There was a quick blurb in the paper yesterday about this suit being settled. Anyone know the details? I'm curious if they are proceeding as planned. Particularly, I wonder if the India Temple building is going to be restored.

Most of the architectural proposals to Sandridge included demolition of at least one or more of the buildings on the block with the Kerr McGee Tower, but I'm not certain what the choosen architect's (The Benham Group) proposal included. Also the redevelopment of the Kerr McGee block will be done in stages, with the tower being the first building to be redone. Hopefully, not many changes are being considered to the exterior of the tower which is considered by many in the architectural community to be one of best examples of "mid-century modern" design in downtown OKC.

If they are demolished...
will they be replaced with possible new skyscrapers???
or what? why would they be demolished?

No demo unless the replacement is fan-freakin-tastic.

There was a quick blurb in the paper yesterday about this suit being settled. Anyone know the details? I'm curious if they are proceeding as planned. Particularly, I wonder if the India Temple building is going to be restored.

yep, scroll down a few threads for the article if anyone's interested. Here's a quick link:

http://www.okctalk.com/okc-metro-area-talk/7039-braniff-towers-update.html

No demo unless the replacement is fan-freakin-tastic.

You mean like a 2-story "iconic" building for the Chamber of Commerce? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Most of the architectural proposals to Sandridge included demolition of at least one or more of the buildings on the block with the Kerr McGee Tower, but I'm not certain what the choosen architect's (The Benham Group) proposal included. Also the redevelopment of the Kerr McGee block will be done in stages, with the tower being the first building to be redone. Hopefully, not many changes are being considered to the exterior of the tower which is considered by many in the architectural community to be one of best examples of "mid-century modern" design in downtown OKC.

ODG, I agree that the tower shouldn't change much - however I do have a suggestion that will 'modernize' the building in terms of its appearance and even its environmental impact.

:bright_id

that is, lets glaze the windows with an energy efficient film or windows that are coloured. This IMO should be blue or sky blue or ocean (light) blue. What a difference in appearance changing the colour of the glass would make, while at the same time - using modern energy efficient glass should make the building cheaper to operate and polute less.

What do you all think? Is there someone I can forward my 'simple' yet effective idea???

Well I'm sure with Rand Elliott doing the design work of these and Kerr McGee's Tower remodel (which is supposed to be done in later winter, early spring BTW) we won't have to worry about color or energy efficiency HOT ROD. Elliott is known for his use of colored lighting and modern design internationally. I just can't wait until the remodel is done and Sand Ridge moves into the old Kerr McGee tower.

It would be nice to see some Elliott-style lighting on the exterior instead of just the big spotlights. Lighting the building that way detracts from the other buildings.

Well I'm sure with Rand Elliott doing the design work of these and Kerr McGee's Tower remodel (which is supposed to be done in later winter, early spring BTW) we won't have to worry about color or energy efficiency HOT ROD. Elliott is known for his use of colored lighting and modern design internationally. I just can't wait until the remodel is done and Sand Ridge moves into the old Kerr McGee tower.

I believe that Rand Elliott's firm declined to interview for the project. Six other firms were short listed and The Benham Group was choosen to do the design work on the buildings. Elliott will probably be doing a redesign of Kerr Park.

Elliott = Designer label
Benham = WalMart Brand

Wonder why he declined?

I think that they couldn't meet Sandridge's time frame needs. Sandridge wants to move into the top few floors by mid-2008 or so.

Benham = WalMart Brand

Can't say that I agree with your "Walmart" comparison. Behnam has a different focus to their architecture and engineering practice. They have accomplished dozens of very large projects worldwide and are involved in a lot of government work. They also did the Ford Center back during MAPS I and the JDM center in Bricktown. They just don't get as much notoriety around here as Rand Elliott since they don't do a lot of OKC buildings. Benham designed the OPUBCO tower, which isn't a bad looking building, which Rand Elliott did a lot of interior finish work design on. Benham's portfolio is worth having a look at. The Benham Companies, LLC (http://www.benham.com)

I am glad however, that you describe things with the lowest common denominator category by calling it "Walmart". Walmart totally sucks, sells crap to people who put most of it in their next garage sale so they can replace it with more crap from Walmart. Walmart is evil incarnate and I believe that their growth and success actually signals the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it. . . . don't get me started.

In terms of design quality, Benham is the typical corporate firm producing ho-hum work. Elliott produces quite the opposite. Take a look at their projects: Elliott + Associates Architects (http://www.e-a-a.com/) and compare the two.

As for Walmart, I'm not sure if you are being sarcastic, but if it wasn't for the walmart, I would be a broke college student. And I would not be able to buy anything after 9 pm in my town.