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Just got this press release from the Prohibition Room at the Gold Dome. I can’t say I’m totally surprised. The restaurant seems to be doing well at night and on weekends, but the lunch hour has been dismal. This is not a reflection on the food quality or service. From my own visits and observations from others, some would say the problem is with the menu: too expensive for lunch, and too long of a wait. Hopefully the overhaul will include a menu that caters to the downtown/uptown lunch crowd. The restaurant is a nice addition to the Gold Dome at NW 23 and Classen, and it would be shame if it failed. 

Prohibition Room Restaurant/Lounge to Close for Lunch for 2 Weeks to Reorganize and Open Under New Kitchen Management. 

Effective Monday December 1^st the Prohibition Room Restaurant/Lounge located at 1112 NW 23^rd St in the Historic Gold Dome in

Prohibition Room will be open for business at 4pm until 2am everyday during this process serving dinner service nightly.  Prohibition Room will be open Saturday’s and Sunday’s during normal business hours.  

This decision is to improve the lunch service providing higher quality and faster service during the lunch period.  Prohibition Room has been open for six months providing a relaxing atmosphere for patrons to have dinner and drinks.  The small independent restaurant group made this decision to try to fix problems with kitchen issues and succeed in helping the 23^rd street area continue the redevelopment process that began years ago. 

Co-owner Joe Rosati was quoted “this is an unfortunate turn of events but necessary to the survival of the restaurant in the future and to re-focus on the guest and their needs” 

That’s what I’m hearing about the two finalists for president of Downtown OKC Inc. Rumors have been floating around on the street for a few weeks about the search narrowing down - I’ve got it on good authority we’ll likely hear something soon. The two finalists I’m told both have extensive downtown experience and are no strangers to the challenges and opportunites facing downtown OKC.

Some quick observations - Braum’s has pulled its last big connection to downtown by deciding not to continue sponsorship of the ice rink. Not sure of their thinking on this - the ice rink is easilly the most popular of the Downtown in December festivities and Braum’s was getting a lot of buzz from the sponsorship. Braum’s, as you might recall, also decided against opening a location downtown during a courtship earlier this year.

I wonder if there are any valid competitors ready to take a shot on downtown?

Devon Energy took over the ice rink support. The Oklahoman has apparently taken over the canal boat ride sponsorship. And SandRidge took over sponsorship of the Christmas tree, which will be lit at 5:30 p.m. today (great festivities in Bricktown tonight for the whole family).

I’m still tired from Black Friday shopping. Saw consumerism at its worst at Wal Mart at 5 a.m. (I only went because I was able to save $50 on gift for my son). People pushing, shoving, no organization from the store’s management, and the highlight was a woman with a full cart (far more than the “20 or less” sign on the isle would allow) cutting me on line and telling “everybody is doing it.” I suggested Karma is going to get her. She’s trying to figure out who Karma is.

We are beginning the full blog upgrades today, there will be a little down time off and on throughout the day as we update the backend of the blogs.  I am hoping it will all be done today but there is a chance it will run into Friday.

Thank you for your patience and placing a note on your blog about the temporary downtime will be much appreciated.  As I receive more specific times for these upgrades I’ll send them to you

Thanks,

nick

Nick Tankersley

Web Editor

Tonight’s game against Phoenix may or may not end with a win (they’re ahead right now by seven points in the fourth quarter). But tonight’s already a win - the players look like they’re in the game, they’re happy, they’re trying. Give me all that, and I’m ok with a losing rebuilding season.

Well, the entertainment side could still be improved. What the Thunder needs is a shameless promoter - someone who can take a slow game and make it snap with fun. I wonder if Brad Lund is available?

From Joe Rosati: 

Just a reminder Prohibition Room will be open Thanksgiving night from 6pm – 2am. If a good drink sounds good (or necessaryJ) after a long day eating and hanging out with family then stop on by and say hello.  We also have our weekly NoNo Jazz Jam on Monday nights starting at 8:00ish, and Silent Movies Sunday Nights with $1.00 Domestics.  To everyone that travels this week, be safe and have a Happy Thanksgiving.     And don’t forget Friday Dec 5^th  when we have Jessica Tate (Harpist) and Edgar Cruz (Guitarist)  both playing that night starting at 6:30 

Think about this for second: today we learn Gary Cotton is auctioning off all of his holdings, including some incredibly prime undeveloped land along the canal.

The Brewer family, has had a large amount of their holdings up for sale for more than a year. Ditto for Bob Meinder’s properties along the east fringe of Bricktown (the old Stewart Metal plant). French Hickman has been trying to sell his properties for more than a year, and he’s telling me now he’s taking them off the market until spring (he thinks interest might go up “as people realize the value of the NBA”).

That’s a lot of land for sale and the asking prices, well, some observers say the price is WAY TOO HIGH. We’ve seen a lot of flipping going on in Bricktown. Could Bricktown benefit from a bankruptcy or two to bring property costs back to earth and make development more feasible?

Now here’s a fun tidbit to chew on - sources tell me discussions are underway in regards to renewing the Business Improvement District that include the prospect of charging a higher assessment for empty, unimproved properties.

Sit back and ponder that possibility for a moment, and then let the comments fly.

A lot of folks in Bricktown were unhappy last year when the Christmas tree was moved from its traditional spot across from the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, overlooking the canal, to the United Way Plaza in Lower Bricktown.

Critics pointed out the loss of the tree robbed the canal of its festive vibe and created a dead spot. 

On a related matter, this note goes to the folks at Downtown OKC Inc: When the tree is lit and festivities begin Friday, wouldn’t it be appropriate to use the moment to remember Jim Brewer? Yes, the man had his faults, and talk of him being “the father of Bricktown” is obviously false (that honor belongs to Neal Horton). But events like this are at the heart of Brewer’s legacy. It was Brewer who breathed new life into having such festivities downtown - and it was Brewer who reminded us all just how much fun a hokey, old fasioned family festival can be.

I’d like to tell you that downtown Oklahoma City is going to do just fine through all this turmoil. But the vibe I’m getting is increasingly mixed.

The good news:

- Leasing activity is up in Bricktown - probably due to the Thunder.

- Devon Energy is showing NO signs of slowing down or scaling back plans for its new headquarters.

- Hotel projects are still moving forward in Bricktown.

- The Health Sciences Center is still going strong and new companies like Orthocare have the potential to become significant employers.

- Leasing and development is proceeding nicely along Automobile Alley.

- SandRidge Energy is almost complete with renovations to the old Kerr-McGee tower and the property will soon be home to about 500 workers. 

The mixed news:

- Sales of completed downtown housing don’t seem to be tied so much to the economy as they are to design and location. Keeping that in mind, some housing is selling at a great clip, while others are dead in the water. I won’t add to anyone’s misery by naming names.

- A very painful restructuring of downtown could begin as soon as this summer once Devon Energy buys and starts expanding the west City Center garage. It will hurt at first, but the outcome could really result in the best parking accomodations of almost any downtown of our size. 

- We don’t know yet what SandRidge Energy plans to do with the old Braniff towers surrounding the former Kerr-McGee tower.

- Believe it or not, another highrise remains a possibility for downtown Oklahoma City. But see last item on the bad news.

The bad news:

- Two significant downtown employers - Quest Energy and Tronox - are in serious trouble.

- The possibility of a major bankruptcy in Bricktown is growing.

- A handful of major downtown housing developments that were all set to begin this fall are in doubt.

- The Thunder is losing. That was expected, just as it was with the Hornets. But the buzz just isn’t the same this time around. And some of the good things going on right now are tied to the arrival of the NBA. A souring on the team could be bad for much of downtown.

- The credit crunch is like a plague, and it has reached Oklahoma City. Nobody seems to know how much damage it will do to downtown’s momentum. And that’s scary.

It looks like MidTown is going to learn the hard way that you can’t leave wonderful old buildings like this boarded up and empty for long periods. Sadly, this one had a bright future - it was to be home to the Oklahoma Foundation for Digestive Research and would have been a great anchor. Trison at OKC Talk reports fire destroyed all but the elevator shaft. The building was built in 1910.