Santa Fe Station

[CuatrodeMayo]

This is going to be an incredible public space and a game-changer for regional transit in Oklahoma. I'm really excited about this project.

[jccouger]

This is going to be an incredible public space and a game-changer for regional transit in Oklahoma. I'm really excited about this project.

Anybody who has been to Denver's Union Station would know how big of game changer this is going to be. If ours is even 1/2 of extravagant as theirs is then it will become the new it place to be.

It won't just be a place to get to other places. It will actually become a destination itself.

[Pete]

The building is open during the days (at least the Amtrak part) and it's stunning on the inside.

If people haven't been inside, it's very worth popping in.

[HotStuff80]

Pete,
It is not so easy to pop-in if you don't live in OKC. It would be great to encourage locals to take more photos.

[Laramie]

The intermodal transit hub renovation will preserve the historic Santa Fe Station; also give OKC a centralized transportation terminal. Just wonder if there are plans to fit the Greyhound Bus in with this transit hub?

[Laramie]

nm

[David]

The intermodal transit hub renovation will preserve the historic Santa Fe Station; also give OKC a centralized transportation terminal. Just wonder if there are plans to fit the Greyhound Bus in with this transit hub?

That was discussed at the end of the Santa Fe presentation to the council meeting on Tuesday. The presentation starts 54:40 in to the meeting video, with the Greyhound questions from the council members towards the end at around 1:05 or so. It's worth watching the entire thing, though, just for the presentation alone.

[Laramie]

That was discussed at the end of the Santa Fe presentation to the council meeting on Tuesday. The presentation starts 54:40 in to the meeting video, with the Greyhound questions from the council members towards the end at around 1:05 or so. It's worth watching the entire thing, though, just for the presentation alone.

Thanks!

[Plutonic Panda]

I was unable to go inside this time, but I got some exterior shots.

2/8/2015

[5alive]

Just curious...whatever that black discoloring is on the building...can or should it be removed?

[Pete]

Just curious...whatever that black discoloring is on the building...can or should it be removed?

Yes, and that is the plan.

It's just discoloration from the elements which can be cleaned.

[Teo9969]

They've almost finished making the whole cathedral the color of the front side,

Santa Fe Station is going to look super clean when it's…well…cleaned

[Bellaboo]

Never noticed before, but the fourth picture from the top depicts the outline of the station as inlays on the wall.

[BDP]

They've almost finished making the whole cathedral the color of the front side,

Santa Fe Station is going to look super clean when it's…well…cleaned

It's much like when they renovated central station. They left one square untouched so you can see what it looked like before the cleanup:

[Urbanized]

Honestly most of those stains are mildew stains. The important step that needs to be taken is for a sealer to be applied after cleaning to inhibit new growth. It was cleaned about 15 years ago, believe it or not, but I'm guessing not sealed well after. The cleaning was a bit controversial too, because it involved abrasion, which is frowned upon by preservation guidelines due to potential damage to the stone's finished surface, which can make it more porous and open to the elements. Chemical cleaning is really the best way. Honestly, a diluted bleach solution would probably do wonders.

[warreng88]

From the JR:

On track for CBD-Bricktown express: Committee approves walkway tunnel design

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record February 11, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY – The city is one step closer to having a walkable connection between the Central Business District and Bricktown.

The Bricktown Urban Design Committee approved Tap Architecture’s design for a tunnel that will pass through the retaining wall separating the two areas. Railroad tracks run atop the wall.

The Downtown Design Review Committee will consider its side of the project this month as part of its review of upgrades to the Santa Fe Station’s plaza area.

When Tap architect Scott Parker presented the design in December, it was met with criticism from MAPS 3 subcommittee member Jeff Bezdek. Bezdek said the connection would not be on the proposed streetcar route, though Tap’s renderings showed a stop. The streetcar stop was previously shown on E.K. Gaylord Boulevard, but the Bricktown committee doesn’t have power of approval for that portion of the project. Bezdek did not attend Wednesday’s meeting, and no one else from the MAPS 3 committee protested the design.

The tunnel’s eastern opening near the Devon Centennial Fountain will be showcased with an Art Deco-style façade that will look like a building on the retaining wall. The aesthetic matches the Santa Fe Station, but with an updated appearance, Parker said. The faux building will be off-white, standing out from the gray retaining wall. It will feature a steel-framed canopy with a glass overhang to protect people from the weather, while not taking away from the design.

“We wanted to create an entrance,” Parker said. “We wanted it to be inviting. We also wanted to have a relationship to where it was going.”

The entrance will lead to a 42-foot-wide tunnel that will narrow as people walk west to Santa Fe Station. The tunnel has 10-foot-high ceilings, though they could be made higher if structurally sound.

Dallas-based Jacobs Engineering architect Robert Manley is overseeing the tunnel’s work. He said there will be a 2-foot, 7-inch grade change from the downtown side to Bricktown.

“Most people won’t even notice it,” Manley said.

The tunnel will have light-emitting-diode lighting that can change colors when needed.

“We can see these being blue for (Oklahoma City Thunder) home games or other events,” Manley said.

The previous plan included benches inside the tunnel, but those have been removed because the architects do not think people will congregate in the tunnel. There will be electric outlets for portable kiosks.

Other features include a large staircase down to the existing plaza area and a bridge to connect the walkway near Zio’s Italian Kitchen, 12 E. California Ave.

The upgrade to the Santa Fe Station is a $28.4 million project paid for by the city, state and grants. Bids for the whole project are expected to go out this spring, with construction starting in the summer. The project is expected to be substantially complete by fall 2016.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Color-changing LEDs, how novel...

[bchris02]

This sounds really cool. Are there any renderings yet?

[Pete]

Here is what they will be doing as far as cleaning up and restoring the exterior. This is just a sample; they will be doing similar work on all elevations:

[Pete]

Today, there were building permit applications totaling $10 million for this project; on both the EKG and Bricktown sides.

They are about to get busy... Very excited to see this unfold.

[bchris02]

Awesome.

This is one of those things that is a game changer but people don't yet realize how big of a deal it is. This is going to do wonders for the Bricktown Canal and the viability of new businesses along it.

[Village]

I don't think anyone's posted about this, but the sidewalk around the parking lot of the Santa Fe Station is horrible. One must watch for nails still screwed into the sidewalk when walking. Will the overhaul of the station pay for the sidewalk as well?

[Pete]

I don't think anyone's posted about this, but the sidewalk around the parking lot of the Santa Fe Station is horrible. One must watch for nails still screwed into the sidewalk when walking. Will the overhaul of the station pay for the sidewalk as well?

Yes, they'll be re-doing all the paving in front and around the sides of the building.

[Anonymous.]

Yup. There was a whole lot of valet parking signs that were recently removed, and of course they removed them half-assedly and left most of the bolts sticking up providing a nice tripping hazard or stabbing hazard.

[Just the facts]

I don't think anyone's posted about this, but the sidewalk around the parking lot of the Santa Fe Station is horrible. One must watch for nails still screwed into the sidewalk when walking. Will the overhaul of the station pay for the sidewalk as well?

I am noticing that this a reoccuring theme around downtown. I walk a lot and 4 things I have noticed

1) random metal sticking out of the sidewalks
2) paint markings coming off like it was drawn on with chalk
3) walk signals not automatically be called when the light turns green
4) low tree branches (especially when using an umbrella)