spot. The building is 70,000 square feet and the top four stories are all empty. That is about 46,667 square feet of space. Also, unless you want to cut off from all civilization, you would need to put windows on the floors. Just from looking at the outside of the building, looks like there are places for 190 windows. At $400 a piece (low ball estimate) that would run them $76,000 just for windows. I wonder if that is why they haven't done much with the upper floors of that building yet?