Gold Dome to get Prohibition restaurant/lounge

Richard Sauvé stands next to the future location of The Prohibition Room on Dec. 20. (Photo by Kendall Brown)

Gold Dome set for Prohibition
The Journal Record
December 28, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Gold Dome building in Oklahoma City was not only saved from demolition in recent years but has begun to shape up as a thriving spot at the intersection of NW 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard.

Now in addition to office space and an art gallery, a restaurant and lounge is slated for a 2,900-square-foot spot in the dome’s first floor. Restaurateurs Richard Sauvé (pronounced So-Vay) and Joe Rosati plan to open the Prohibition Room, a 1930s-themed establishment, by March or April. And despite the name, liquor will indeed be served in the throwback lounge setting.

Neither of the men is from Oklahoma City but Sauvé’s wife is from here and Rosati, who lives in Phoenix, said they saw real potential for their concept on visits to the city over the past few years. Sauvé and Rosati met in Phoenix, and Sauvé decided in recent years to move to Oklahoma City after spending most of his life in Dallas.

Sauvé is currently managing Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria, and Rosati is a consultant for printing companies in Phoenix. Sauvé said he has had the idea for a place like the Prohibition Room for more than a decade.“This just blossomed when I moved out here from Phoenix,” he said. After deciding to try opening a restaurant and lounge in Oklahoma City, the two looked at several hotspots, including Automobile Alley and Bricktown as well as the boarded-up Tower Theater on NW 23rd Street.

Sauvé and Rosati said the dome is such a recognized landmark in the city that they ultimately saw it as the obvious choice for the business.

Plans call for foodservice with a contemporary continental theme and a lively bar and lounge scene in the evenings that will spill out into the central lobby area under the gold dome.

The geodesic dome, at 1112 NW 23rd St., was built in 1928 as the Classen State Bank. The building changed hands several times over the years and housed branches of Liberty National Bank, Bank One and JP Morgan Chase Bank. When it was built the dome was the fifth such structure in the world in a design patented by architect R. Buckminster Fuller.

In recent years the building was set to be razed to make way for a Walgreens store, which was later built on another corner of the intersection. A group formed to save the dome and their efforts paid off. In 2005 after a major renovation it reopened for its new use. That group led to the formation of the Gold Dome Multicultural Society, which has its offices in the dome.

The ownership, Gold Dome LLC, is led by Irene Lam, who owns an eye care clinic in the dome. Precor Ruffin handles leasing for the dome and saw an immediate demand from tenants looking to move into the historic structure.

Rick Pritchett, with Precor Ruffin, said the goal was to offer space for several purposes.“Our intent from the very first time we walked through the dome was to provide different types of uses, one being an office and a retail mix,” Pritchett said. “One of the last pieces of the puzzle was for us to incorporate a bar and restaurant user in there and the Prohibition Room fit that bill”The only remaining leasable space in the roughly 18,000-square-foot dome is about 2,000 square feet on the lower level.

Some of the tenants on the two floors include Lam’s Bonavision eye care clinic, Leadership OKC and First Commercial Realty.

Pritchett said long-term plans call for renovating the former bank drive-thru on the south side of the dome for what he described as a yet undetermined imaginative and unique use.

As far as the Prohibition Room, Sauvé plans to handle the day-to-day operations when it opens and for the time being Rosati plans to remain in Phoenix. The pair both said they were impressed with Oklahoma City and look forward to bringing their restaurant and lounge concept to the gold dome.“Every time I visit it’s just a great experience,” Rosati said. “You can really see the potential for growth as well as the great people we’ve met there.”

no way, jose... more like 1958.

in any event, this restaurant sounds interesting. -M

I like the concept but the name could have been better. Prohibition Room is a little hard to say and actually means the exact opposite of what it is. A good name would be Speak Easy, as in "Lets go over to the Speak Easy and get a drink after work."

There's already a bar near Hilo and CoCo Flow called Speakeasy.

Really glad to see this.

Hopefully the dome will become financially profitable enough to continue renovations.

Kerry, I disagree (I know this is a first, lol). But

I think a name like Prohibition Room will be iconic and that its 'misleading' name would STICK in people's mind.

Imagine someone from out-of-town comes in and asks where's a good place for continental cuisine in the city. He is told to go to the Prohibition Room, and you can see the response. .....

To me, speakeasy is just for drinking and things you can't do in mainstream. Prohibition Room leaves the mind looking to discover 'exactly what this place is.'

And if the food is good and decor is great - it should become an OKC institution worthy of its location.

__________________
Oklahoma City, RENAISSANCE CITY!

Thank you Hotrod

Prohibition Room was also a term used to desribe a room of a house which was set up for drinking and such back in the 30's and 40's. When guest would come over for a visit the host might say something like "let's all sit down and relax in the Prohibition Room and enjoy each others company." I have never seen the term around this part of the US, however it is used in the north and north east a bit more.

The website is Prohibitionroom.com
The site is under construction

More current info in available at: myspace/prohibitionroom

405-601-0363

Look forward to giving OKC a new experience in service and cuisine.

Richard Sauve

RSA, welcome to the site! I personally like the name and it will be a great asset to OKC. East Coasters visiting will definitely like it. Can't wait to see you open.

So this was originally supposed to be part of the Tower Theater development?

Yes we were to be located in the CC Wig shop when we originally started this concept in 2005.

Michael Schely, left, and Richard Sauve are shown Tuesday inside the Gold Dome in Oklahoma City. BY STEVE LACKMEYER, THE OKLAHOMAN

Restaurant in Gold Dome takes 1930s Chicago theme

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

For the past couple years Richard Sauve, his wife, Donn Cross, and Joe Rosati have been looking for a place to open their dream restaurant — a 1930s Chicago-style restaurant and cigar bar.

"Most of my restaurant history is in Dallas, and I've always wanted one that would have the Chicago feel of a bar,” Sauve said. "I had an opportunity to do one in Dallas, and that fell through. But then we got the opportunity to do one here, and it's evolved from there.”

Their dream restaurant — the Prohibition Room — is set to open in May in the Gold Dome at NW 23 and Classen Boulevard.

But finding a home for the restaurant hasn't come easily.

The men looked at Bricktown, Automobile Alley and the Film Row. Sauve said he really liked the look and feel of Film Row, where the architecture dates back to the 1920s and 1930s. But proposed renovations of most of the buildings in the area have yet to begin.

"I gave up everything I had to do this and I didn't want to wait another two years,” Sauve said.

The pair's first chosen spot was the Tower Theater on NW 23. It was then, a year ago, that chef Michael Schely, whose resume includes stints at the Skirvin Hilton and Cafe Nova, joined the team.

But they had to move on when renovation plans for the Tower Theater were delayed by the pursuit of tax credits and financing. The restaurateurs then negotiated a deal with Richard Tanenbaum for space at The Classen at NW 23 and Classen Boulevard.

That deal fell through, Sauve said, when Tanenbaum decided to lease the space to City Bites instead. It was then the men moved next door to the Gold Dome.

Dr. Irene Lam, who saved the landmark from demolition, had one big space left on the first floor that she wanted to lease to a restaurant. She advertised for an operator who might cater food into the space.

The men then convinced Lam that they could launch a successful restaurant and cigar bar at the Gold Dome, using some of the lobby and outdoor patio for extra seating if necessary. The restaurant itself will seat 120.

"We're just a bunch of mismatched fools looking for a place to make this happen,” Sauve joked.

Rosati said the Gold Dome is an ideal location for a restaurant.

"It's a heavily traveled intersection and it's an incredible building,” Rosati said.

Sauve said he was inspired by restaurants in Dallas — Bob's Steak and Chop House, Nick & Sam's, and Javier's.

"It's really a level of service that we want to establish, so that we're offering more than just quality.”

Rick Pritchett, who represents the Gold Dome as a broker with Precor-Ruffin, said the restaurant represents the "last missing piece of the puzzle” for the property.

"The building itself is set up for very nice office and retail use,” Pritchett said. "to generate traffic, a nice restaurant and bar was the last thing we needed.”

Pritchett said the Gold Dome is about 93 percent leased, with only one space still available on the first floor. He said discussions will soon turn to the Gold Dome's former bank drive-through lanes.

"It might be scrapped — it's not historical,” Pritchett said. "Or there might be a small retail strip built there with the same architecture as the dome.”

Lam, who is preparing to host the Lunar Year Festival at the dome Saturday, said she looks forward to the restaurant bringing more visitors into the landmark that she saved from demolition.

"It's a great thing to have people be able to sit, watch and absorb it,” Lam said. "They can be in a great environment, shoot the breeze, maybe talk about what they see in the gallery.”

Anyone heard anything more on this? They were projecting a March or April 08 opening which is right here. I haven't noticed anything dramatic from the outside yet, haven't had a chance to stop and peek in.

I haven't heard/seen a thing.

Our projected lunch opening is April 21st with a Grand opening to be late May or as soon as the ABLE approval comes through. Feel free to come in the Dome to see the progress at any time.

Thanks

thanks for the update RSA .. i will have to stop by and check your place out soon

Let's repaint the dome before we put anything else in it! Haha. I'm glad we saved it and all, but now that it's saved... please cover up the dome right.

JWil, I think repainting the exterior of the dome is a priority, but it is going to be expensive. I think Lam is trying to get as many tenants as possible to help supplement the costs. It's a chicken and egg dilemma. She spent a ton of money renovating it just to save it, hoping that would bring tenants. Tenants are now coming so that's bringing in some revenue, hopefully she'll be able to use some of it soon to paint the exterior.

Can they paint it? It almost looks like it is some sort of anodized covering.

That's what I was thinking as well.

Regardless of the exact restoration process, at least this building is still around to be renovated! Just goes to show that once something is gone, it's gone forever.

The owners have done a nice job of bringing some life to that place and keeping it going.

Hope the new restaurant does well.

I cannot WAIT for this to open. I'm a resident of the Classen and have been VERY excited about this since winter!

Any updates on this one?