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Thread: Myriad Gardens

  1. #176

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    Love this photo.


  2. Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    They really are doing quite a bit of damage out there. I hope it will all be restored without serious impact.

  3. #178

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    [QUOTE=diggyba;337952]
    Quote Originally Posted by Pete Brzycki View Post
    Here are a few:




    Yes! So glad to see they have started on this!
    Quote Originally Posted by diggyba View Post
    Love this photo.

    Taken out of context these pics look like they belong over in the Tornado thread...

  4. #179

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    Are the glass panes going to be larger?

  5. #180

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    Quote Originally Posted by okclee View Post
    Is Peter Dolese of the Dolese concrete company?
    Kin but no association with company or proceeds thereof.

  6. #181

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    Quote Originally Posted by Thunder View Post
    They really are doing quite a bit of damage out there. I hope it will all be restored without serious impact.
    No they plan on making a serious impact.

  7. #182

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    Myriad possibilities: Officials say transformation of gardens will be worth the wait
    By Brian Brus
    The Journal Record
    Posted: 09:55 PM Thursday, June 17, 2010

    OKLAHOMA CITY – Janet Latham hates the scaffolding that keeps her from reaching the tropical rain forest, her orchids, gingers and cactilike euphorbias.

    “It’s absolutely everywhere, just phenomenal to have to navigate,” said Latham, the horticulture supervisor of the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory at the Myriad Botanical Gardens. “It’s just as hard for us as it is the public to go through this transformation. We love that park a lot. … But I think everyone will definitely agree this will be worth it in the end.”

    At first glance, it appears as though the 15-acre Myriad Gardens and its most easily identifiable element, the Crystal Bridge, are being consumed by the shadow of Devon Energy’s corporate tower construction north of Sheridan.

    Fences have been put up around the property and traffic is often forced to detour around the park because of the work.

    Pending weather delays or other complications, the area is scheduled to be closed to the public until April, in time for the next Festival of the Arts, Oklahoma City Parks Department spokeswoman Jennifer McClintock said.

    “Sometimes you have to deconstruct a lot before you can build something really nice,” McClintock said. “Until then, it might look a little messy.”

    California-based landscape architect James Burnett is scheduled to speak about the transformation of the Myriad Gardens at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s luncheon Friday. Burnett has more than 25 years of experience in designing urban parks and his company is heading the redesign of the Myriad Gardens grounds with Murase Associates of Oregon.

    Other players in the project are locally based Lippert Bros. Inc. for demolition work, Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates for architectural design, and Downey Construction for the Crystal Bridge reglazing.

    “It’s an amazing opportunity to take a centrally located, downtown, urban garden and make it into a place for all people – expand it into a place where you can have lunch, somewhere to walk your dog, a place to meet someone after an event at the Cox Center or Ford Center,” Burnett said Thursday. “You can take your children there for active play, or office workers can go there for lunch. There will be concerts on the great lawn and a lot of flexibility for other events.”

    The grounds will be transformed into what city officials refer to as a “multiuse outdoor recreation space” that includes a restaurant, cafe, children’s garden, grand event lawn and multiple water features. Additional improvements will also be made to the park’s water stage, and attractive entryways will entice visitors.

    The budget for the project overall is $38 million, with funds for work on the Crystal Bridge provided through a 2007 general obligation (GO) bond and the rest of the parks paid for through City Hall’s Project 180 initiative, a tax increment finance (TIF) district established in conjunction with the Devon tower construction. McClintock said the Crystal Bridge work was scheduled earlier, but it made sense to reschedule so that it overlapped Project 180.

    After nearly 25 years, the Crystal Bridge is less than crystal clear, McClintock said. More than 3,000 acrylic panels that comprise the giant tube have lost their translucence under the weather and need to be replaced with clear panels. The steel frame that holds the panels in place also must be micro-blasted to remove rust and old paint.

    The elaborate scaffolding erected for the work creates a second shell around the original and a pain for Latham and her co-workers to navigate each day.

    The construction project managers have been considerate of the conservatory’s resources and have not trampled anything, she said. Although the park is closed, Latham has to ensure the more than 1,000 species of plants remain healthy, as well as the resident critters such as tree frogs, butterflies and anoles.

    Latham said most of the plants will be tended where they are, while a few of the most delicate specimens will be transferred to other greenhouses. Protective tarps also will be draped to prevent construction debris from falling onto plants and their caretakers.

    The tarps will compound a problem already caused by the old panels, she said: lack of light. Most of the plants need plenty of sunlight and carefully regulated humidity. Latham said she and her staff will spend the next year trying to keep those balances.

    But there likely will be a few losses, such as the coconut palm, she said. Another will be planted in its place when the project is complete.

    “We’ve done a pretty dang good job of getting a wide diversity of species in there,” Latham said. “Different species of tropicals and cacti and succulents from all over the world except Antarctica. Some are little itty-bitty with tiny flowers and others are just giant like our palm trees. So it’s a pretty diverse collection for the public to enjoy … and they will again when this is done.”

  8. #183

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    After nearly 25 years, the Crystal Bridge is less than crystal clear,
    Huh? I remember Good Morning America doing a live remote from the Gardens/Bridge area waaaay before 1985...back when they were touring several cities across the US...heck, I think David Hartman was still hosting GMA at the time! Had to be before 1985...

  9. #184

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    Quote Originally Posted by SoonerDave View Post
    Huh? I remember Good Morning America doing a live remote from the Gardens/Bridge area waaaay before 1985...back when they were touring several cities across the US...heck, I think David Hartman was still hosting GMA at the time! Had to be before 1985...
    The Crystal Bridge structure was completed in 1985. It did not open to the public until March 25, 1988. Work on the outdoor grounds began in 1977.

  10. #185

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    Are there any new pictures of the gardens? Im really curious how the outside of the Bridge looks now with the new panes!

  11. #186

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens to get makeover...

    Quote Originally Posted by diggyba View Post
    Are there any new pictures of the gardens? Im really curious how the outside of the Bridge looks now with the new panes!
    Was there yesterday. No new panes up yet. I will post my pics to the City's flickr account and come back here to post a link.

  12. #187

    Default Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    I apologize if a topic has been created for this already.

    I was interested in Bryan Dean's story today suggesting some possibly misguided priorities regarding the Myriad Gardens restaurant.

    Dean talked to several OKC restauranteurs who believe the restaurant's 'upscale, white tablecloth' approach is doomed to failure.

    I was also surprised/amused to read about the Devon Implementation Committee discussing restroom decor for this restaurant during last week's meeting. The committee seems to be intent on designing the restaurant itself and then trying to find someone to manage it.

    It sounds to me like this is actually the Devon executive dining room.

  13. #188

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    Well if it's the Devon executive dining room, probably not destined to fail then.

    As for this restaurant, there will also be a 2nd alternative joint that will be more casual. This is just the upscale park restaurant.

  14. #189

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    I didn't mention it in the orig. post, but Dean's story says the 2nd restaurant has been cancelled for budgetary reasons. The restaurant owners also called that a mistake. They say two restaurants together will perform better than one.

  15. Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    It wasn't even a restaurant, it was a small little cafe'. In fact, according to Frittergirl who is well-knowledged on the subject matter, the design for the Cafe' isn't being changed, it will instead just become a pavilion.

    I don't think it's a bad choice. The Myriad Gardens are very romantic, I see it catering to that crowd, as well as business execs, and the times when people actually would like something fancier than say Chelino's. I don't see how it's "destined to failure."

  16. Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    For what it's worth, that was my story, not Bryan Dean's.

  17. #192

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    Ooops. Sorry.

  18. Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    It's alright. No biggie.

  19. #194

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    Well, 'fine dining' is kind of a vague term, anyway. I think of it as a place requiring a coat and tie. Others might classify La Baguette and the Museum Café as 'fine dining', even though you don't have to dress up to get in the door.

    Is there some generally accepted definition I don't know about?

  20. Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    Tuck might be helpful on this question

  21. #196

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    Perhaps we should not forget that the property just south of Reno (where Bob Howard downtown is located) is targeted for mixed-use development in the near future...which would open up lots more possibilities for dining near Myriad Gardens.

  22. #197

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    I still think that something like The Terrace View restaurant, which sits alongside CityGarden in downtown St. Louis, is exactly what the Myriad Gardens folks should be aiming for.

    Www.fialafood.com

    Yes, it's upscale. But it's bright and airy and has a great patio. You can enjoy it in shorts and a polo, with the kids, as you look out over the park with a glass of wine. You can spend a lot of money or you can get a chicken sandwich or a salad. Not every nice restaurant has to be "white tablecloth." There is a happy medium between a hot dog stand and the Coach House.

  23. #198

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    It's not like down the road when density fills in and the economy rebounds they can't tear down the pavillion and add a restaurant folks.

  24. #199

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    I like the idea. It could become "the place" for those special occasion dinners and wedding proposals. I had difficulty following the reasoning of those who were against the idea, claiming it should be yet another casual dining spot. As if we don't have enough of that already. It seems there are people who want OKC to stay quaint, provincial, ordinary. The Devon folks are doing their best to raise the standard and I applaud that.

  25. #200

    Default Re: Myriad Gardens Restaurant

    I totally agree with earlywinegareth. We want something better than fast food or a roach coach on the property. Think bigger and better. There is day wear as well as evening wear. I think you can mix both and still be successful.

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