OAK (formerly Penn Central)

[HFAA Alum]

do you have a rough idea of total leasable sqft in the proposed tower?

Not quite sure on the square footage, but you may want to direct that question to Pete. However, it's looks to fill out the area.

[Pete]

do you have a rough idea of total leasable sqft in the proposed tower?

They aren't close to deciding this yet.

[Rover]

I can't tell you how much I would love for this area to infill with mid rise to 10-20 story buildings as you go up NW Expressway. Roughly between Penn and Baptist Medical Center. Have it turn into OKC's second high rise district. It's already close to it.

Actually would run from Classen to west of Hefner pkway as there are mid and high rise there already.

[HOT ROD]

I was going to say that, it's already OKC's 2nd highrise district (NWX from Classen to LHPW). But def would love to see more infill, not at the expense of downtown though.

[HFAA Alum]

I was going to say that, it's already OKC's 2nd highrise district (NWX from Classen to LHPW). But def would love to see more infill, not at the expense of downtown though.

The thing is that it wouldn't come at the expense of downtown's development because of the zoning around the area. You can't just replace housing with massive offices fifteen stories tall. Plus many of the residents in the area will either look to get compensated fairly for the homes, given residency elsewhere, or be offered a finance-friendly lease (even if it is a free residency but that depends on the developer). After that, you still have many national and international chains looking to put their stake in the downtown area in the meantime. Tourism would still continue to be focused around the downtown area with the incoming amenities and the like. And even if you look to put more on this strip, there's only so much you can add before it starts to interrupt the current residents in a negative way (noise pollution, light pollution, traffic, etc.)

I'm not saying that this area won't have any tourism value, which it does to an extent. I'm just saying this area doesn't have as much of the tourism draw as the downtown area already has. And this place would be better for mixed urban development while downtown continues to be the desired location for many looking to either reside in that area or build businesses in the CBD. In either case, the downtown has a lot more draw than in this area. If anything it will diversify the options of prospective tenants. And in the long-run, the city will be better for it.

[Pete]

Press release:

********
Interior Design Strategy Revealed for Lively Hotel in Oklahoma City
Female-led Pickard Design Studio curates interior design strategy for the 132-key boutique hotel, inspired by the elegant scissor-tailed flycatcher

OKLAHOMA CITY (July 17, 2023) – When the scissor-tailed flycatcher takes flight, it gracefully dances through the sky. As the state bird of Oklahoma, Pickard Design Studio drew inspiration from its movements when designing the interiors for the new Lively Hotel in Oklahoma City. A concept by Hilton™, the 132-key boutique hotel is joining the community at OAK, the 20-acre mixed-use district being developed by Veritas.

Designed to be OAK’s “living room,” Lively Hotel is part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton™ and is the first in Oklahoma City. Lively Hotel will feature 132 rooms; a 3,050-square-foot bar and restaurant; an elevated amenity deck with a 2,400-square-foot outdoor bar and activated pool area; a fitness center; and over 2,600 square feet of meeting space. Never-before-seen renderings (linked here) reveal the hotel's vibrant interiors designed by Pickard Design Studio.

“From murals to lighting to sculptures, we were intentional about selecting unique touchpoints that tell a story and instinctively guide guests through the space,” said Sarah Pickard, founder of Pickard Design Studio. “We are blending the effortless movements of the scissor-tailed flycatcher to create a dynamic, authentic and sophisticated environment that balances soft and strong design elements. Lively Hotel will ultimately serve as the anchor for OAK’s mixed-use community, and we look forward to welcoming locals and visitors to experience the highly energized spaces.”


The lobby
Pickard Design Studio is working with Kevin Barry Fine Art to curate the hotel’s art package, which will include a large metal installation shadowed on a focal wall with special lighting. The installation will feature a vibrant word wall showcasing Victor Hugo’s “The Bird” poem – another nod to the scissor-tailed flycatcher.

“Be like the bird, who
Pausing in his flight
On limb too slight
Feels it give way beneath him
Yet sings
Knowing he has wings.”

Throughout the lobby, guests will experience a mix of feminine and masculine elements such as curved banquettes and custom lighting. The lobby also mirrors design touches from the hotel's exteriors through the use of formed fluted concrete panels.


The bar and restaurant
From the lobby, guests will flow into a bar with several lounge areas, large focal columns, and floating liquor boxes. Inspired by the French hot air balloonist who hovered over Oklahoma City in 1889 to claim land, the wall flanking the bar will showcase a striking, three-dimensional hot air balloon mural. The bar will also feature a cantilevered garage door that opens for pool service.

Dining seating is separated by the bar with a theatrical curtain, with the opportunity to be closed for private events or bourbon tastings. The restaurant is centered around a four-sided banquette that curves with metal railings.


The rooms
Mirroring the masculine and feminine design of the lobby, the king and queen rooms incorporate vertical walnut slats and metal fixtures that intersect with curves. Several pieces throughout the rooms are inspired by the scissor-tailed flycatcher, such as the color palette of persimmon, pink, orange, blue and black. Even the V-back design of the desk chair is inspired by the open tail of the bird while in flight.


The pool
The pool deck design is centered around a fire pit and a variety of lounge seating options, dining areas and resort-style cabanas.


The meeting room
Featuring a moveable glass wall that opens to the outside, the flexible meeting space allows guests to take advantage of the outdoor spaces, pool deck, bar and art.


“Our goal is to create a hotel experience that complements OAK’s vibrant mixed-use environment and is unlike anything in the region,” said Penn Collins, President and CEO for Gatehouse Capital, the development partner for Lively Hotel. “Lively Hotel will be a place where locals connect with leisure and business travelers and feel inspired by their surroundings. We intentionally worked with Sarah Pickard and her team because of their ability to balance masculine and feminine design and deliver a truly unique hospitality experience to Oklahoma City.”

Lively Hotel is currently under construction and will deliver as part of the first phase of OAK in late 2024. Click and Co, a branding firm under the umbrella of Pickard Design Studio, is leading the branding efforts for the hotel.

For the last information on Lively Hotel, visit: https://www.oakokc.com.

[Bowser214]

Love it! Gonna be so cool!!

[BimmerSooner]

Is the restaurant at the top? The description said the restaurant and bar were adjacent to the lobby, but the rendering looks as if it is at or near the top.

[Pete]

Is the restaurant at the top? The description said the restaurant and bar were adjacent to the lobby, but the rendering looks as if it is at or near the top.

The restaurant, bar, pool and lobby are all on the 2nd level.

1st level is all retail/restaurants.

[Mballard85]

That's going to absolutely kill it!

[warreng88]

Pete, the apartments are well under way and the ground floor retail is looking to come along as well. Are there any indications as to retailers (not Restoration Hardware, Arhaus or Capitol Grill) that would go into this development?

[Pete]

Pete, the apartments are well under way and the ground floor retail is looking to come along as well. Are there any indications as to retailers (not Restoration Hardware, Arhaus or Capitol Grill) that would go into this development?

Yes, they are close with a bunch of new-to-market restaurants and retailers. Should have announcements soon.

[Pete]

[EtanEiko]

The massing this project has created going west on 44 on the Belle Isle Bridge is incredible.

[Pete]

[SEMIweather]

First photo does a great job of showing the incredible scale of this project.

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^ and that’s still not even the whole project as this is only the first phase or two

[warreng88]

So, it looks like the hotel's top floor has been poured (nine stories, right). When do they expect to start on Phase 2? Will we have to wait until the apartments are at a certain percentage occupancy? Or all the retail is completed? Have they indicated a timeline for that?

[warreng88]

The slide pictures (the ones that change without doing anything) are confusing to me. The one that shows all of the phases shows one large apartment complex surrounding the parking garage that is significantly lower than the height of the buildings and a pool area between the parking garage and the apartments. The next one that shows the view looking SW shows it in its current state. I assume the first one that shows all of the phases was prelim and it was never switched out.

https://www.oakokc.com/

[warreng88]

[chssooner]

So, it looks like the hotel's top floor has been poured (nine stories, right). When do they expect to start on Phase 2? Will we have to wait until the apartments are at a certain percentage occupancy? Or all the retail is completed? Have they indicated a timeline for that?

The second phase won't have any additional residential, i believe. May wait until the office building is mostly or completely leased.

[warreng88]

The second phase won't have any additional residential, i believe. May wait until the office building is mostly or completely leased.

Are you talking about the office building in phase 2 being preleased? The only buildings in phase 1 are the hotel and apartments with retail.

[chssooner]

Are you talking about the office building in phase 2 being preleased? The only buildings in phase 1 are the hotel and apartments with retail.

Yeah. Your post asked "when do they plan to start phase 2?" I went ahead and mentioned no residential in phase 2, so that occupancy % shouldn't matter. But, preleasing that not yet built tall office building very well does matter.

[Teo9969]

The slide pictures (the ones that change without doing anything) are confusing to me. The one that shows all of the phases shows one large apartment complex surrounding the parking garage that is significantly lower than the height of the buildings and a pool area between the parking garage and the apartments. The next one that shows the view looking SW shows it in its current state. I assume the first one that shows all of the phases was prelim and it was never switched out.

https://www.oakokc.com/

Yeah, the 1st picture from your.post below this one is old. It doesn't have the Arhaus building and I think that's what ultimately caused the design change.

[borchard]

Was driving south on Penn this morning. Go to 63rd St and thought it was so cool how you can see OAK from there. Look good!