Can An Ugliest Building Candidate Become A Downtown Asset?
Over at OKC Talk, a good conversation is underway about properties considered to be blights on the city skyline. It’s easy to understand why the Veolia (formerly known as Trigen) plant is mentioned prominently. To be fair, it was actually quite progressive that way back in the early 1970s a thermal energy plant was built to provide an alternative heating and cooling source for downtown properties. I’ve seen quite a competition between Veolia and Oklahoma Gas & Electric in providing service to downtown buildings, including those owned by the city. The plant was built at what city leaders thought, at the time, would remain an obscure southeast boundary for downtown.
Today, as we all know, the intersection of E.K. Gaylord and Sheridan is among the most visible intersections downtown, at the crossroads of the central business district, the convention center, hotels and Bricktown. It’s a busy corridor. And yeah, it’s kind of ugly.
A dozen years ago downtown property owners, planners and civic leaders participated in a series of downtown master planning meetings. Sadly, the action plan they developed was quickly abandoned for lack of movement. One idea I always thought was great was the idea that the old Trigen plant could become a great canvass for public art or for glitzy Times Square style billboards.
So how about it folks? Why can’t this be done? And if it can be done, who will take the lead?
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Comments
I love the idea of wrapping it in some well designed and thought provoking advertisements, ala times square.
Not a bad idea Steve. As to MAPS4 lets hear it for that not happening until the dolts at the city get the previous projects completely finished first. And yeah without any additional funds. They must do it with the money the promised.
Love the idea! No ads – just local artists doing their stuff. Like the collage a few blocks down. At least for the time being, until we can find a highest and best use.
Something. Anything would do that building some good! I absolutely hate both of them and they need to go. Put the new heating and cooling plants in the giant parking lot between Bricktown and Deep Deuce. Oila! It may take money, but they’d be obscured and out of the way. But for now, I guess some paintings will do. Please be better than the Oklahoma! painting on Rock City. That is UGLY!
Sorry Steve, it can’t be covered. The vertical elements on the south building are air intakes to provide ventilation air for the cooling towers that discharge heat laden air vertically.
well, just because it can’t be covered with something that blocks the airflow doesn’t mean that a creative solution is not available. the more i think about it, the more intriguing it becomes!
If Roger is correct that the sides can’t be covered, what about projecting local art onto the sides? Using the sides as a screen?
I remember very well a young man that I worked with got a job in that plant. He was so excited because the pay was going to be very good for him. And, at the time, that structure didn’t appear ugly to me. Now, different story.
David and Judy are both correct. There’s always a solution. I would cue Wayne and Rick! Though I imagine vaginas wouldn’t fly at EKG and Sheridan.
NO Maps4. MAPS has served its purpose and needs to be over. All they’re doing now is manipulating the train people, who have support, to get voters to give them money for their convention center instead. Enough is nuff.
MAPS 4 will be needed to complete the Convention Center, possibly pay for the construction of the required, unfunded Convention Center hotel. Expand on the Streetcars to get to places they should have gone with this round. Make up for the Federal funds to pay for the Hub that has grown from costing $10 million to $128 million. Even though the Mayor said they were very careful to not put anything into MAPS 3 that we couldn’t complete/pay for ourselves (talking about the original MAPS were Federal funding was supposed to have paid for 50% of the Streetcar cost…we got the rubber tired trolleys instead. Make up for the $40 million “mistake” and actually complete the trails Master Plan (that we were told MAPS 3 would do). Etc etc etc.
For starters, remove the French contractor’s name. Nice folks – Veolia. But, the name reminds me of Wastewater Treatment Plants. Necessary places full of shocking realities I want to forget.
I would like to see it turned into a museum and small sidewalk type cafes and have Maps 4 pay for it along with Stage Center!!