Supercool
I got the following email today from Beth Rutledge and a pdf of the above page from Metropolitan magazine:
I saw this article (attached) yesterday in Metropolitan Home magazine and thought it was supercool that the Shulman exhibit currently at OKCMoA received a full-page (editorial, not advertising) in the May 2009 edition. Cover is shown below. The write up fell under the headline: “Metro/See” — promoting must-see metropolitan entertainment spots. I love that one of downtown OKC’s cultural anchors was recognized nationally for a must-see exhibit — an exhibit that is totally Oklahoma!
Yep. That’s supercool.
Ask Me a Question!
As we continue filming the OKC Central show, I’d like to get you folks more involved. So here’s my idea: you email me questions about downtown at slackmeyer@oklahoman.com and I’ll do a segment with Dave Morris where I do my best to get them answered.
And if you wish, you can ask the questions in the comment section on this blog post if you will at least provide me with a first name and city you live in.
Thanks for staying with me as we continue to see this evolution of news.
-Steve
More from Blair Humphreys
Let’s establish what the Chamber site should be; laying out what the plan for the site needs to accomplish and what elements must be incorporated into this plan.
WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH
It is impossible to plan the site without a clear understanding of what we are trying to achieve. Here, two things matter. First, there are the objectives of the Chamber, made up of their needs and desires for the building and site. But these objectives cannot be established in isolation; they must relate to the broader goals we are pursuing within downtown and the areas surrounding the site. An understanding of these broader goals combined with the requirements of the Chamber should give us the information needed to put forth a realistic proposal that meets the objectives of all parties.
One element the Chamber hopes to incorporate into their plan is a public space to honor OKC business leaders.
CHAMBER BUILDING OBJECTIVES
The Chamber has expressed a number of goals for the project that are specific to their needs, mission and prominent role in Oklahoma City. Based on the information about the project that has appeared thus far, I have created this list of objectives and requirements:
- building of approx. 50,000 square feet
- maintain views of historic Oklahoman Building
- create a “front door” for the community
- allow people to walk from convention center
- an iconic design
- includes a public space/plaza to honor business leaders
- convenient parking
BROADER DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
It requires a lengthy process, collaborating with multiple stakeholder groups, to establish a set of broader goals for a community, a process that this blog has neither the time nor capacity to take on. Thankfully though, such a process has already taken place and provides an acceptable framework to guide the broader objectives of our plan.
One of the most repeated goals stated by leaders of the OKC community is to make Downtown more pedestrian-friendly.
The Downtown Design District (§ 59-7200) guidelines have these five stated objectives:
(1) promote the development and redevelopment of the downtown area in a manner consistent with the unique and diverse design elements of downtown;
(2) ensure that a DBD use is compatible with the commercial, cultural, historical, and governmental significance of downtown;
(3) promote the downtown area as a vital mixed-use area;
(4) create a network of pleasant public spaces and pedestrian amenities in the downtown area, and;
(5) enhance existing structures, preserve and restore historic features, and circulation patterns in the downtown area.
It is probably not fair to judge by legal language alone. However, the message from the downtown community has been very consistent in supporting these goals across the board. For instance, a quick scan of the internet found quotes from city leaders, real estate professionals, planners and more; all reaffirming that #4 – making the city more “pedestrian-friendly” – is not only one of the codified objectives, but a genuine goal of people from across the downtown community.
Here are a range of quotes from across the city that echo the priorities of the Downtown Design guidelines:
…The city is trying to change into a city that is less sprawling, has more density and is more pedestrian friendly…
- Mick Cornett, Mayor of Oklahoma City
Pedestrian traffic has to be addressed. For two years, I have been a downtown walker from West Main to Midtown to Bricktown all the way to the river. We need to improve our core to make it more pedestrian friendly. This also includes bicycles now. The new bike rack plan for Bricktown is a step in the right direction…I am a proponent of walking outside. I think it creates energy on the streets. Although the Underground is a nice alternative for very windy or cold or rainy days, I like to see people on the streets. This is also good for our tourism. We need to encourage people to walk … might help their health, too….improving our pedestrian traffic needs to be on the agenda for further discussion including input from urban neighbors and downtown workers.
- Judy Hatfield, Downtown Developer
Pedestrian issues are very big on our priority list.
- Jeff Bezdek, Urban Neighbors (Downtown’s Neighborhood Association)
Pedestrian flow is the real key to the overall success of not only Core to Shore, but also the sustained viability of the other points of interest our city has to offer to locals and out-of-towners as well. We have the ability in Oklahoma City to mitigate a lot of the horror stories other markets have seen by learning from their mistakes and being proactive. Our CBD is small enough that if you’re a tourist and coming into town for an NBA game, or an NCAA event, you could conceivably take in everything from Bricktown to Midtown to Core to Shore on foot over the course of a weekend.
- Brent Conway, CB Richard Ellis
We want to create more of an urban feeling. – Framing the streets and providing for a more secure sense of a pedestrian life. It’s not suburban in style.
- Terry Taylor, formerly of the Oklahoma City Planning Department
ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN
Reading through the objectives of both the Chamber and the broader downtown community, you see that at a base-level there is not much conflict. The requirements for the building do not indicate that it would have to, in anyway, detract from the type of downtown we desire. In fact, the Chamber is more or less the ideal partner, hoping to create a high quality building, include public space, provide for pedestrian connectivity, and preserve historic assets. The only element that there is not a conclusive agreement on is the mixture of uses within the building. The city rightly encourages “mixed-use” because it contributes to a thriving downtown and creates opportunities for urban retail. However, the Chamber building is in some ways a true civic building – not dissimilar from a courthouse or city hall. So perhaps the absence of a mixture of uses in the Chamber building is not only acceptable, but appropriate.
Now that we have identified the objectives of all parties and established that there are no conflicts to resolve, it is fairly simple to construct a list of what the Chamber site plan should include.
Designed by Layton & Smith and constructed in 1909, the Oklahoman Building remains one of OKC’s most beautiful buildings.
THE CHAMBER SITE PLAN SHOULD:
(1) Provide for a prominently positioned “iconic” building – 50,000 sf in size – welcoming visitors to the city
(2) Preserve views of the historic Oklahoman Building on the northeast corner of 4th and Broadway
(3) Create suitable pedestrian connections, especially along Broadway between the CBD/Bricktown areas and the Automobile Alley/Memorial area, and between the residential neighborhoods east of the site and the rest of downtown, along 3rd and/or 4th street
(4) Serve as the impetus for additional development adjacent to the Site to create a vital mixed-use area. Opportunities include the redevelopment of the drive-thru bank south of the site, the development of the parking lot northwest of the site, and the potential enhancement of Automobile Alley as a retail/mixed-use corridor.
(5) Provide convenient parking that is appropriate within the urban context of the site
(6) Allow room for a great public space that not only provides an opportunity to honor Oklahoma City’s business leaders, but significantly enhances the civic quality of life for the entire community. Its a place to congregate, to celebrate, to relax, or to play. It should be a great urban public space – an outdoor community living room!
Oddly enough, Oklahoma City once had just such a public space – our first downtown park – and it was located at 4th and Broadway.
Coach Brooks Bartending, Midget Mexican Rappers, Sumo Wrestlers – All Downtown Tonight.
Please understand, I make no claims as to whether all of this is good or bad. It just is. The good news is the midget Mexican rappers and sumo wrestling are part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations tonight in a fairly dry tent at the Iguana Grill, NW 9 and Broadway. Thunder coach Scott Brooks, meanwhile, will be serving drinks at the Bricktown Brewery at Oklahoma and Sheridan Avenues.
Now if only we could get Brooks to sumo wrestle with the midget Mexican rappers … or am I being politically incorrect here?
Guest Blog: Blair Humphreys
OK, it’s not a fresh post by Blair. It dates back to February. But I have his permission to repost it and it fits in well with the discussion I started yesterday. Now, let’s start off with the obvious: the chamber building design has been approved and my discussion is about the street grid, not the building itself.
The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber went to the city with a suggestion to change E.K. Gaylord/NW 4/Broadway/Robert S. Kerr. The city traffic engineers hired a consultant, and as I’ve seen time and time again, the consultants came out with the report their client (city traffic engineers) want to see.
Sorry folks, but that’s how I see it after having covered City Hall for years and years. And I know there are people I like and respect who aren’t going to like me saying this one bit. I stand by it.
To assume city engineers are perfect is to assume it’s ok to errect a light post in the middle of a sidewalk in MidTown, or aggressively pursue demolition of the Walnut Avenue bridge or to create a virtual highway separating Bricktown from Lower Bricktown – all actions I’ve heard many downtowners criticize.
The chamber building isn’t under construction yet. And as far as I’m concerned, I see no reason why the question of the intersection can’t be looked at further.
So here it goes… I’ve known Blair for several years and he’s racked up some impressive accolades while he’s been at MIT pursuing a masters in planning. Blair takes it from here:
In my first post on the new Chamber building, I argued that the Chamber’s current proposal is wholly inadequate given the objectives of the City, the Chamber, and the downtown community as a whole. The site on which the building will be constructed is incredibly important to the future of not just the immediate surroundings, but to multiple adjoining districts and the whole of downtown. The importance of this site warrants taking whatever time is necessary to rethink the design in hopes of producing an alternative vision that will contribute to the vitality of the community now and into the future.
So today we are starting the process over. We are wiping the slate clean! Lets break free of what is clearly a flawed proposal and begin a process that looks for fresh solutions and ideas, producing a new plan that meets the Chamber’s objectives while enhancing downtown Oklahoma City for decades to come. I have found that the best plans are produced through collaboration, so I hope you will join me in this re-visioning effort!
To get things started, we are going to quickly overview the site, its location within downtown and how it relates to the districts that surround it. Many of you already know all of this, but I think it is worth posting for the people that aren’t overly familiar with the site. Plus, it gives us a shared foundation on which we can base the rest of our analysis and discussion.
THE SITE
The Site is framed-in by Broadway on the west, E.K. Gaylord on the southwest, and the Santa Fe railroad on the east. The north edge is defined by 4th Street and the south by a small segment of 3rd Street.
In addition to the site itself, three other parcels were left vacant through the efforts of Urban Renewal and the construction of E.K. Gaylord. Of the three residual parcels, only the westernmost piece serves any identifiable purpose, offering a small brick plaza that is isolated and rarely used.
The Site is approximately 3 acres in size, not including the adjacent residual parcels
Surrounding the site is a mix of buildings, including: The Oklahoman building and Downtown YMCA to the north, the Pioneer Building/AT&T Tower and TAP Architecture building to the west, and a drive-through bank and Kerr parking garage to the south.
LOCATION
This map shows the importance of the Site’s locations within the overall context of downtown. The Site is positioned at the nexus of multiple districts. It sits directly in between the CBD and the new housing that has been and continues to be constructed east of the Santa Fe tracks in the Deep Deuce – Maywood – Flatiron area. Plus, new housing has been added to the west of the Site along 3rd Street with construction of Legacy at Arts Quarter apartments and more is on the way with the redevelopment of the Carnegie Centre, adding to a density of residences within close proximity that is likely unparalleled by any undeveloped site in downtown.
The Site is located along Broadway, the historic “mainstreet” heading north out of downtown that continues to play an important role in the development of the city. A mixture of new offices, restaurants, and retail have sprung up along Automobile Alley, the district surrounding Broadway north of 4th street. While the section of Broadway south of 3rd Street has just recently been energized through the opening of the wonderfully restored Skirvin Hotel and new retail street presence of B.C. Clark. Ongoing redevelopment of the new Sandridge headquarters west of Broadway between 2nd and 3rd will likely further contribute to the vitality of this corridor.
Additionally, the Site sits between major centers of tourist activity: the convention center, Bricktown, and adjacent hotels; and the Oklahoma City National Memorial – our most frequented tourist destination.
This site has the potential to not only meet the needs of the Chamber, but to fulfill its natural role as a nexus to the surrounding districts and neighborhoods. Providing connections where none currently exist and incorporating uses that serve the broader needs of those that live, work, and visit downtown. Designing the Site correctly should not only lead to a better building, or even a better block, but an altogether better downtown!
FEEDBACK AND DISCUSSION
This interface provides a great opportunity for us to practice an open process with plenty of room for discussion and brainstorming. I will try to facilitate by providing a series of short post (like the one above), each of which will provide some information and/or ideas to drive the discussion. Like I said, I find that the best solutions are found through collaboration. So while I won’t be shy about telling you what I think, I sincerely hope you will chime in if you have something to add – even if you disagree with me.
By the way, I have set it up so that you can comment anonymously. While it is not my preference, please feel free to do so at your own discretion.
So what do you think? This overview was certainly not comprehensive. Is there anything important that you think needs to be added?
WHAT’S NEXT:
I am going to try and post something related to the re-visioning of the new Chamber building every few days. Next, we will explore the different aspects of the site and its surroundings that should be addressed as part of our new design.
Sometimes Pictures Tell the Whole Story
The BOK Plaza Garage under out-of-state ownership, 2006.
BOK Plaza Garage under new local ownership led by William Mee, 2009.
OK, So I Worked Just a Little Bit During Vacation
Forgive me, but how could I miss a chance to catch up in person last week with Blair Humphreys? And yes, we discussed how city traffic engineers nixed a proposal by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber to create a more urban, pedestrian friendly intersection at E.K. Gaylord, Robert S. Kerr Ave. and Broadway.
What Blair missed out on (he had to leave before 5 p.m.) but I didn’t was a chance to observe traffic at this intersection that supposedly carries way too much traffic to be altered.
Heavy traffic at E.K. Gaylord and NW 4 at rush hour? Not from what I saw. What if the chamber was right?
Well, what I saw at 5 p.m. was not a traffic jam. Instead, the above picture was taken at 5:05 p.m. and represents what I saw for the next 20 minutes at what is supposedly the height of rush hour.
I’m also intrigued by the idea that Automobile Alley – Broadway stretching from NW 4 to NW 13 – is destined to become downtown’s retail corridor. I’m not suggesting at all I think that’s a bad idea. The strip already has a good start with two bike shops, a florist, a t-shirt screening shop, a CD Warehouse, a liquor store, an office furniture store, an art gallery and more.
But if the city is to put its resources into making Broadway a retail corridor, would it really want to have a visual barrier between it and the surrounding downtown districts? What if the city had a visual barrier, for example, between Bricktown and the convention center and Ford Center? Would this make any sense?
And yet we have this:
Broadway at Robert S. Kerr - a street grid brought to us by I.M. Pei circa 1971.
With this barrier in place – the same barrier the chamber suggested should be removed as part of a restructuring of the intersection – aren’t we discouraging the rest of downtown, including several hotels, from walking on to Automobile Alley?
It’s time to take a good look at what Blair has been advocating – and what the chamber inquired about – and what I think might be coming out in a final report by consultant Jeff Speck based on a glimpse I caught of his power point.
I want to know: was the chamber’s proposal to rework this intersection really given serious consideration? As we continue with this week long discussion, I’ve sent emails to Planning Director Russell Claus and City Engineer Dennis Clowers asking the following questions:
More to come ….
Rainy and Cold Saturday Afternoon Downtown
Soup and french press coffee at Beatnix
Judy Hatfield gives a tour at Carnegie
What’s encouraging is that while the numbers on the tour are down (probably due to the weather), I saw some genuine potential buyers. I really enjoyed stopping in at the old downtown library, which Judy Hatfield is converting into retail and condominiums. Hatfield reports she’s been delayed by having to file a “friendly lawsuit” against the city and county to secure air rights for roof-top patios. That task is now completed, and Hatfield is still hustling to try to get construction underway by winter.
Downtown is still doing well. Sure things are a bit more uncertain these days, but what I saw yesterday indicates we’re far from dead.
Downtown Housing Tour Today
FROM DOWNTOWN OKC INC:
Experience all that downtown OKC has to offer, with restaurants and specialty shops offering tour specials and prizes. The tour runs from 11 am – 5 pm and is free. Ride the free Move UP shuttle around downtown and between stops. The tour will be self-guided and stops can be visited in any order. Tour books and maps will be available at each stop. Free parking will be provided. The tour will also include “Jane’s Walk” a special walking tour of Deep Deuce in honor of urban pioneer Jane Jacobs.
Stops featured on the tour include Block 42; The Hill; The Sieber; Legacy at Arts Quarter; Carnegie Centre; Park Harvey; The Montgomery; Central Avenue Villas; the Brownstones at Maywood Park ,The Lofts at Maywood Park and a special stop at Downtown’s new boutique grocer The Sage Cafe and Market.
Since the passage of MAPS in 1993, the city center has experienced over $3 billion in public and private investment. Development of new and renovated residences are Going Up like never before in Downtown Oklahoma City. There are currently over 2200 rental and for-sale units existing, under construction or planned. A 2005 study shows that by 2015, the total combined growth of housing in Downtown could climb to between 4,000 and 7,750 units.
For specific tour details, please visit Downtown OKC > Home or call 235-3500. The Move UP Downtown Living Tour is produced by Downtown OKC Inc. and sponsored by the Downtown Business Improvement District, The Oklahoman, Downtown Magazine, Cox Communications and the Downtown Developers. Supporting sponsors include the Downtown Urban Neighbors (U.N.).
Good Update on City Place Condos
Roy Oliver is also doing a makeover of the City Place lobby.
Yes indeed friends, Roy Oliver really is building residential condos on the top floors of City Place. See the Richard Mize story here. Wouldn’t it be cool if the California owners of First National got the same idea for across the street?
