Dowell Garage

[Pete]

I think what happened is the old design committee allowed that first structure for whatever reason -- probably because it at least covered up the old corrugated metal -- and now it's very difficult to not allow him to expand what has already been approved.

On the other hand, they also could have told him no expansion unless he plans to finish the whole structure in appropriate materials.

The committee just turned down the owners of water chillers on EK Gaylord because they wanted to cover the ridged concrete with EIFS. That violated the mandate of no more than a certain percentage of any facade with that material... Yet they turn around and approve a massive bare concrete block structure??? I can't imagine many self-respecting cities allowing anything close to this being built and it's a shame it's still happening when there is a concerted effort to raise the standards in the central core.

This was an opportunity for the committee to say "That old structure was not approved on our watch and if you want to go forward you need to correct this blight." Especially because it's just bare block, there are lots of easy options to cover that facade. Yet now we'll have the better part of a city block covered in something you wouldn't wish on an ugly industrial area, let alone our CBD.

The irony is that all that beautiful street and hardscape will run right along this monstrosity.

And shame on Rick Dowell for even doing this in the first place. We shouldn't have to rely on these committees to force developers and major downtown property owners to be at least reasonable.

[Rover]

Is Rick Dowell just cheap, tasteless, or classless?

[Urban Pioneer]

Is Rick Dowell just cheap, tasteless, or classless?

Depends on what it is. lol Arguably, he uses permanent materials such as stone, brick, and steel. Low maintenance is his thing. He has told me that he is going for a "Mediterranean" aesthetic. Undeniably, those red tiles and some of the real stonework does hearken to that aesthetic.

But the CMU spit concrete block cladding on the garage is a complete failure in my opinion. Funny enough, I think he would argue that it is undeniably an improvement above and beyond the corrugated metal. And he's probably right. Which tells you how horribly bad it was even before the CMU.

Rick does landscape nearly everything and he uses materials that are of quality. Where he fails is on aesthetics when he skimps and the fact that he is creating a district that is entirely devoted to office as of yet with no housing. If it weren't for high density developments such as the Regency, Legacy, Sycamore and developing areas such as SOSA, the place would be devoid of people after 6.

[Pete]

BTW, he only covered two of the four sides that had corrugated metal, as the west and south exposures were left as is, dented facade and all.

Not sure if that cheap metal roof was added by Dowell or not, but I think it was.

He's owned this place for 15 years.

[dankrutka]

He should be embarrassed. What an eyesore.

[Steve]

I think what happened is the old design committee allowed that first structure for whatever reason -- probably because it at least covered up the old corrugated metal -- and now it's very difficult to not allow him to expand what has already been approved.

On the other hand, they also could have told him no expansion unless he plans to finish the whole structure in appropriate materials.

The committee just turned down the owners of water chillers on EK Gaylord because they wanted to cover the ridged concrete with EIFS. That violated the mandate of no more than a certain percentage of any facade with that material... Yet they turn around and approve a massive bare concrete block structure??? I can't imagine many self-respecting cities allowing anything close to this being built and it's a shame it's still happening when there is a concerted effort to raise the standards in the central core.

This was an opportunity for the committee to say "That old structure was not approved on our watch and if you want to go forward you need to correct this blight." Especially because it's just bare block, there are lots of easy options to cover that facade. Yet now we'll have the better part of a city block covered in something you wouldn't wish on an ugly industrial area, let alone our CBD...
.

Let's back up. Need to clear up some confusion. The original garage, the one still standing, was built by John Cheek. He somehow managed to do the metal siding, etc, without there being ANY record at City Hall of him having gone through required permitting, etc. The original garage was built, btw, prior to the creation of Urban Design regulations. The facade you see now was added by Dowell in the aftermath of the bombing, and believe it or not, at that time this was a widely praised improvement over what was there. That's history. It is what it is.
The only Urban Design action on this property prior to the approval in August was a review of the VERY SAME extension when Dowell first proposed it several years ago. That was the precedent I was referring to.
Now, that said, I don't think Rick is a bad guy. He's quirky. He's got his own ideas. And sometimes he's proven to be right when everybody else was going in the totally opposite direction. And yeah, as Urban Pioneer said, there are politics at play in so much of this. And yeah, Dowell's got some sway...

[Pete]

The only Urban Design action on this property prior to the approval in August was a review of the VERY SAME extension when Dowell first proposed it several years ago. That was the precedent I was referring to.

Yet, it was submitted to the committee for consideration and approval.

And they did approve it at the August 18 meeting which implies that approval could have been withheld, as it often is with specific recommendations and reference to design standards.


There were lots of things built to very poor standards in the past... Does this mean that anyone that wants to double the size of an existing structure can merely tack on the exact same junk even if it doesn't come close to meeting very specific design standards?

As I mentioned earlier, the energy company that owns those chilled water structures on EK Gaylord just submitted a plan to cover that massive amount of crumbling ribbed concrete with brand new EIFS. The committee completely turned them down even though the EIFS covering would be a huge improvement over what is there now. So why does Dowell get a pass? Why aren't these painstakingly detailed standards uniformly applied?

[dankrutka]

+1!!!

[Steve]

Pete, you'd make a pretty good addition to the Urban Design committee.

[MDot]

I just read that Pete and wow that's a great point.

[Just the facts]

Maybe someone should stand out there with a sign that says "Hold developers to a higher standard - don't park here".

[OklahomaNick]

Maybe someone should stand out there with a sign that says "Hold developers to a higher standard - don't park here".

or we could "Occupy Rick Dowell's parking structure!"

Who wants to organize it?

..cricket...cricket..

[Steve]

Has anyone thought about politely approaching Rick and suggesting there may be a cost-effective way of doing this addition and making the whole garage look better? Or is it just easier to throw rocks?

[Urban Pioneer]

Has anyone thought about politely approaching Rick and suggesting there may be a cost-effective way of doing this addition and making the whole garage look better? Or is it just easier to throw rocks?

Steve, if he got his approval through, than we both know that is extremely unlikely to have any effect. Not to deflate anyone's enthusiasm at the proposal, but Rick is "most" malleable when he is either coming up with a plan, or hasn't quite gotten one approved.

Anyways, he probably thinks it looks good or else he wouldn't have proposed it. Rick doesn't propose things that he thinks are "sub-par." So at this point it would be as pointless as arguing with someone about their interpretation of abstract art. But if someone wants to try, go for it.

[Pete]

Has anyone thought about politely approaching Rick and suggesting there may be a cost-effective way of doing this addition and making the whole garage look better?

Isn't this the entire reason for the existence of the Downtown Design Review Committee? To look out and speak for concerned citizens and to propose and hold developers to reasonable standards?

Do you really think that if I or someone other random person wrote or called him and asked him to change something he obviously thinks is fine and has already paid to be half built and for architectural plans for the remainder... And to spend more money of his money in the process... You think he would even pretend to listen?

He's owned that structure for a decade and a half and seems to be fine with bent, cheap corrugated metal on a highly visible profile. I'm sure he sees this bare concrete block as a big step up otherwise he never would have done it in the first place.


And for the record, I frequently call and write people about issues such as this and the only time I've received any sort of response is when there is a legal obligation (such as open information laws) that mandates it. And even then I am met with the absolute minimum amount of cooperation.

Owners/developers/architects/engineers/realtors/receptionists/civil servants/PR people are incredibly suspicious and unhelpful unless you can demonstrate you actually have a right or the power to get any information, let alone willing to listen to your ideas on how things might be done.

Frankly, the only people that have been somewhat open to me is you Steve and a few other members of the press. That, and a few people that have approached me with unsolicited information while asking me to keep them anonymous. But absolutely no one has been even polite in responding to the forays I have initiated. 99.8% of the time my calls and emails go completely unanswered, even though I always approach people with great respect and humility.

[Spartan]

Has anyone thought about politely approaching Rick and suggesting there may be a cost-effective way of doing this addition and making the whole garage look better? Or is it just easier to throw rocks?

Do you really think Rick Dowell cares what other people think of his development work? Or for that matter, do you really think Rick Dowell cares about other pieces of the picture than just his development? Come on. We're talking about Rick Dowell.

[Pete]

$1.3 million building permit to proceed with the garage expansion.

The Dowell garage is just an extension of what is already there (first pic):

[Pete]

Whole slew of building permits by Dowell to finish out the 2nd floor of 400 N. Walker as offices:

[Soonerinfiniti]

You can say what you want about Dowell, but he provides minimal "white box" offices to tenants who desire free parking for $5/SF (or more) less than in the heart of downtown. If they want to decorate their space, it is on their dime. I believe he has over 500,000 SF of office space near NW 5th and Walker with almost 100% occupancy! Not a bad business model, if you ask me!

[wschnitt]

This picture shows paper models for Dowell's properties on Fifth and Walker. The interesting thing is the tallest building which does not currently stand on that grassy lot on the north side of 5th between Walker and Dewey. Any ideas on what this could be? It looks like a midrise without windows. I guessing 10 stories.

[Pete]

I'm sure that's just a quick mock-up and that anything actually built would have windows.

Dowell does own that property as well as the entire block directly south, which is mostly surface parking.

Hopefully he's working on developing that area, because there are still too many vacant lots there.

[Spartan]

You would put a 10-story bizarro mid-rise past Dowell??

[catch22]

Maybe it's a 10 story version of his parking garage.

[Urban Pioneer]

He is undecided as to whether he will do apartments or more office space. Rest assured, if he is alive, something will happen there. It's just going to be a ways out.

[Urbanized]

Rick pointed out in a private conversation years ago that particular area is the highest elevation in downtown, with a considerable grade change from the surrounding properties and a great skyline view. At the time he said it is one of the best locations in downtown for multi-story development due to this topographical feature. I suspect that he has been holding onto it for years until the time becomes right to do something along those lines. As far as I can tell he is a very deliberate person.