The Colcord Hotel Has a New Owner
Well, what do you know, news still happens if I take a couple of vacation days. Jack Money has an article now at www.newsok.com detailing Devon Energy’s purchase of the Colcord Hotel.
And of course, the online community is just buzzing about this purchase and wondering about the implications. I don’t have all the answers, but….
It’s ridiculous to suggest Larry Nichols might want to tear down the hotel and replace it with parking. But if you’re looking for the negative angle on every story, go ahead and keep on talking about it anyway. Truth is, from the moment Devon announced its plans to build a new tower, one had to wonder about how the Colcord might survive the loss of its surface parking lot. The city-owned old Galleria parking deck is part of the site that is expected to be awarded to Devon by the Urban Renewal Authority later this month.
Devon, of course, wouldn’t mind having an upscale hotel next door to its new tower. And imagine the possibilities for both Devon and the Colcord if the tower development were to incorporate the hotel, instead of having architects and planners trying to work around the 98-year-old landmark.
Yes, it really could be that visionary – and that simple. While I’m not on this story, past discussions with Larry Nichols and other leading corporate leaders in this community are revealing. Look at Kerr-McGee in its final days as being the old way of corporate campus development: self contained, no interaction with the surrounding neighborhood, totally self-sufficient. The new way is to look at how to interact with the surrounding community, to not just benefit from the nearby amenities, but maybe even help enhance them.
Larry Nichols has previously indicated he wants to do just that with the Myriad Gardens. Is there any reason to doubt him when he says he has the same intent with the Colcord?
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
I view this as excellent news and see this as being a win win for all parties involved. I’m very excited to see the plans and Larry Nichols vision for what this block can become.
I agree with Philip. Devon has done a great job thus far with all things related to the soon-to-be-constructed building and there is no reason to believe that this will be any different.
I see Devon as a great community partner and will look forward to great things. I hope they spread the wealth and strive to make downtown a better place. Downtown will take a big step in developing a new tower and new energy.
I’m inclined to take him at his word just because of his patience in pursuing his goals.
Overall to me it seems very positive for all parties.