Parlor Game: Making the Case for SandRidge Energy
What if the former Kerr-McGee Tower stayed dark?
(NOTE: I first published this post in April. I think it’s worth repeating today)
What if, I was asked today, SandRidge Energy had chosen to build a new corporate campus as so many others have done, and left the Kerr-McGee campus a dark shadow over downtown?
Good question. Here’s another question I got hit with this past week: why are you demonizing anyone who disagrees with your outlook on downtown development?
Ouch. That second one hurt. But I won’t say it’s a bad question. It is one that gives me pause.
That’s not my intention here folks. In the battle over the SandRidge Commons project, I don’t see it as good guys and bad guys. I see it as “are all the right questions being asked? Is there a thoughtful deliberation going on before decisions are made?”
I have asked questions and posed challenges that I know have irritated people I like, admire and respect at SandRidge. This is unfortunate, but it also goes to show I’ll do this sort of thing regardless of the subject. Some of my closest friends will point out that I give them the hardest time and subject them to the worst scrutiny.
That’s my job. I’ve also caused some grief to the “underdogs” in this fight – the preservationists fighting the SandRidge demolition plans.
But I’m not trying to “demonize” any of these folks. Truth be told, we could have ended up with a situation where an entire block became blighted, where the north half of the central business district could have entered a slow death.
So let’s answer that first question.
First off, the block would be miserable. Efforts by Rick Dowell to revive the old Midland Mortgage Building would have been more likely to fail being next to an abandoned Kerr-McGee block. Dowell reports that interest is picking up in his long empty building – itself one of Kerr-McGee’s better contributions to the skyline in the 1960s – thanks to the SandRidge Commons plans.
I believe Rick. And for those of you who don’t know Rick, trust me when I say he has never shown an interest in insincerity. He says what he thinks, and doesn’t really care at all (sometimes to his detriment) about how the rich and powerful might be annoyed by his remarks.
If SandRidge had never come downtown, Rick Dowell’s building would likely remain empty for years to come. If it comes to life over the next couple of years, as he anticipates it will, then it’s not a big jump in logic to credit part of that revival to SandRidge.
One can not fully appreciate SandRidge’s renovation of the main tower itself. It was badly outdated. The decor was straight out of the 1970s with horrible retractable wall systems. It was an ominous place even when Kerr-McGee was still around.
Renovations aren’t complete, but what’s been done seems to impress all who see the tower. And the workforce is happy, vibrant and part of the downtown community. That can’t be said about Kerr-McGee for it’s final dozen years. It was a tomb, a depressing and oppressive environment for those who visited.
We also know that the SandRidge Commons plan isn’t all demolition. By all accounts the planned renovation of the Braniff Building is a stellar example of proper preservation (of course we won’t know everything until it’s done). And the company is planning no ordinary piece of architecture to replace the 120 N Robinson building (the combined parking and office structure that was once home to the Petroleum Club).
So what we may have here is a bit of inadequate public relations. Or maybe it’s to SandRidge Energy’s credit that nobody with the company has pulled the line of “just be grateful we came downtown.”
They could have.
Here’s another odd bit: when members of the Triangle Development group had the deal to renovate the older Kerr-McGee properties into housing, they had gotten so far as to get tax increment financing to tear down the former YMCA building and its connector structure to the old Kermac Building. The partners also were hinting, but not saying, that they had no intention to rush into renovating or preserving the old India Temple Building (privately they were saying the same things being said now by SandRidge).
So why was there no protest then? Essentially the Triangle Group was only proposing to save one more building (Kermac) than what’s being saved and renovated by SandRidge. But under that scenario we’d still have a dying Kerr-McGee tower that had fewer and fewer people inside and was adding less and less to the neighborhood.
Maybe I should have written this post sooner. But I was counting on SandRidge Energy making its own case and pointing out the obvious. It didn’t happen. So here it is – feel free to now debate and throw more tomatoes at the author.
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Comments
Steve:
I appreciate you writing this piece. There was way more to this story than just an allegedly evil corporation allegedly destroying history. But that is/was what people latched on to. And the bandwagon grew and grew.
What is strange to see is how silent the masses have been thus far in responding to your post.
I figured this post would draw (negative) comments en masse.
I guess time will tell.
Thank you for providing all sides to the story.
I hope, at the end of the day, the India Temple building at a minimum will be saved (in addition to the Braniff building which is not slated for demo).
I hate to see buildings get replaced with grass, and density be destroyed – but saving the India Temple would be a win if POK is able to accomplish it. Fingers crossed in favor of preservation today…
No live blogging? I was hoping you’d have some more tough questions for SandRidge’s army of hired guns.
Yeah, good idea Tracy. Empty buildings throughout downtown with more to come because Devon Tower is consolidating its workforce.
My question is, how do these buildings compare to those in other cities that have been in similar disrepair? There are several examples of buildings like the India Temple that still have the facade at least partially intact behind the crap and when it’s removed, they are masterpieces. They aren’t structurally unstable, so is it really cheaper to tear down the entire thing than wipe clean and start over? I just don’t see how that can be.
Sandridge seems to gloss over the fact that the buildings COULD make it back to the historical register if they were put back how they were. Look no further than the Skirvin to see how that can be accomplished. And you can’t tell me that these are worse off than the Skirvin was.
I’m not taking sides for/against the commons, I’m just saying that there hasn’t really been enough discussion/examination from an objective source on if demolision should be allowed.
Tracy, please realistically name one company that would fill Sandridge’s vacated office space, and then on top of that find someone to fill the 1,000,000 sq feet Devon is about to vacate.
Why do you think a new office building hasn’t been built in OKC in the last 20 yrs. These things don’t just materialize out of thin air.
Why is it the no one has wanted to renovate the the India Temple? It’s been vacant for quite sometime.
I guess if you had the inside information about the companies that Larry Nichols is attracting for the Mid America building then you would know. I am not allowed to talk at this time!
Slim, you’re right, and the occupancy of a major corporation can never be taken for granted. But I think you’re overlooking the why that no downtown skyscraper has been built in 30 years until now, why our downtown vacancy is at the lowest levels in 30 years, and so on. It’s because we have that ability to roll with the flow, we’ve been able to hold our own and then some, and we are far from desperate.
Let’s be fair to both viewpoints. Saying that nobody will replace SandRidge ever and that there are no corporations waiting to come downtown is as idiotic as hoping SandRidge will leave downtown. This has been an exercise, I think, in cooler heads being on vacation. From what I’ve seen at least. It’s just a shame that the vision of a vibrant downtown some day is what will suffer at the end.
Slim,
It’s been vacant because Kerr McGee AND Sandridge refused to sell them on the open market, dispite people being interested. Remember about 4 years ago there was interest in housing in these buildings, before Kerr McGee was bought out. Quit using the same incorrect diatribe that we’ve already beat to death and proved wrong.
Nick, please quote my post where I say “that nobody will replace SandRidge ever and that there are no corporations waiting to come downtown.”
I’m simply stating a fear that most real estate people have about the 1,000,000 sq. Feet of office space that’s about to hit the market. Then put a vacant Kerr McGee building on top of that. If you owned office space downtown I don’t believe you would be so flipant about the situation.
Steven,
Why so quick to be negative? You don’t win people over that way.
I don’t happen to remember this “interest” in the India temple 4 years ago. Might you go into more detail or are you gonna continue to be vague and passive aggressive?
I wasn’t being flipant (sic) I was suggesting rational ramifications for the discussion. Btw, your numbers are off. Nichols said 800,000 sf, not 1 mil. Big difference, and there are 4-5 interested parties.
Also what you said was insisting that Tracy name one interested party to move downtown. That’s not just comabative and defeatist, what you said was also wrong and over the top.
Gotta love it when people pull a “Uh I didn’t quite say THAT.” In so many words, you did. It’s in the record now, and apparently you stand by your doubtfulness that potential new downtown owners do exist. You stand by inferring that we are desperate, basically.
What I asked Tracy was to name a company that she could realistically see filling sandridge’s tower. It wasn’t a loaded question, yet she wouldn’t.
So now your turn. Who would you see as a realistic potential tenant for their tower?
Please don’t cop out the way she did. I mean if you want one of the cities strongest employers to leave the city, I would hope you have a plan to fill their shoes.
But I don’t want one of the city’s most average employers to leave the city. I never said that. You’re making a wild assumption in that regard.
As for the question, it is very much a LOADED QUESTION. That is exactly the phrase I was looking for that just couldn’t think of off the top of my head..something about a 2nd grade reading level I suppose. The reason it is a loaded question is because even if I were behind the scenes wheeling deals for downtown, I still wouldn’t name my interested parties until the envelope is sealed.
Slim,
Obviously, the remaining parties that are interested in the Devon space may be interested in the SandRidge space instead.
By the way, no matter how much sf it is (800,000 or 1M) it isn’t going to “hit the market” as it is currently an owner occupied set of properties and it is Devon’s desire that they remain so. That means it will not have any effect on current or future occupancy rates.
SandRidge Energy is a corporation and must do what they think is best for the stock holders. If they were a private company it would be easy for the owner of the company to save the Indian Temple building. Why did no one spend money to save the temple before SandRidge obtained it??? The cost to renovate the Indian Temple is unknown. Why didn’t the Chamber of Commerce buy it and restore the building for their new headquarters?
The only downtown space Devon currently occupies and owns is the Mid-America Tower which is roughly 320,000 sq ft (including the portions occupied by other tenants – Crowe & Dunlevy, Mid-America Athletic Club, Other Place). The balance of downtown office space that Devon currently occupies, which is just North of 600,000 sq ft spread out amongst many buildings (Chase Tower, First National Center, Oklahoma Tower, Corporate Tower), is rented and will definately “hit the market” and affect downtown occupancy rates when Devon moves into its new tower.
Yo Steven, read the article above. Triangle Development was going to tear down the India Temple Building too. It isn’t the opinion of one person or corporation that the building is no longer viable. If it were still around in 200 years in similar condition, people would think it is quaint. As of now it is an eyesore and a black hole for any development.
Joe,
you are correct, I worded that whole thing badly. Of course any space Devon is renting will be on the market. The point I was trying to make was that their building that they Own/Occupy won’t be hitting the rental market (which is where the Occupancy rates come from).
Matt, read the artcile carefully it stated:
“The partners also were hinting, but not saying, that they had no intention to rush into renovating or preserving the old India Temple Building (privately they were saying the same things being said now by SandRidge).”
No declarative statement that they were going to tear it down, just that they weren’t in a rush to renovate/preserve it (last on the list), instead of what will probably be the first on the list for demolition.
Other people thought the building was capable of being renovated. Now we will never know, because once the building is gone, it is gone.
Larry, read between the lines. Privately they were saying the same things being said now by SR – What else is SR saying? I think SR is very clear about what they want to do.
I read it very carefully, they knew then what that building was and is. You were in the business, you know. The truth is you don’t know anything except the sunny disertation that Suzette Hatfield wrote. Obviously, if everyone viewed it like she did the building would be saved, but other than her enthusiastic views of old buildings and her great work in Automobile Alley, her credentials are lacking.
I think it would be great if they decided to move. I am sure there is plenty of companies that could fill their void. It would also be great to have another corporate campus in OKC. New buildings would be awesome! We need to build our great city and not tear it down!