A Bridge to Somewhere?
The Downtown Design Review Committee is being asked to approve plans on Thursday for the new Devon Energy world headquarters. Part of the project calls for removal of these ornate bridges between the east and west City Center garages. I called architect Scott Dedmon, whose firm ADG designed the garages, and learned the bridges could be salvaged and used elsewhere.
So….
Question No. 1: Should the bridges be removed? Devon Energy wants the bridges removed because they want to secure access to the west garage, which they are buying from the city, and to clear the view of a rotunda that will stand at the end of Harvey Avenue (just south of the bridge in the foreground).
Question No. 2: Where could the city best re-use the bridges if they are taken down? Where could these bridges make the best impression?
Thank you for joining our conversation on OKC Central. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.
Comments
I would much prefer to keep the bridges. If they have to go, then use them end-to-end on the Oklahoma River…or better yet…the canal extension!
Hmm. “Ornate bridges”???
I don’t see anything there worth trying to force into another location out of architectural context.
agree with Jason…the bridges aren’t all that great, but maybe we can use them at 3rd and Broadway so pedestrians can use the new Chamber Plaza…jk!!
Seriously though, I am glad Devon is upgrading the vista on Harvey. I think the rotunda will look amazing!
I like the bridges, they’re functionally useful and visually interesting – plus they’re paid for and fit in the current context, I think it could take an important visual element away from the overall design to remove them (take the same image above and photo-shop the bridges out)
Can it be done – yes – but should it be done? are there options.
plus using them elsewhere is an ad-hoc way to approach design – Maybe do-able, but not certain what the results will be.
I definitely want to see Devon realize the construction of it’s new HQ, but I think it’s a little absurd to have an attractive new structure partially dismantled inside of it’s first 5-10 years if not absolutely necessary
Dismantle the ugly buildings and spare the good ones!
“an attractive new structure”
Jason, come on man, it is a parking garage. I will grant you that it is comparatively attractive if considered against other parking garages downtown. But we are talking of replacing the view these bridges provide with what will be one of the most significant architectural elements in our entire city. Don’t you think it is a fairly easy decision?
We do have a place to keep significant architectural elements that are no longer needed though…I guess we could put them next to the Baum spires in the Santa Fe garage courtyard.
I agree with Blair and Jason, they aren’t “architectural gems”, true this garage is nice compared to most parking garages, but keep in mind the view they are creating of the new Devon Tower. It will be an unobstructed view when removing these. I’m all for adaptive reuse, but can’t think of anywhere to “move them to”. I’d rather see the metal recycled or give them to local artists and let them make sculpture to donate back as public art somewhere. Keep in mind the west portion of the garage is going to be extended upward and outward, so the original design that you see now, if the bridges stayed, would look out of place with the new west garage when completed. As Doc Brown in Back to the Future would say “You’ve got to think 4th Dimensionally.”
First of all, courtesy is a 2-way street – Please save the sarcasm, and don’t re-characterize my points to change the meaning of what I said. I didn’t call them architectural gems just said that it was an attractive new structure – which you-all apparently agree with, even for a parking garage.
I’m neither staunchly for or against keeping the bridges but it sounds like others have already made up their minds.
The formative stages are when you consider & review options – and we should approach demolition as a last resort when other options might exist, especially on newer structures.
All that said, given the expansion of the garage and the visual sight lines to the new complex, bridge-removal may be the best solution, but we should be sure before deciding to tear out.
Jason has a good point – we don’t need sarcasm or put downs in these comments. Not sure if that was the intent in any of the comments on this post, but everyone should be aware that I encourage good debates and discussions here, but please leave the nasty stuff for other sites.
[...] Re: Devon Tower Here’s another question to ponder: A Bridge to Somewhere? [...]