Century Center

[sooner88]

There were supposed to be pictures attached, I'll try again tonight.

[Urbanized]

I got a tour of the space today myself. Impressive. Far more space/desks than I expected.

[Pete]

We talked about this before, but the interior design is modeled after the New York Times:

[Pete]

The Lost Ogle is reporting that OPUBCO is conducting layoffs today.

[Pete]

Some cool before and afters from https://twitter.com/AndrewKnittle:

[shawnw]

Such an improvement. Who would have thought just a short time ago. We all wanted it torn down.

[Stickman]

OPUBCO will bring a lot of vitality downtown. I remember being a Bell-Hop in the Sheraton in the late 70's. Out of town people would ask me "what is there to do here" ? I had no answer other than Molly Murphy's....pretty sad.
Now we have nine entertainment districts within 3 miles of downtown. Definitely headed in the right direction.

[GaryOKC6]

For those of you who really want to see the space first hand. They are hosting a chamber event on March 31st. Free to anyone who wants to attend including beer and wine. Details below.
Sunset Reception
Date: 03/31/2015
Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Location:
The Oklahoman
100 W. Main
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Map to Event
Add to My Calendar

Chamber members open their doors to the public when they host a Sunset Reception. Join us for food, drink and networking.

Admission is FREE. No need to RSVP

[BDP]

Such an improvement. Who would have thought just a short time ago. We all wanted it torn down.

But that was back when it was "functionally obsolete". lol.

[metro]

Drove by today, the "mesh" was swaying in the wind, so whomever said it was a low grade, cheap mesh was right. It looked like someone had a fishing net on the building.

[metro]

The Lost Ogle is reporting that OPUBCO is conducting layoffs today.

No surprise here, I picked up the Sunday Oklahoman the last 3 weeks in a row, what a joke, no real stories, business section is like 3 pages, and main section is "paper" thin too. The Sunday paper is smaller than what the normal daily paper SHOULD BE. With the poor journalism being done these days, coupled with tanking oil prices, I think OKC may be in for rough times. Hoping I'm wrong.

[ljbab728]

For those of you who really want to see the space first hand. They are hosting a chamber event on March 31st. Free to anyone who wants to attend including beer and wine. Details below.
Sunset Reception
Date: 03/31/2015
Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Location:
The Oklahoman
100 W. Main
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Map to Event
Add to My Calendar

Chamber members open their doors to the public when they host a Sunset Reception. Join us for food, drink and networking.

Admission is FREE. No need to RSVP

That's a very nice idea but doesn't work for people like me who don't work downtown.

[Pete]

OPUBCO has started to move into their new space today.

Believe most everyone will be moved by the end of the week.


Will be very odd to see that space all lit up and active... Even when it was briefly full in the 70's when it opened, the concrete walls still made the whole block feel dead.

[traxx]

Even when it was briefly full in the 70's when it opened, the concrete walls still made the whole block feel dead.

This

When I was in there in the '90s, I was surprised to find businesses operating. Although it wastn' many. The concrete walls closed the rest of the world out and so I don't think people ever thought to go inside.

[shawnw]

Just driving by at night this weekend it has been such an amazing difference in the look and feel of that block with the interior lights on and it being furnished and such

[Centerback]

No surprise here, I picked up the Sunday Oklahoman the last 3 weeks in a row, what a joke, no real stories, business section is like 3 pages, and main section is "paper" thin too. The Sunday paper is smaller than what the normal daily paper SHOULD BE. With the poor journalism being done these days, coupled with tanking oil prices, I think OKC may be in for rough times. Hoping I'm wrong.

[HOT ROD]

pics anyone for us expats

[shawnw]

I'll try to remember to take one tonight on the way home

[HOT ROD]

thanks much!

[Pete]

Cool story from Berry Tramel:

Hello downtown, my old friend | News OK

[Spartan]

Wow. I've always thought Berry was an incredible writer, but it's cool to see him write about non-sports topics. It's funny how the sports guy is probably their most-talented writer (but probably not their most-talented investigator).

[CuatrodeMayo]

Cool story from Berry Tramel:

Hello downtown, my old friend | News OK

That is SO great.

[Pete]

I can relate to so much of what he writes in that article.

I think for many of us, going downtown as young kids creates a feeling of awe that can stick with you for life. I know I've always had it since we used to go pick my grandmother up at the train station back in the lat 60's and early 70's. And then when I went to my first events at the Myriad starting in the early 70's.

And I later loved working there for the some reasons mentioned by Berry. It was like a small town. When I graduated OU in '82 and started working down there I saw tons of people I had gone to college with and got to know a bunch more in social circles. Then, I'd run into them down there or we'd have a mutual friend... It's always nice to see familiar faces.

I've been hooked on downtowns and cities since those first visits. When my family would travel, I'd always ask my dad to take small side trips to city centers and he always obliged: Tulsa, Kansas City, St. Louis and even Chicago. And as a young college student, I went to go see the model on display in is what is now Corporate Tower; it showed not only what would be Oklahoma Tower but a 50-story building where the library now stands and the infamous Galleria Mall. I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen, and the leasing agents there were really nice to me as they could see my passion.

And the Century Center has special meaning to me too because my first job out of college was in the top floor of the little Oil & Gas Building on the NE corner of Main and Sheridan, directly across from that complex. Ate many lunches in there and later loved looking through Taylor's Newstand. But of course, mostly it was a dark, depressing place.

My company moved into Leadership Square and were one of it's first occupants. That was exciting stuff but because the economy was poor, it mainly just sucked existing tenants out of other buildings and in some ways contributed to the demise of some older structures.

Anyway, I'm happy for the OPUBCO employees and all that activity and life will be great for a corner that always has been so important to downtown.

[SOONER8693]

Wow. I've always thought Berry was an incredible writer, but it's cool to see him write about non-sports topics. It's funny how the sports guy is probably their most-talented writer (but probably not their most-talented investigator).

Bewy Twammel is a DICK. He "writes" for the Oklahoman because he can't get a job as a writer anywhere else. There are 7th graders that write better than this clown.

[dankrutka]

I enjoy Tramel's writing largely because he is actually reflective. He doesn't just follow along with the popular generalizations that dictate so much of sports writing, but he actually sits back, thinks about things from different perspectives, and then does research to address his gaps in knowledge. You can see the same qualities when he writes about non-sports topics. Good read.