Union Station

[Bullbear]

Love those renderings and is one of the places I am most excited about getting some love. This will be an amazing space.

[Pete]

It's such an incredible structure and many of the original elements remain, like the old ticket windows and terrazzo floors.

You can go in during business hours. Check in at the COTPA desk (the only people in there) and they should let you wander around. They have some old photos posted.

But in the main waiting room there is a terrible structure in the middle, but that looks to be built on top of the original floors and isn't tied into anything historic.

[Bullbear]

I'll have to go in and check it out thanks Pete!

[bucktalk]

Some of these renderings remind me of Union Station in St. Louis. If we could capture half of Union Station St. Louis we will have quite a gem!

[Pete]

Plans to renovate historic Union Station move forward

On Wednesday, the Parks Subcommittee of the MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board reviewed a preliminary report regarding the next steps in the proposed Union Station renovation.

Earlier this year, the MAPS 3 Board voted to allocation $10 million in excess sales tax collection to the project.

Union Station opened in 1930 and was once a bustling passenger railway station but has been virtually unused for decades, apart from serving as the current home for the Central Oklahoma Transporation and Parking Authority.

The 55,000 square foot structure sits at the southern end of Scissortail Park which is scheduled to be complete this fall.

Architects GSB presented a plan that would include a park welcome center and gift shop, a cafe, event halls, a history center, conference and meeting rooms, a classroom, tenant spaces, commercial kitchen, restrooms and offices for park administration.

The centerpiece would be the former main waiting room and its soaring, coffered ceilings which would be converted to a multipurpose room and used for a variety of events. Under the plan, the old train ticket windows would serve as a bar and the hanging art deco light fixtures would be restored in what would be titled East Hall. (First rendering above depicts the new space with the original waiting room shown below.)

A small cafe would occupy what was once a large area outside the east restrooms and include outdoor seating on the large covered patio and on the North Plaza in a new patio area on the site on a current circle drive just to the south of the new park lake.

Under the plan a marble-lined tunnel that once led to train tracks would be leveled and used for small gatherings.

Part of the south docks – once used primarily for mail delivery – would be converted to another multipurpose hall.

Outside, the nicely preserved structure would get new lighting to provide a focal for park visitors. Extensive landscaping would replace the east parking area and help connect the station to the park itself.

The total cost of the project is over $29 million.

[David]

That's a really interesting plan. Since it is so close to the new Convention Center, if you look at this as basically being a convention center annex with additional, conveniently located meeting spaces it makes a lot of sense. Tighter integration between the convention experience and the park, too.

I wonder if that is how this will be used.

[Sooner.Arch]

I'm sure this will become a top wedding venue in OKC

[BoulderSooner]

I'm sure this will become a top wedding venue in OKC

yep and also for charity events ...

[bigsmooth]

This is going to be really nice. My question is, how will the additional $19 million to complete the project be funded ?

[Pete]

I'm sure this will become a top wedding venue in OKC

Note they have a bride's room on the plans.


However, I know from people who own popular wedding venues that that market is getting very fragmented. Most have seen their wedding business go down significantly in the last 5 years or so.

This will take another slice out of that pie.

[Pete]

This is going to be really nice. My question is, how will the additional $19 million to complete the project be funded ?

Very good question.

Only $10M has been allocated from MAPS. Plus, I'm surprised at that very high total.

[Pete]

BTW, the rendering of the former waiting room conversion shows carpet.

There is an amazing terrazzo floor in there now that seems to be completely intact. It would be a shame to just cover it up.

[Pete]

Something else of interest: Just a few years ago the city got a grant to redo the parking and drives on the building's perimeter and put in completely new concrete.

Under this plan, most of it would be ripped up and I wonder if some of that money may need to be returned.

[BoulderSooner]

Note they have a bride's room on the plans.


However, I know from people who own popular wedding venues that that market is getting very fragmented. Most have seen their wedding business go down significantly in the last 5 years or so.

This will take another slice out of that pie.

i will say as someone that has currently been looking the good venues stay completley full on friday sat and sunday .. for more than a year in advance ..

there are quite a few second or third tier venues that are open some of the time ..

[Pete]

^

I would guess that is only for a few months out of the year.

[BoulderSooner]

^

I would guess that is only for a few months out of the year.

take coles garden for example they have no friday saturdays or sundays for the rest of this year .. as in booked full from may -december

[Pete]

^

That is one venue and by far the most popular for weddings.

I do a lot of events and had no problem finding availability at the Myriad Gardens (former Park House) on a Saturday night in the summer, and that was only a few months out. I'm sure May and June are busy but the rest of the year, not so much. And we are talking about one night per week.

[Johnb911]

Sorry if this has already been addressed, but what is the plan for getting out of the transportation function requirements that (I believe) were part of the federal grant the building received in the past?

[Pete]

Sorry if this has already been addressed, but what is the plan for getting out of the transportation function requirements that (I believe) were part of the federal grant the building received in the past?

Yeah, I don't know how they plan to get around that issue.

[baralheia]

I have mixed feelings about this, and I'm quite sure it's because of my personal bias towards wanting to return Union Station to a transit use (even though I know, regrettably, that ship has long since sailed). That said, objectively, this appears to be a very nice idea for adaptive reuse of Union Station. I do appreciate that even though they plan to level out the floor in the train hall, they aren't completely removing access to the doors to the old tunnel - the plans show that there will be a staircase down and a small area to get back in there. I'm not sure of the condition of the tunnel beyond those doors today, but if there is still open space beyond those doors, that area could still be pressed into use for a storm shelter or something. In any event, I too hope they keep the terrazzo floors in the waiting rooms.

I also have to wonder about the federal grant money that COTPA received in 1989 to purchase Union Station. I understand that money was contingent on the station remaining in a transit-related use. Since that was 30 years ago, do any of the Federal Transit Administration restrictions still apply to this property? If so, will that grant need to be paid back to the FTA?

[Pete]

Currently, there is storage space behind those tunnel doors. I may have photos somewhere.

But of course, the tunnel once ran under the tracks and to the far south side platform. That was all removed when they built I-40 where multiple train tracks had been located.

Found this old image from 2008 that shows the tracks; the tunnel would have run all the way to the far south side. You can see the path by the 3 large skylights at the station.

[Pete]

Here is a photo I took in 2008 of the old tracks; now feels like a million years ago.

I remember coming back to OKC and spending the better part of an afternoon poking around the inside of Union Station and being in awe. I had never been in there before and I had no idea how cool it was. Will be great to draw in the public because people will be shocked.

[Pete]

And again from March 2008, I took this along Harvey just north of Union Station; the old post office was to the left. This spot is now in the middle of the Scissortail lake.

[Pete]

And here is the view out the front of Union Station from 2008 before the post office was demolished.

[jn1780]

I also have to wonder about the federal grant money that COTPA received in 1989 to purchase Union Station. I understand that money was contingent on the station remaining in a transit-related use. Since that was 30 years ago, do any of the Federal Transit Administration restrictions still apply to this property? If so, will that grant need to be paid back to the FTA?

Well, it ceased having any true transportation function when the federally paid for interstate which had to meet federal transportation standards was approved and built. So take that Feds! You helped break your own laws!

Seriously, I wonder if as long as some kind of transportation related agency has an office there its technically meeting that requirement.