HTeaO

[shawnw]

dang that sucks, I liked the place, though obviously hadn't got much of late (had been many times under original owners)

[TheTravellers]

dang that sucks, I liked the place, though obviously hadn't got much of late (had been many times under original owners)

Eh, don't worry, if you hadn't eaten there lately you can still hold on to your good memories, they went downhill (cut the types of dogs, no more duck fat fries, etc.), then they died.

[Pete]

Iconic Route 66 A-Frame structure set for demolition

The new owner of the old Mutts Hot Dog restaurant at 1400 NW 23rd has filed plans to demolish the distinct building and build a new shopping center on the site.

Constructed in the 1960s for the short-lived Heap Big Beef restaurant chain, the distinctive A-Frame building was once a landmark on Route 66.

Most recently, it had been home to Mutts, which closed in May of last year after a storm sheared off a portion of the roof. It has been vacant since.

The property was purchased last September by the current developer for $500,000.

The proposed demolition and new construction will be considered by the Urban Design Review Commission on March 25th.

[Plutonic Panda]

Fu€k these assholes. It wouldn’t be as maddening if these unique structures were replaced with something unique or more impressive but we see yet another sh!tty generic strip mall. Damn

[BoulderSooner]

i don't think this was ever on route 66 didn't it 66 go south on classen from 39th then east on 23rd??

either way this building is damaged and not really functional .. this would be a good change for the area

[Pete]

There were several Route 66 alignments through OKC, but at one time it absolutely included that stretch of 23rd, which is why you have things like the old motel that is now the Flamingo apartments:

[Plutonic Panda]

i don't think this was ever on route 66 didn't it 66 go south on classen from 39th then east on 23rd??

either way this building is damaged and not really functional .. this would be a good change for the area

yes more cookie cutter strip malls will signal a breath of fresh and forward change for this area.

[jdizzle]

Fu€k these assholes. It wouldn’t be as maddening if these unique structures were replaced with something unique or more impressive but we see yet another sh!tty generic strip mall. Damn

Not everything unique is good. And this is not really good, and it is limiting, in terms of what could go there. Not saying a strip mall is the best replacement, but tearing is down is fine with me.

[GoGators]

Can they at least put the parking lot behind the building? This is really bad.

Why is a proposed laundromat on Classen the only new development that actually puts any type of effort in the layout of the site?

[Pete]

I'm sure the Urban Design Commission will have plenty to say about all this.

[TheTravellers]

i don't think this was ever on route 66 didn't it 66 go south on classen from 39th then east on 23rd??

either way this building is damaged and not really functional .. this would be a good change for the area

Bullsh*t to both of those - it can be repaired and it will be completely functional then, and no, a strip mall would not be a good change, FFS, it *never* is a good change, we already have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many empty strip malls in this city.

[Canoe]

What a downgrade. The design could not be worst. Who are these developers? Are they local?

[SoonerDave]

I'm not sure anyone should really be surprised by this - after the storm damaged the place and it didn't get repaired, it was fairly evident the owner wanted out of the property. I feel for the guy who ran Mutt's; never heard how he fared out of that whole situation, along with the folks they employed.

I'm sure no fan of another generic stripmall, but the building as it sits was of no use and likely not worth repairing. I can't blame the owner for wanting to put up something that made the property useful. I think this is just another long-term consequence of storm damage we don't think about - had the tornado not hit the place, Mutt's would have gone on with that new owner, and who knows where it would have gone. I think the prior owner had sold out because the business was ebbing, and the new guy was hoping to revive it and make it work. Now, we'll never know. Stinking tornadoes.

[SoonerDave]

Bullsh*t to both of those - it can be repaired and it will be completely functional then, and no, a strip mall would not be a good change, FFS, it *never* is a good change, we already have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many empty strip malls in this city.

We really have no idea how much it would have cost to repair that building, at least I don't. And there may have been a lot of underlying issues with a building that age.

More broadly, we've already lost a BUNCH of really nice, unique old retail buildings along that same corridor over the last 20-30 years. It'd be nice if we could get some of them back, but it just isn't likely.

[TheTravellers]

I'm sure the Urban Design Commission will have plenty to say about all this.

I can't find a way to contact them, which I'm sure is deliberate, but here's a link to a page that's got a guy's name/email on it that may be able to help with that. Don't know if contacting them would help, but may be worth a shot.

https://www.okc.gov/departments/plan...sign-districts

[king183]

Are there really that many developers in OKC with no vision or taste whatsoever who just want to make the cheapest dollar they can? What an awful proposed replacement. When will we get past this ridiculous strip mall fad?

[BoulderSooner]

There were several Route 66 alignments through OKC, but at one time it absolutely included that stretch of 23rd, which is why you have things like the old motel that is now the Flamingo apartments:

this is pretty interesting and somthing i didn't know

he different alignments of City 66 west of the State Capitol:
1926-30: Along 23rd to Classen to 39th St.
Map with directions
1930-33: Along 23rd to Western to 39th St.
Map with directions
1933-54: Along 23rd to May Ave. to 39th St.
Map with directions
1933-53: Western from 23rd to to 39th St. and west to May Ave. became Alt 66
1954-79: Along 23rd to May Ave. to 39th St. became Bus. 66 as the City 66 was eliminated.
03.05.1979 US 66 Business Route deleted in Oklahoma City

lots of different combo for this part of town all 90 +- years old

[CloudDeckMedia]

The failure of Mutts as a business certainly contributed to this. If a vibrant business was operating there, a way forward would’ve been found. But in this case, the property owner was facing the certainty of expensive building repairs and the uncertainty of a future successful restaurant tenant.

[TheTravellers]

Are there really that many developers in OKC with no vision or taste whatsoever who just want to make the cheapest dollar they can? What an awful proposed replacement. When will we get past this ridiculous strip mall fad?

I doubt they even use developers for this kind of crap, there's probably a stripmallsrus.com site that any idiot with money and no sense of civic responsibility or taste can download plans from...

There's literally storefronts vacant with a "for lease" sign on them two blocks away on the north side of 23rd right before Classen, and I'd bet there's more within a few blocks that I can't think of right now, there is absolutely no need for this crappy strip mall anywhere in the city, much less replacing the Mutt's building.

[Pete]

This developer owns a tax service so I suspect he'll use at least part of this property for that purpose.

[jedicurt]

i would be all for this if it were being replaced with something truly amazing, because this building is just okay... but the proposal for what it's being replaced with is just awful....

[Canoe]

This developer owns a tax service so I suspect he'll use at least part of this property for that purpose.

What a home run! This is just what this area needs. A tax service, maybe we could get a Payday loan, and a pot shop! I am sure that an upstanding citizen like this man will keep this building well maintained so it can bring joy to future generations.

[GoGators]

This developer owns a tax service so I suspect he'll use at least part of this property for that purpose.

Is this the same guy who recently put in the strip mall at NW 15th and May?
Noticed that shortly after the building went up a sign for a tax service went out front. Looks very similar to the above proposal.

[Pete]

Is this the same guy who recently put in the strip mall at NW 15th and May?
Noticed that shortly after the building went up a sign for a tax service went out front. Looks very similar to the above proposal.

I just checked and that seems to be a different group.

[onthestrip]

I doubt they even use developers for this kind of crap, there's probably a stripmallsrus.com site that any idiot with money and no sense of civic responsibility or taste can download plans from...

There's literally storefronts vacant with a "for lease" sign on them two blocks away on the north side of 23rd right before Classen, and I'd bet there's more within a few blocks that I can't think of right now, there is absolutely no need for this crappy strip mall anywhere in the city, much less replacing the Mutt's building.

So we should only allow new retail buildings when everything else is 100% leased? Or no new homes can be built until all the unsold ones are sold? Of course not, this is a ridiculous view to take.

What a home run! This is just what this area needs. A tax service, maybe we could get a Payday loan, and a pot shop! I am sure that an upstanding citizen like this man will keep this building well maintained so it can bring joy to future generations.

Why do you get to say that there doesnt need to be a tax service in this spot? Strip mall tenants do serve people who have a demand for them.

Maybe everyone against this should also put forth efforts to clean up the nearby buildings around this. Have you seen some of the trash nearby? Go after them first, instead of attacking something newer and nicer going in place of a building that isnt remarkable or significant. Save your breath for something truly unique like the gold dome.