Top Notch

Steve Lackmeyer columns from NewsOK

• Patience, hope pay off for developer of NW 9 November 17, 2009
  Three years ago, Steve Mason was still just getting started on renovation of the historic former Cadillac dealership building at 1015 N Broadway when he insisted on walking across the street and on to NW 9.The street was a disaster.Read more on NewsOK.com […]
• Project will cultivate 180 acres of potential November 10, 2009
  The upcoming wave of change about to hit downtown Oklahoma City now has a name: Project 180.The Web site for the campaign, www.okc.gov/project180/, isn’t much to look at yet — basically a video explaining what’s about to hit downtown and some links to the city’s public works and planning departments.But if all goes as hoped, Project 180 will have a person a […]
• Downtown Oklahoma City planners facing tight deadline November 3, 2009
  Blink and you might miss it, but decisions that will affect downtown Oklahoma City’s image for decades to come are being made at lightning speed.Call them "the dream team,” or better yet, the Delta Force for urban redesign in Oklahoma City.Read more on NewsOK.com […]
• Parking offer at game may score with fans October 27, 2009
  The Bricktown Association is repeating its offer of free parking for the second season home opening game Wednesday for the Oklahoma City Thunder.Read more on NewsOK.com […]
• Property buyer is coy about downtown plans October 20, 2009
  Nicholas Preftakes is still being coy about his plans for a block of properties he’s acquired west of the future home of Devon Energy Corp.But Preftakes is providing a bit more information this week about what he has planned.Records show Preftakes has spent about $14 million acquiring more than half of the block bounded by Hudson, Walker, Sheridan and Main.R […]
• Myriad Gardens plan crystallizes connection October 13, 2009
  The start of construction last week on the 50-story Devon tower might be impressive, but one must look to other endeavors by the company’s CEO Larry Nichols to see how he fits into downtown’s history.It’s a timeline that starts with the late Dean A. McGee.Read more on NewsOK.com […]
• Q&A with Alison Oshel October 6, 2009
  How Oklahoma retailers have been hit by the recessionQ: Oklahoma City is well into its own recession now.Read more on NewsOK.com […]
• Building survey to catalog Oklahoma City downtown's past October 6, 2009
  Is there a "lost Bricktown”? You bet.Lost in the hype over Bricktown as a thriving urban entertainment venue is that the one-time wholesale district was once much bigger.Read more on NewsOK.com […]
• City building now sports a new piece of sculpture September 29, 2009
  James Cotter visited Oklahoma City during the weekend to do some showing off of a sculpture he commissioned for the north plaza of Cotter Ranch Tower downtown.Of course some readers already are a bit confused, unaware such a tower exists.Read more on NewsOK.com […]
• ‘Dream team’ is in place for downtown makeover September 22, 2009
  Cathy O’Connor, Brent Bryant, Kenny Jordan, John Michael Williams, Dan Batchelor and Leslie Batchelor were all dubbed the "dream team” after completing one of the most complicated public/private financing plans in city history for renovation of the Skirvin Hilton.Now some of the same faces are back and facing even bigger tasks with creation of the Devon […]