Academy of Contemporary Music (Okla. Hardware Building)

[lasomeday]

I am sure there are some grants for restoring historic buildings that might help with replacing the windows.

Something will move into those floors it is just a matter of time.

[Ezrablum]

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?

Yes, that's part of it. But the place would be quite an undertaking, having been up there and seen the floors first-hand. Plus there are some issues with the ownership regarding what they want to do with the whole thing. There are plenty of Bureaucratic reasons that nothing has been improved or added to those four empty stories yet.

And as for the owners and decision makers involved, you're talking about people who do not live in Oklahoma and who do not have the same plans or desires, necessarily.

[krisb]

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...

Why not grow into one of those abandoned spaces with the sand bags along the canal?

[okclee]

I keep saying Rock Island building would be a win win for
Bricktown. It is the last stand alone building that has never been rehabbed. Centered in Bricktown and it sits year after year being an eyesore.

Has anyone been inside this building? How much work would be needed to make this operable?

[Spartan]

Why not grow into one of those abandoned spaces with the sand bags along the canal?

We should ask French Hickman that question.

[Urbanized]

Actually, French's place with the sandbags on the canal, the Oklahoma Hardware building, is EXACTLY where ACM@UCO is located, and EXACTLY where they are expanding their footprint for next school year.

The fact that he has left the canal level such a mess is inexplicable, but the rest of that building is actually fully leased, and is built out to a pretty high finish. It is home to (now two floors of) ACM, it's home to Makers, Makers Straight Up, the popular Piano Bar on street level of the canal, News9's Bricktown studio, and a very nice tattoo shop, if there is such a thing.

I think people often believe far less space is occupied in Bricktown than there actually is. A significant number of the buildings have very nice upper-floor utilization. "No upper-floor development and tons of derelict buildings" is yet another commonly-held opinion about Bricktown that has elements of truth but is also part urban legend.

That said, the condition of his building on canal level is deplorable and inexcusable.

However, as much as I love and support ACM@UCO, I would prefer to see street level and ESPECIALLY canal-level space used for retail or restaurant development rather than what is essentially office use. Some cities that have done well with their urban areas (Portland Oregon, for instance) actually have ordinances against non-retail usage of ground floor space downtown.

[Larry OKC]

From our favorite reporter Steve:

UCO's school of contemporary music expands space in Bricktown (Oklahoman, 6/4/10)

The University of Central Oklahoma's Academy of Contemporary Music is spreading out to more space in Bricktown in response to an enrollment that has jumped from 150 a year ago to an estimated 400 this fall.

The school, which has seen the likes of The Who's Roger Daltry as guest lecturers, started with one full floor at the Oklahoma Hardware Building but is adding 4,400 square feet on the building's second floor. ....

read the rest here
UCO's school of contemporary music expands space in Bricktown | NewsOK.com

[Steve]

For crying out loud!
I hate, hate, hate our new copy flow system...
I called in a fix to Daltrey's name last night and they didn't do it with the online version.

[Spartan]

This is awesome. I like the idea of the performance venue and I think this is something they could expand in the future along with everything else they're doing obviously. If the ACM students were a force that supported Bricktown businesses during the day, I wonder what expanding from 150 to 400 this fall semester will do. One question though, where are they parking?

[Kerry]

Where do these students live? It seems their might be a market developing for Bricktown student housing.

This is why I supported a University Campus as part of MAPS III. If 400 student have this kind of impact imagine what something like Oklahoma City Polytechnic could have done even if it had as little as 3,000 students.

[Architect2010]

I really think the University of Central Oklahoma is such a vibrant and community-oriented university. It's often shadowed by the giants OU and OSU, but it commits to Oklahoma City even when the campus is located in Edmond.

In more relevance, I also think there might be a demand for student housing also. I think we're underestimating what this little school is going to do for Bricktown, if they stay that is.

[OKC@heart]

I echo those thoughts above, What a great contribution to Bricktown and it very well might create a steady demand for rental housing / student housing in the area all key to giving the area some much needed critical mass, we stilll have work to be done in bricktown. What a great addition!

[okclee]

Where do these students live? It seems their might be a market developing for Bricktown student housing.

This is why I supported a University Campus as part of MAPS III. If 400 student have this kind of impact imagine what something like Oklahoma City Polytechnic could have done even if it had as little as 3,000 students.

To bad all the bricktown property owners are holding out and only want to build condos and lofts for millionaires.

[betts]

To bad all the bricktown property owners are holding out and only want to build condos and lofts for millionaires.

Depends on what the developers paid for the property. Depends on what the students are willing to pay to live and what kinds of apartments they want to live in. Usually people interested in the arts are more interested in old lofts or funky apartments than brand new EIFS encased apartments with swimming pools and fitness centers. I would think Deep Deuce, if the price is right, would be fine for students interested in living near school. I doubt too many of them want to buy anything, no matter the price.

Maybe someone would consider putting lofts in some of the upper floors of buildings in Bricktown, if it could be done cheaply enough. But remember, when you start putting in new windows, new wiring and new plumbing, new walls, new bathrooms, etc, it starts getting expensive. It's easy for us to criticize property owners, and easy for us to spend other people's money. Maybe UCO should be buying land and building a dormitory, with 400 students planned. That might be the most practical solution.

[Spartan]

I know you realize this Betts (so not a direct response to you), but I just want to stress that downtown housing doesn't JUST mean brand new form build sustainable $750,000 brownstones, nor does it mean $400,000 condo units with a view. Downtown housing WILL NOT evolve until they figure out how to capitalize on the student demographic, and this ACM deal is right there for the taking on a silver platter for them and I doubt even that will make Bricktown property owners get a move on developing some affordable small lofts. If they want student housing in Bricktown, UCO is going to have to build it themselves and they don't even do that in Edmond it seems.

[Architect2010]

UCO houses somewhere around 1700-2000 students of it's total close-to 16,000. On edit, so yeah. Not a significant portion.

[Pete]

Couldn't find the other thread on this but....

Today there was a $400,000 building permit issued to UCO to renovate 5 floors at 25 S. Oklahoma.

Looks like they are taking over all or most of that building.

Sure hope they continue to expand and take more of the upper floors of those buildings along the canal.

[okclee]

That is good news for Bricktown.

There had been talk and speculation that UCO was looking outside of Bricktown for new location.

[Dustin]

Why would you move?!? That is an awesome location! My cousin is majoring in Vocal Performance there and she loves being in the downtown area.

[Spartan]

Yes, but the rumors were other downtown districts or somewhere else in Bricktown. Ultimately they do want to expand bigger than that building though. A 5-floor renovation building permit? That is big.

[shane453]

5-floors would include the canal level- and that building has been one of the ugliest at canal level, with sandbags and dirt piles. Cool news!

[RadioOKC]

5-floors would include the canal level- and that building has been one of the ugliest at canal level, with sandbags and dirt piles. Cool news!

That is awesome. That is one of the few eyesores that we have on the canal. I can't wait to see what they plan
to do with that space.

Chris
www.radiookc.com

[Pete]

Upon closer inspection of the permit, looks like they are only remodeling about 8,000 square feet. Not sure how much they have already.

Each of the four floors above ground and the one basement level have 14,000 square feet.

[bombermwc]

SWEET! I am SOOOO glad that someone is finally going to do something with the sand crap at the canal level. What a better place to have a canal level venue???? ACM students perform for canal visitors.

[Spartan]

Will the 8,000 sf of renovated space be on the canal level?