Midtown

[betts]

They're all very different, and are close enough to be complimentary rather than competitive. We are walking from Deep Deuce to Film Row and back for dinner tonight, for example, but we could just as easily go to 9th St. On a nice night, when my husband's foot doesnt hurt, Midtown is a reasonable walk. I bumped into my son walking back from Red Prime to his apartment at the Guardian one night, as I was going into Packards. In our mind they all meld into what we consider our little part of the city.

[Pete]

Yes, and as there are additons/improvements across all the districts, they will start mesh into one another.

That is already starting to happen and the trend will definitely continue.

[bchris02]

After purchasing the early Sunday edition of The Oklahoman and reading Steve's article Midtown Momentum, I would have to say:

Midtown > Deep Deuce
Midtown > Film Row
Midtown > Uptown
Midtown > Automobile Alley

#MidtownOKC

Potentially yes. As it stands today, I think Midtown is a bit underwhelming, but of all the districts it has the most potential and the most momentum. With that in mind, I think Midtown will reach its potential within the next five years while there is a more of a question mark for most of the other districts. Dust Bowl/Fassler Hall will really help make it a destination.

I agree with the other posters in that putting these districts against each other isn't a good thing.

[ljbab728]

Post #1598: http://www.okctalk.com/other-urban-d...tml#post670913

The link in that post no longer works.

[ljbab728]

Steve's Midtown update.

http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3870963?embargo=1

Todd Woodruff and Emily Frosaker are a happy young couple starting out their shops — side by side — in a downtown neighborhood that is being recast to accommodate just such dreams.Woodruff's Waffle Champion and Frosaker's Dry/Shop, both opened this past week, join a mix of restaurants, apartments, shops and offices developed by MidTown Renaissance, a partnership between Bob Howard, Mickey Clagg and Chris Fleming.
Both Woodruff and Frosaker credit architect Brian Fitzsimmons with creating the perfect home for their new ventures. Fitzsimmons, who also oversaw design of the nearby Guardian Garage apartments, the 430 NW 12 apartments and the Park Place Alley for MidTown Renaissance, worked closely with both entrepreneurs to create their new vibe.
Fleming, whose task is to balance the mix of new development while subtly introducing new design to the century-old neighborhood, sees Fitzsimmons as key to drawing young entrepreneurs like Woodruff and Frosaker.

“This city has a lot of young talent that are looking for ways to harness their creativity into business ventures and make ideas turn into money,” Fleming said. “We're trying to take a balanced approach with things and not go overboard with restaurants, office or residential, but have a good blend of everything.”

But Fleming also adds that the addition of housing is what drives the neighborhood's evolution from an area that the city declared blighted in 1998.

[catch22]

I had no idea they were in a relationship. How cool.

[Teo9969]

It takes a lot of variety to make a complete urban core, so that is the biggest reason saying Midtown>Everywhere Else is probably unnecessary. Deep Deuce is a predominantly residential neighborhood, CBD a CBD, Automobile Alley a retail/shopping/restaurant district, etc.

That being said, Midtown will be the most complete and diverse district in OKC for the foreseeable future. With a massive anchor in St. Anthony's, increasing diversity in dining and residential (especially if you consider SOSA part of Midtown), a Hotel, a variety of businesses. And it has both the space and the extant infrastructure to be turned into a truly remarkable place of both new and not so new (I can't say old, because I've been in Europe for the past month, and we have exactly zero in our city that's old :-P ). Obviously we love DD and the CBD and AA, but MT has the chance to be something on another level, I dare say, the heart of OKC.

[ljbab728]

Steve's update on Fassler Hall and Dust Bowl.

Oklahoma City's MidTown to get new entertainment venues | News OK

[Teo9969]

Gorgeous. The only thing missing is rooftop access, but that's more like the 7th layer of icing on the cake.

3 more bars in addition to what we already know about along t e 10th and Walker corridor and Midtown will take the throne for nightlife district, and probably never let go.

...Put a Tram/Bus line from 23rd to 10th/Walker to Brictown via Auto Alley that runs until 3....

[HangryHippo]

I don't like the design of the facility at all, but I'm beyond excited for the addition of these two bars! Maybe (I hope) the design will grow on me.

[Spartan]

It looks like a generic Whole Foods market.

[Architect2010]

It looks like a generic Whole Foods market.

Well, that's an awesome yet generic Whole Foods then.

[bchris02]

Gorgeous. The only thing missing is rooftop access, but that's more like the 7th layer of icing on the cake.

3 more bars in addition to what we already know about along t e 10th and Walker corridor and Midtown will take the throne for nightlife district, and probably never let go.

...Put a Tram/Bus line from 23rd to 10th/Walker to Brictown via Auto Alley that runs until 3....

I am excited about this. Previously my bets were on Uptown 23rd but I think this will be a game changer for Midtown. These kinds of things work like snowballs. I expect once this takes off, things will explode in Midtown. Without the Tower Theater, I don't see 23rd getting to critical mass, but I think it will be second to Midtown after the new Pump Bar and 80s retro bar open.

[onthestrip]

I am excited about this. Previously my bets were on Uptown 23rd but I think this will be a game changer for Midtown. These kinds of things work like snowballs. I expect once this takes off, things will explode in Midtown. Without the Tower Theater, I don't see 23rd getting to critical mass, but I think it will be second to Midtown after the new Pump Bar and 80s retro bar open.

Analyze them however you want both they both continue to progress and develop very well in the near future...all at the same time. One isn't stealing progress from the other.

[bchris02]

Analyze them however you want both they both continue to progress and develop very well in the near future...all at the same time. One isn't stealing progress from the other.

Unfortunately I think Uptown will be handicapped as long as the Tower Theatre remains in its current state. The impact of that theatre is HUGE though so in the event it gets gentrified and re-opened things will completely change for both uptown and the city.

[PhiAlpha]

Unfortunately I think Uptown will be handicapped as long as the Tower Theatre remains in its current state. The impact of that theatre is HUGE though so in the event it gets gentrified and re-opened things will completely change for both uptown and the city.

I really don't think so. If everything around it develops, as is currently happening, the tower theater will follow. All of the other blocks are currently being redeveloped, so the lack of activity on the tower doesn't seem to be hurting development that much.

[Pete]

I really don't think so. If everything around it develops, as is currently happening, the tower theater will follow. All of the other blocks are currently being redeveloped, so the lack of activity on the tower doesn't seem to be hurting development that much.

I agree the Tower is a huge and critical puzzle piece and that as the area improves radically around it, that will make it easier to get the right interest, financing or merely make it so valuable the current owners can flip it.

It's exciting to envision that strip with everything planned (include the housing behind The Rise) with the Tower apart of that.

[onthestrip]

Unfortunately I think Uptown will be handicapped as long as the Tower Theatre remains in its current state. The impact of that theatre is HUGE though so in the event it gets gentrified and re-opened things will completely change for both uptown and the city.

Grandads recently opened and has good crowds. Back Door BBQ just opened as well. Tuckers, Pizza 23, Orange Leaf, Guernsey Park, the new Mediterranean place...all those have opened fairly recently. Land Run is about to redevelop a whole block with an announced retro pub and a rumored sea food restaurant. Not to mention Big Truck and Cuppies and Joe already being 23rd streeters for a while. The Tower Theater not being finished is holding nothing back. 23rd St will continue to develop with or without Tower Theater.

[CaptDave]

Grandads recently opened and has good crowds. Back Door BBQ just opened as well. Tuckers, Pizza 23, Orange Leaf, Guernsey Park, the new Mediterranean place...all those have opened fairly recently. Land Run is about to redevelop a whole block with an announced retro pub and a rumored sea food restaurant. Not to mention Big Truck and Cuppies and Joe already being 23rd streeters for a while. The Tower Theater not being finished is holding nothing back. 23rd St will continue to develop with or without Tower Theater.

I agree - when will the Tower owners realize what they are losing by sitting on an empty theater. With all the other progress in the area, the probablity of success has increased immensely. The reasons for waiting the redevelop the Tower are rapidly becoming fewer and less reasonable as the other places transform the area.

[Pete]

Grandads recently opened and has good crowds. Back Door BBQ just opened as well. Tuckers, Pizza 23, Orange Leaf, Guernsey Park, the new Mediterranean place...all those have opened fairly recently. Land Run is about to redevelop a whole block with an announced retro pub and a rumored sea food restaurant. Not to mention Big Truck and Cuppies and Joe already being 23rd streeters for a while. The Tower Theater not being finished is holding nothing back. 23rd St will continue to develop with or without Tower Theater.

Also, Pump Bar and A Good Egg's new HQ.

Absolutely tons that have happened here just in the last year and plenty more on the way.

[CaptDave]

Pete - with all that is happening on 23rd, may I suggest we start an Uptown thread? I think it warrants one now and the new developments will only make it more deserving.

[Pete]

Pete - with all that is happening on 23rd, may I suggest we start an Uptown thread? I think it warrants one now and the new developments will only make it more deserving.

http://www.okctalk.com/other-urban-d...velopment.html

[CaptDave]

Derp - how on earth did I miss that?!

[bluedogok]

I agree - when will the Tower owners realize what they are losing by sitting on an empty theater. With all the other progress in the area, the probablity of success has increased immensely. The reasons for waiting the redevelop the Tower are rapidly becoming fewer and less reasonable as the other places transform the area.

What they want to do with the theater requires an investment far beyond what the other, much smaller projects require. They could do something quick and worthless but that isn't what they really want to do with that property. Funding is always an issue and doing it right always costs more than just doing the bare minimum to get it open like the majority of what Bricktown property owners did. The renovation of JDM Place to shell condition (no tenant improvement) was 4-5 times more per/sf than what the majority of the others did.

[CaptDave]

I get that - but I still wonder when they will reach the point where leaving it idle becomes more expensive than taking the plunge to redvelop the place.