Is This Design Good Enough for Bricktown's Gateway?
The preliminary designs are in for the upcoming Bricktown fire station. The $2.7 million station, being designed by LWPB, is to be built at the corner of Lincoln and Sheridan – the east gateway to Bricktown.Designs call for the entrance to include a display area for a vintage 1910 fire truck.
A report submitted by LWPB to the city indicates the exterior is a “transitional design that blends contemporary aesthetic along with details such as windowless arches, red brick, etc.” that “evoke the essence of the Bricktown community.” The design also calls for sloping metal roofs over the truck bays that LWPB states is in keeping with Bricktown’s warehouse look (really?).
Earlier this year we looked at earlyday OKC fire stations and discussed how other cities have designed stations to fit into urban or historic areas.
So, what do you think? Tuesday may be the only opportunity to question the design or express any concerns. The architects are asking the city council to allow them to proceed with final designs.
The council meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, third floor of City Hall, 200 N Walker. I do not believe this is within the Bricktown Urban Design district. Bricktown is in Ward 7, which is represented by Skip Kelly. If you like the designs, or if you have concerns, you can reach him at ward7@okc.gov . Another interested party might be Meg Salyer, who represents the west half of downtown and is a veteran of downtown design review and development. Her email is ward6@okc.gov .
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Comments
There seems to be a real desire to suburbanize downtown and Bricktown. This is only one in a series of disappointing designs released over the past year or so, none of which provide much hope for those of us wanting to make OKC a great city!
I think it looks like a rural fire station, too. Nothing wrong with the design, it just doesn’t fit in Bricktown.
Flat roof would be better… and is that a parking lot right in front of the entrance that I see?
Madison WI :
http://www.thedailypage.com/media/2007/01/04/394Cover_FireStationNo2.jpg
Jacksonville, FL (sloped roof, but it’s to the street and that makes up for it):
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-1552-dsc_0055.JPG
Silver Springs, MD (New Urban Fire Station + Offices):
http://www.mc-mncppc.org/silverspring/Images/ss_firestation1.jpg
It is boring. I wish I had time to express concerns. I think it should look like an urban firestation like the ones in the big cities. That are two or three stories that go straight up and are brick with the different color bricks for accents. It is our city we should voice our concerns because we are paying for it.
It does look a lot like the one in Mustang if that tells you anything, just the bricks are different and the entrances aren’t arched.
These pics (of the proposed BTFS) appeared on your blog a couple days ago without any narrative… I though you’d accidentally posted some student’s school project. My thought, “sophomoric design” was not meant to be derogatory… Now it is.
Now my additional thoughts are: it appears the value-engineering knife has cut too deep (at least I HOPE that’s the excuse for this simplistic design)! I would think more meat needs to be put on those bones… Please post the e-mailing address of our City Council and I’ll be happy to air my thoughts.
It’s in the post. Skip Kelly is at ward7@okc.gov and Meg Salyer is ward6@okc.gov
Thanks, I will email them. I was working on a final project for one of my classes, so I didn’t have time today, but I will do it tomorrow when I finish my last presentation.
This is what I sent in today!
“Dear Council Members,
I am writing this email regarding the new Bricktown Fire Station that is under consideration. I would like to express some major concerns that I have about the design as proposed. Currently the Station designs that I have seen show it as a single level structure, situated a lengthy distance from the street front. While I have head other concerns about how it is not multi-level, and so on, and I also share those concerns. I am most deeply troubled about the lack of urban design that has gone into this station. I, and many others would like to see the city spend its funds on structures that fit the area that they are being built. Meaning, the station as proposed would look very nice, and fit in well in a more suburban setting. However as we all can agree, Bricktown is Oklahoma City’s Urban Experience and I believe that we as residents should do everything that we can to keep that experience intact.
So in closing, I would like to thank the city for considering the construction of a new Fire Station that would serve the newly found residents of Downtown, Bricktown and the other emerging districts. But please, consider the atmosphere that the station would be constructed in when selecting the design.
Thank you for your time and efforts,
Seth Rott”
If you don’t have time to write your own email, I’m sure Seth wouldn’t mind if any of you copied his email and modified it as your own.
This is the response that I got from the City:
“Thank you for your note and comments. I am copying Chief Bryant regarding your concerns and requesting he provide you with a response.
Debi Martin”
Remember the most important aspect of this Fire Station. Money. We who work for the Fire Dept. know that everything we have is the “Highest quality product that the lowest bid will buy”! I hope you arent hoping for something spectacular when the budget for the Station was something like 1.6 million in 2000 dollars.
Eh… Not bad, but not too “wow” either. It doesn’t have the same detail as the Bricktown Police Station… at least the rendering doesn’t show it. I wish the rendering showed the red doors a bit better. I think the Fire Department’s policy of one-level stations only hurts the character of a new, but classic-looking, fire station. Build up, not out, helps preserve space and creates the classic look. The arching above the doors and the entrance is something I’d expect on a fire station out in the NW 164th & Penn or SW 44th & Council area… not downtown.