One of the largest clearances of old historic buildings in 25 years may soon be pursued downtown…. developing.
preservation
Archived Posts from this Category
It’s hot out there. But downtown is still moving forward at a fast clip, and I guess, so must I. As I’ve reported before, more hotels are likley to be announced, most of them in Bricktown.
More housing is coming too - and much of it will be targeted to the pent-up demand for downtown homes priced at less than $200,000.
I’m also beginning to see signs that the folks in Bricktown may be awakening to reality - let’s wait and see of course - but surely a decade of demanding $20 a square foot and not getting it should be a loud and clear answer from the market about what is and isn’t realistic.
Had a nice visit with the owner of Lit Clothing, which opened up in The Centennial. Overall, Lower Bricktown still isn’t hitting the retail mix I know some leaders hoped for several years ago, but it’s getting closer to offering the sort of diversity that’s been missing from Bricktown since day one.
I talked with Chuck Ainsworth, and yes, that is construction you can see starting up in what will the American Banjo Museum. Now, if only someone could close a deal to have the Mickey Mantle Museum. Then we would really have a regional tourism destination.
Automobile Alley is still humming along. I visited with Steve Mason yesterday and I’ll have a story on that soon. I also visited with Marva Ellard, and things are going nicely with her redevelopment of the Sieber Hotel. The Sieber family is still very emotionally attached to that old building and it’s not unusual to find one of them driving by … veeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyy sssssssssssllllllllllllloooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwlllllllllllyyyyyyyy.
Marva is definitely one of those folks I’d call a “building hugger.” I asked her what she thought about Bert Belanger tearing down the old sex offender houses and plans to tear down the boarded up nursing home on Broadway Drive. Her response was ho-hum at best… I’m not hearing from any people who really consider these properties a big loss.
That’s it for now. Sorry for the dearth of posts this week.
That’s the question asked of me on my latest posts with the category added “In tribute to Mary Jo.”
So, here’s your answer:
Mary Jo fought for architectural past
By Steve Lackmeyer
| Tuesday, March 20, 2007 Edition: CITY, Section: BUSINESS, Page 4B |
Mary Jo Nelson wasn’t a cheerleader for the chamber of commerce, or someone who simply took a news release and rewrote it verbatim. Her questions were tough, and she went to great lengths to get the truth out when nobody wanted to dare say the rich and powerful were heading in the wrong direction as they sought to create a new downtown. Her influence on this city was in full display Monday as friends, relatives and admirers gathered for the former Oklahoman reporter’s funeral. Mary Jo was 80.
As the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority was targeting hundreds of buildings for demolition, Mary Jo was reminding us what was being lost and what was in danger next. She authored an entire series detailing the history and importance of the few old buildings remaining. By the time I started covering downtown years later, the damage was done — with one notable exception: the Skirvin Hotel.
Between 1996, when I was first assigned to cover downtown, and 1999, when the city council agreed to actively seek a developer for the property, I wrote 23 stories detailing the hotel’s history, its plight, ties to the community, and examples of successful hotel restorations in other cities.
I now confess to all the editors who grew exasperated with my coverage: yes, I was trying to steer the public’s attention to the Skirvin hotel. But blame Mary Jo. She unknowingly taught me how to bring readers’ attention to at-risk historic buildings. She wouldn’t let readers forget the city’s architectural past.
Blame her as well for my reminders every now and then of the architectural relics that continue even now to suffer from neglect in the courtyard of the Santa Fe Parking Garage. The items, placed when the surrounding offices were occupied by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, include a lion’s head ornament from the Terminal Building, an exterior light fixture from the Patterson Building, the grinding wheel from the area’s first grist mill, a spire and cupola from the Baum Building, marble from the Biltmore Hotel and a finial from the Criterion Theater.
Chamber folks, prompted by inquiries from Mary Jo, promised in 1994 they were going to move the collection to a safer spot, but never did. Mary Jo cared about these items because they are the last vestiges of a past she believed were carelessly discarded. They continue to suffer the abuse of fun-seeking skateboarders and vandals.
I spoke for what became the final time with Mary Jo last summer after writing about how an architectural gem like the Baum Building was replaced during the Urban Renewal era with the much-derided and now empty Century Center Plaza.
She loved that column. She hated Urban Renewal.
Times have changed. Urban Renewal’s latest work involving historic buildings was the restoration of the Skirvin Hotel and the preservation of the Centre Theater facade as part of development of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
For those in the architectural and preservation community who are mourning her death, just know she probably wouldn’t be too interested in flowers or tributes. If I had to guess, she’d probably much rather see that passion go into saving those forgotten downtown relics.
Here is a far better picture of the old India Temple Building, which is covered with a fake concrete tilt-up facade and may be in jeopardy of being torn down. To learn more about this building, go to www.dougdawg.blogspot.com or read about it here.
Left: The India Temple Building is shown as it appeared in the first half of the 1900s. Right: A concrete facade was placed over the original exterior as part of a renovation about 40 years ago that made the building part of the Kerr-McGee headquarters. - PHOTO PROVIDED BY OKLAHOMA COUNTY ASSESSOR LEONARD SULLIVAN
For those of you not familiar with the India Temple Building, here is a history of the property, along with developments that have transpired the past couple years:
History lost
Restorer seeks images, plans of site before Urban RenewalBy Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer
| Friday, March 10, 2006 Edition: CITY, Section: BUSINESS, Page 6B |
Photos and plans from a renovation more than 30 years ago are being sought to determine whether a historic downtown building assumed to have been lost forever to Urban Renewal can be brought back as part of an upcoming loft development. To passers-by, the seven-story office building at the corner of Broadway and Robert S. Kerr Ave., long a part of the Kerr-McGee headquarters, looks like just another example of 1960s architecture. But architect Anthony McDermid confirms the concrete facade hides what was once the India Temple, built in 1902.The building’s history includes a four-year stint as a temporary home of the Legislature. McDermid said the concrete facade likely was added when the block was developed into the current Kerr-McGee headquarters.
If the building facade is restored, the property would complete a string of historic buildings visible from Broadway, including the Pioneer Telephone Building, which is home to AT&T, and the Skirvin Hotel, which is undergoing a facade restoration as part of conversion to a Hilton.
“As a developer, it poses challenges,” said McDermid, who is leading the renovation with partners Bert Belanger and Pat Garrett. “But for the city … if there is something that can be salvaged underneath the concrete exterior, something worthwhile under there, it would be wonderful.”
McDermid said the interior of the building is beyond restoration.
“It’s been so extensively changed on the inside, it doesn’t even qualify for the historic register,” McDermid said.
Dave Lopez, president of Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., said the exterior renovation could qualify for tax credits and financing through the tax increment financing district.
“Clearly, as we’re discovering from the renovation of the Skirvin, authenticity and affection seems to come with older architecture,” Lopez said. “It gives our downtown a sense of permanency and character you just can’t replicate. Not only would it be an asset if they can restore it to its grandeur, but it would give people a chance to engage with our history.”
Details of Braniff’s historic facade finally toldBy Steve Lackmeyer
| Tuesday, August 15, 2006 Edition: CITY, Section: BUSINESS, Page 4B |
I wanted to share Bob Maidt’s story at a triumphant moment. Maidt and his son Bob Maidt Jr. were veterans in the plastering business, and I was first introduced to Bob Maidt Jr. when he helped me understand the pros and cons in the use of EIFS stucco in new construction.In March, I wrote a story about a building on the Kerr-McGee campus that was to be part of a condominium development. At first glance, the building at Broadway and Robert S. Kerr Avenue in Oklahoma City is hardly spectacular. But developer and architect Anthony McDermid was aware that the concrete facade covered up a historic facade that dated back to 1902. The building, far from a forgettable Urban Renewal addition to downtown, is a true gem — and its restoration would give back a bit of history in an area that lost much of its past in the 1960s and 1970s.
But McDermid had no information on how the fake facade was added or whether the original India Temple facade was still intact. Before and after photos were printed with my story, and Bob Maidt Jr. immediately recognized the project as one completed by his ailing father. Maidt Jr. later e-mailed saying he approached his father, who was bed ridden, and memories started to flow.
The elder Maidt, 82, had been released from the hospital a couple of weeks earlier, with doctors telling the family they could do no more to relieve the man’s failing health.
“He did most of the Kerr-McGee work, so I figured it was his job,” Maidt Jr. said. “I went over in the afternoon, after work, and he seemed pretty excited. It perked him right up — put a gleam in his eyes. He said, ‘Oh yeah, I remember doing that.’”
Maidt Sr. not only recalled the job, but also told his son where to find the job files and photos of the new facade’s installation. The original building, he said, wasn’t seriously damaged during the 1960s-era renovation.
For Maidt Jr., the conversation was a chance to relive the days when the pair worked together, running the family business. Their plastering business had been started a century earlier by Maidt Jr.’s grandfather’s uncle, Albert Maidt (who also was one of the founders of Twin Hills Golf and Country Club). The family business had passed from one generation to another until it closed in 1997.
The visit about the Kerr-McGee campus building would be their last. That night, Maidt Sr. died. Ironically, the story that sparked the Maidts’ visit had been written a couple weeks earlier — intended to run at a later date. Had the story been delayed one more day, the information needed to restore the India Temple building to its original facade might have disappeared forever.
I’d hoped to tell the Maidts’ story once McDermid and his partners started on the property’s renovation. Now that renovation, and the future of two other old buildings on the former Kerr-McGee campus, appear to be another unfulfilled downtown dream. A deal between McDermid’s Corporate Redevelopment Group and Kerr-McGee fell apart last week.
As the two sides go to court, hundreds of new residential units are being added to downtown, leaving the prospect of the planned Braniff Towers a question of will, timing and demand.
Meanwhile, if someone does decide to bring the old India Temple building back to life, Maidt Jr. is waiting to share more details about his father’s last discussion about what’s under the concrete facade.
Uncertain future faces Kerr-McGee buildingsBy Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer
| Sunday, December 23, 2007 Edition: CITY, Section: BUSINESS, Page 6C |
Three older buildings on the former Kerr-McGee campus face an uncertain future as the block becomes home to its new owner, SandRidge Energy. The buildings could end up being torn down. Tom Ward, chief executive officer of SandRidge, also says he is keeping an open mind on whether the properties can be redeveloped and promises to meet with civic leaders and preservationists before making any final decision.But Ward is clear on one matter: he’s not interested in seeing half of the downtown block looking dark and abandoned as it has the past 20 years.
The buildings consist of the following:
111 Robert S. Kerr Ave. is a seven-story, 38,736-square-foot building built in 1902. The property was a temporary home to the Legislature for four years. The fake concrete siding hides its original India Temple facade.
135 Robert S. Kerr Ave. is an 11-story, 155,911-square-foot building built in 1921 that was once Kerr-McGee’s headquarters.
324 N Robinson Ave. is a 10-story, 75,584-square-foot building built in 1923 that was once home to Braniff Airlines.
Anthony McDermid, who tried to convert the buildings into upscale condominiums, insists at least two of the properties still can be brought back to life.
“They can be saved,” McDermid said. “There is no question that the two buildings on Robinson are structurally sound and eminently restorable … there are creative ways to address the issues.”
The former India Temple building poses the most challenges, but it also has the potential of uncovering an elaborate 1902 facade, the likes of which hasn’t graced downtown Oklahoma City since hundreds of buildings were destroyed by Urban Renewal in the 1970s.
Before his death last year, Bob Maidt, the man who installed the fake concrete facades at the former India Temple in the 1960s, reported the original facade is intact. He left records about the job with his son, Bob Maidt Jr.
“It’s more complicated,” McDermid says of the India Temple building. “It has been subjected to a lot of renovations over the years and structural changes. There were floors added into it. It’s a more challenging building that retains very little of the original building configuration.”
Another set of developers who looked at the buildings in the early 1990s are less optimistic that any of them can be saved.
Mark Ruffin recalls how he, Nicholas Preftakes and Jim Parrack looked at the odds of renovating the buildings and walked away.
“The bones weren’t really that conducive,” Ruffin said. “They had low clearance heights, they had significant asbestos issues. From a functional standpoint, they just weren’t that conducive.”
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Save or Destroy?
In Tuesday’s Main Street, I discuss downtown buildings that may soon be history. So ….
Tom Elmore picks up on an old thread at www.okctalk.com today about the old railway depots downtown, and also recalls how railroad buffs who helped fight for preservation of the Walnut Avenue bridge weren’t invited to the grand opening of the rebuilt structure that links Bricktown and Deep Deuce.
I remember that day very well. City officials also chose to ignore the efforts of preservationists like Randy Floyd, who put in tremendous amounts of time fighting an effort by then City Engineer Paul Brum to raze the bridge and replace it with an at-grade crossing.
The city instead chose that day to honor Dr. G.E. Finley, who was a leader in nearby Deep Deuce but had nothing to do with the bridge’s history or preservation.
It was said that Paul Brum was more powerful than than the mayor or city manager. And while not naming names, I heard two mayors say just that. During my stint covering City Hall, it was always interesting to see projects like the new roads and intersections serving the Belle Isle shopping center completed rather quickly, while other projects - like the bridge and the conversion of downtown streets to two ways (now getting done eight years after they scheduled) drag on and on.
Were folks like Tom and Randy left off the guest list on purpose? It’s history now, but I wonder if it would be any different today?
And one last thought: over the years we’ve seen a small group of people fight to preserve landmark properties that weren’t always popular with the masses. While it seems everyone loves the Skirvin, attitudes were mixed on the Gold Dome (saved), the Walnut Avenue Bridge (saved), and the old YMCA (lost forever).
The names of the “building huggers” include Randy Floyd, Michael Smith, Marva Ellard, Todd Scott (he has since moved away), and Lisa Chronister (whom I also believe has moved away).
They’ve been quiet lately, and Randy Floyd, Michael Smith and Marva Ellard have all transitioned from protesting demolitions to redeveloping old properties.
Will a new generation rise up to take their place? Expect some properties with significant histories to be targeted for demolition soon. The question is, will anyone speak out?
If you’ve not seen the Sieber Hotel lately, it’s looking better than it has in decades.
I’m not sure if I’ve seen a developer go to the lengths of getting things ready as I have Marva Ellard, a classic case of a “building hugger” who did more than just talk about saving an old building. On Friday I discovered Marva cleaning a glass table in one of the show units at the Sieber, which she is converting into apartments.
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The Hard Part
Steve Mason and architect Tony Blatt - one year ago - and now certified, battle tested preservationists and urban developers. Mason’s journey actually started even earlier - when he bought up the 1000 block of N Broadway, one of the last unimproved stretches of Automobile Alley.
1015 N Broadway is now fully rebuilt and home to Mason’s Cardinal Engineering, Bicycle Alley and Coffee Slingers. Yet another building on the block has been renovated and leased to Cricket Communications. Mason has accomplished much of what he set out to do - but we won’t be seeing the Iguana Mexican Grill at 1007 N Broadway as originally envisioned.
The question at www.okctalk.com is what happened?
There’s a reason this block took so long to develop. The buildings were in terrible shape. Habitat For Humanity’s Renovation Station occupied the first floor of 1015 N Broadway for a while, but the rest of the building was pretty much inhabitable because of structural problems. Mason’s costs were double the original estimates, and he had to gut the building to save it. But he was able to stay in the black thanks to historic tax credits. The building at 1007 N Broadway ended up being too big for the restaurant, and the structual problems there were even worse than at 1007 N Broadway. So Mason has moved the restaurant just one block east to NW 9 and Broadway (next to the new Oklahoma City Community Foundation headquarters) and as of last month the future remained murky for 1007 N Broadway.
Don’t assume the building will remain dark and empty forever. Mason indicated he’s continuing to look at how to make the project work with more tax credits, etc. It could be Mason is simply hoping to see increased demand for space on the block that might then make a renovation more feasible.
Sidenote: only three significant empty buildings remain on Automobile Alley - the old Marion Hotel, 1100 and 1101 N Broadway. All three are owned by Greg Banta and are part of his MidTown Renassaince development.
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The Eyesore List
A couple of weeks ago I posted the following question at www.okctalk.com: what are the worst downtown eyesores?
Here’s the list they compiled:
———————————-
Stage Center
Old Downtown Library
DEQ Building
AT&T campus
Former Stewart Metal buildings
304 NE 3 (Deep Deuce)
City Detox
Former Fox Collission Building
Bob Howard Ford
Union Bus Station
First National Arcade
Trigen
Garage at Kerr and Harvey
Park Harvey Building
Former nightclub at Main and Walker
Goodyear Tire store
Browns bakery
Dowell Center
Bricktown Parking Garage
U-Haul building in Bricktown
Cotton Coop
Finley building
Bass Pro
Century Center
Harkins Theater
So, what’s next? I’ve got a camera, and I’m preparing to take some photos of these “eyesores.” Then I’ll provide details on some of these properties, followed by a poll here at www.okccentral.com. The more of you who vote in this poll, the more likely it is you might nudge someone to make some improvements. Now, quiz time friends… which one of these “eyesores” is the only Oklahoma City property to win one of the highest architectural honors possible? Which property was deemed one of the city’s most significant architectural landmarks by a panel of architects and preservationists? Which building is owned by dedicated urban pioneers who have led in their district’s revival? And which building is closest to becoming history?
