Tower Theatre

[jstanthrnme]

I think I would be willing to volunteer a weekend of work at this place to see it get the attention it deserves from a devoloper, or the general public.
The current owners should organize an event like this. Seems like a good opurtunity for a grassroots effort.

[Doug Loudenback]

Great idea. Count an old man in!

[bombermwc]

I'm all for preserving it, but it's had plenty time to have something done. You know the place is going to need some demo, paint, etc. Things that the community can come help out with. Obviously you don't want every joe off the street helping out because they need to be competant and know how to handle historical places, but there a lot of us out there that would help out.

If someone had "poured their pocketbook" into it, we would have seen some progress after what 3 years of them owning it. If it's a sound plan, then there are plenty lending opportunities out there. It's incredibly easy to get financial help, you just have to actually look for it. You can't use the economy excuse in OKC because it's not true here.

I'm just so sick and tired of all these people flowing through the place and just wasting time. It's just like the Skirvin project. The people of the city know what potential is in the building and people keep making promises they don't keep. Is it going to take the city to get The Tower done too????

[CuatrodeMayo]

Lending institutions are all connected nationally. The economy DOES affect these types of projects.

[metro]

not at the bank of bombermwc

[Luke]

bombermwc, it sounds like you're pretty high on the potential success of the Tower Theater. Why don't you go ahead and finance the project so it can continue to move forward?

[Pete]

Often times you need someone to get a project started and they can only take it so far.

I'm really grateful this group got the ball rolling and came up with a vision for this property. I'm sure they are more disappointed than anyone that they haven't been able to pull this off -- at least to date.

But I think it's incredibly unfair to criticize them or the project in general. We need more of these types of efforts.

[Drake]

There are many costs associated with projects like this that the public never sees. The architectual & engineering costs on these projects would make most people choke. These must be done and approved before the first screw is turned.

[progressiveboy]

There are many costs associated with projects like this that the public never sees. The architectual & engineering costs on these projects would make most people choke. These must be done and approved before the first screw is turned.

It seems they should have done more feasibility studies and determine the final or projected cost before announcing the renovations. It was even stated that the investors/owners did not have a lot of experience in development?? Perhaps another developer will come along and make this happen. This would be great especially restoring the "Tower Neon Sign" to its original self.

[The Old Downtown Guy]

One of the things the Tower Neighborhood Working Group is looking at is how we might gain control of the Tower facade through an easement to one of the non-profit groups in the neighborhood and raise the funds to restore it. There are already some Historic Route 66 matching grant funds available for that work. We will also look into doing some work with the area's parking lots and finding a way they to attract some public or grant money to upgrade and landscape them.

We are not looking for volunteer labor to clean out the theater or anything like that, but we might organize a litter pickup on a Saturday later this fall or early spring as a way of involving the community at large and attracting some attention to the Tower project.

I'm sure that there are a number of people around town that have the same opinions as bombermwc and though I understand the frustration, I don't have much patience with them. Urban preservation and redevelopment projects are terribly difficult and those who haven't had any direct experience in a similar undertaking might want to learn a little more about the subject before they start jumping on people they have never met. Of course, this is a public forum and people are free to say what they like and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Finally, anyone with spicific ideas, wanting to volunteer some time to make some phone calls, do some research or make a tax deductible contribution toward refurbishing the Tower marquee can do so through Uptown 23 Development Corporation, a 501-C3 non-profit, via US mail to 315 NW 23rd Street, OKC, 73103. The funds donated for this effort are being held specifically for, and will be used 100% for the Tower marquee project. Also, feel free to private message me about this.

Thanks for all the supportive comments.

[bluedogok]

It seems they should have done more feasibility studies and determine the final or projected cost before announcing the renovations. It was even stated that the investors/owners did not have a lot of experience in development?? Perhaps another developer will come along and make this happen. This would be great especially restoring the "Tower Neon Sign" to its original self.

Feasibility studies require one facet of financing, every step is usually a different financing package, so a project can be effectively stalled or terminated at any step along the way. We have projects here that are pretty much completed, the initial funding was approved and they were basically told that the project was a go a year ago. So we do CD's and get ready to submit for permit and are told to hold off because now the funding is stalled because of the rest of the economy, not what it is like in OK or TX.

As CuatrodeMayo stated, financing is all tied together nationally if not internationally. Your local bank may be your "source of funding" but if is a large enough project they can't commit that much of their assets to one project so they look to "sell" the project to a national financier. Our Lake Travis project is still stalled, it has gone from overseas banks to bonds, etc. It is stalled because of the national crunch, not a local one. There are very little "local" financing anymore. Much of it has to do with the bust in the 80's, most don't want to get tied up in one market segment and get caught short like IndyMac did or WaMu may with defaulted mortgages. We are agonizingly stalled on many projects because of this.

[The Old Downtown Guy]

Thanks for the informative post bluedogok.

[bombermwc]

Well I'll close my trap when something has actually happened.

[metro]

ODG, do you have an estimate on how much the sign restoration is going to cost?

[trison]

I heard that the total cost would be around $50,000. I thought they had received some sort of grant to restore the sign so I don't know if this is the cost after the grant or before.

[The Old Downtown Guy]

At one time I believe that the budget was in the $50K range, but the sign has continued to deteriorate and costs have continued to rise. I think it is more likely to wind up costing at least $75K. I believe that there is a $15K Historic Route 66 grant already in place for the sign work.

[CuatrodeMayo]

I heard that the total cost would be around $50,000. I thought they had received some sort of grant to restore the sign so I don't know if this is the cost after the grant or before.

I was told that number was just for the neon lighting.

[trison]

It appears that the Tower Theater is getting a new roof. Has anyone heard what is going on if anything?

[CuatrodeMayo]

That is the first work I have noticed since I moved nearby months ago.

[The Old Downtown Guy]

Roofing replacement is about to get underway on the retail/office space fronting 23rd which includes the theater lobby as well as the auditorium poriton of the theater building. There is some renovation work on the second floor office space that should begin in a month or so. There is no work taking place on the theater portion at this time.

I have been meeting with representitives of the surrounding neighborhoods and City Council to find a way to get this project moving. It is terribly important to this area and the city as a whole to get the theater shaped up and in use. There are dozens of high quality musical and other performance acts passing through Oklahoma City every week in route to other cities that have venues of the same size and type as the Tower. If the Tower was in business, the place would be booked at least 3 nights a week.

2009 is the year that the T O W E R lights go on or my name isn't . . . . what ever it is.

Michael

Pray For World Peace . . . pass it on

[gen70]

I have been away from Okc for 20 years what is the address of the Tower theatre?

[wsucougz]

425 NW 23rd St.

Tower Theater in Oklahoma City

[gen70]

Thank's wsuougz. Been there many times, brings back alot of memories. Glad it's being saved.

[thecoolest]

I am so happy to hear that! I have been hoping someone would buy and renovate that place for years. 23rd street is getting much better and this will only help!

[BDP]

Do we have a general idea what the capacity of the Tower would be as a music venue?