http://journalrecord.com/_images/articles/t_labsProhibition%20Room.jpg
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.”

the geodesic dome, at 1112 nw 23rd st., was built in 1928 as the classen state bank.

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.

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.

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 (www.prohibitionroom.com)
The site is under construction

More current info in available at: myspace/prohibitionroom (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=300893896)

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?

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.

http://static.newsok.biz/article/20080206/3201179/pro.jpg_02-06-2008_KN6B3FN.jpg

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?

I drove by last night and saw they had their sign out on front of the gold dome. I imagine they are almost open. I plan on stopping by in the next few days and taking pictures.

I drove by last night and saw they had their sign out on front of the gold dome. I imagine they are almost open. I plan on stopping by in the next few days and taking pictures.

They've got some construction pics as well as current pics on their MySpace page...

MySpace.com - Prohibition Room - 74 - Male - OKLAHOMA CITY, US - www.myspace.com/prohibitionroom (http://www.myspace.com/prohibitionroom)

Okay, so I stopped by a few minutes ago while running an errand. Talked to Dawn which I believe may be the owners wife or something. She was very nice and gave me a brief tour. The place is still dusty and is mainly undergoing cosmetic touches. They say they are targeting 1 week to opening. It's possible, but they still have a lot of work. Hopefully, if they don't make that deadline, I think they could be open by end of May. She mentioned they have a few problems with equipment, hopefully it will get ironed out soon. I look forward to this place opening. They will have seating in the restaurant, in the Gold Dome lobby, and a few tables outside. I took new pics and will post tonight or tomorrow.

I like the fact that they're trying something different which will make for a unique dining experience. My only complaint is that they didn't capitolize on the local prohibition element. It would have been funny to walk into the bar and see bottles with "patron's" names taped to them like the pre-liquor-by-the-drink days.

Perhaps they can still do that? How hard is it to get some antique looking bottles at an antique store, get some masking tape and wear it out, dirty it up and do that? Maybe you should email them your idea for part of their decor.

this has been bugging me for a while.
i'd like to make a motion we change the name of the dome to "the formerly gold dome" or "the 10 percent gold dome"... ya know, something to that effect.

Well, we are an inspection or 2 away from being able to open. Most of the construction is complete. We have to finish the trim work on the bar top and we are still waiting for the soda guns to be installed. The menu is set, employees are hired and we are just about ready to go, as soon as the POS system gets delivered.

We will have Jazz Happy Hour on Thursday and Friday at 5:30. And Brunch on Sunday from 10:30 to 3:00

You can see the menu on our myspace page (www.myspace.com/prohibitionroom)

We will be having a huge party to celebrate the opening sometime in June.

Feel free to come by, and see for yourself, the progress of the Prohibition Room

this has been bugging me for a while.
i'd like to make a motion we change the name of the dome to "the formerly gold dome" or "the 10 percent gold dome"... ya know, something to that effect.

How many karats of gold is it now? :bright_id

I can wait for it to open!

HAve a set dat eyet?

anyone know if they're open yet, when I went by a few weeks ago, the owner said one week, although it looked like longer than that to me. I've driven by a few times the last week or so and it looks possible now, although they still have the banner out front saying Now Hiring Opening Soon.

From what I was told it is supposed to be a soft opening this weekend.

According to MySpace, they are opening Mon/Tues (whenever they get their occupancy permit; they passed all inspections).

I hope that anyone that goes there this weekend will post their preceptions. It is just amazing that a few short years ago, Bank Zero (now just a blip in US banking history) applied for a demolition permit for this building and now it is one hunder percent occupied and has become a profitable commercial enterprise again. Just goes to show you how off the mark people that think they know everything can be. Kudos to Dr. Irene Lam for her vision and investment in this landmark building.

I was told by the guys at the restaurant (Sat May 24th) that they were opening on Monday May 26th. So I gathered about 6 friends together (a couple of them drove up from Norman) and we all went down to 23rd & Classen to have dinner -last night. Guess what, They were closed. That was not cool at all. Very upsetting, and embarrassing because it was my idea to check this place out.

It was last second- they found out they still needed their occupancy permit, and state agencies were closed yesterday, so it shoul dbe today/tomorrow unless there's a delay in that permit.

Guess you shouldn't have planned a big group event for their first day to be open.

They put the word out over MySpace that they wouldn't be open...but that can't reach everyone, obviously.

I ate there on their first soft opening day (Thurs 5/29) and I must say I was very impressed with the quality of food, the service, and especially the ambiance. My husband and I especially enjoyed the bruschetta and the chop salad. The humorous part was that they wouldn't receive their ABLE commission liquor license until 9am on Friday, so it truly was like the Prohibition era! ha!

I went back on Friday night for dinner and sat at the bar, which was consistently busy with patrons. The dining room was more than half full at any given time throughout the evening...pretty fantastic for their second night of a soft open. The kobe beef burger was excellent, by the way...gives Irma's a run for her money!

As I understand it, the official Grand Opening is on June 21st and they will feature live bands in the lobby of the gold dome. I'm sure there's more to it, but that's what I remember from the owners telling me. In fact, I enjoyed the place so much my husband and I reserved part of the dining room for my 29th birthday celebration later this month. :)

Go check it out!

I drove by there on Saturday afternoon and noticed people eating outside.
We almost stopped but we had been working outside and weren't quite dressed for anything fancier than fast food. Thanks for the heads up. Looks like a place to try for sure.

I had a terrific mojito there late Saturday night!!

Guess you shouldn't have planned a big group event for their first day to be open.

Were you born in 1984?

As some of you already know, we are open for good. I would like to apologise to Taranucus for not being available when you got there with your friends. Unfortunatly the industrial waste inspector did not sign off on the permit till 4:10 pm on 05-23-08 which did not give us any time to get the Certificate of Occupancy approved. Please do give us another shot.

Things have been going fairly smooth for the most part except for the power going out, the CO2 lines for the keg beer exploding and the POS System crash.

For the Grand Opening party, on June 21st, we will have Ricki Derek and the Vegas 6 coming up from Dallas and Lacy Saunders doing the opening act.

Check out our website at prohibitionroom.com (www.prohibitionroom.com)

Or MySpace.com - Prohibition Room - 74 - Male - OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma - www.myspace.com/prohibitionroom (http://myspace.com/prohibitionroom)

You can check out or cocktail and food menu on our website.

Thanks

The Monday night thing wasn't really that big of a deal, I have a reputation of being too critical and over-reacting when things don't go my way. (I'm working on it)

I stopped by Friday night, May 30, spent about 3 hours eating and drinking. We had a great time.

Apps: Brushetta was great (presentation beautiful), Olive Relish - enjoyed by all

I had the Caesar Salad, very good.

C Trow had the Italian Beef sandwich, he said it was great, loved it

Ty had the Grilled Cheese sandwich w/ French Fries, two thumbs up

C and Neesha had the Filet Medallions with Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes. Per their review, the Medallions were awesome, very tender, cut with a butter knife. The mashed potatoes were very good. The green beans were not very good, "stringy, earthy tasting, and the stems were still on them, we had to cut the stems off before we could eat them."

Sulli just ate on the apps, he concurs that they were both good.

Beer selection was pretty good, the taps broke after round 1 so we didn't have the opportunity to explore all of the tap selection, <bottled beer> we had a lot of them, they were all good. We had Mojitos (good), Cosmo's for the girls (really bad), White Russians (quite tasty), Milk Punch (decent) - - -

Management was nice and social, we like that. They made us feel comfortable and appreciated. Service was good and personable.

The bar area was pretty cool. We'll probably come back and have some beers while watching a couple of the Lakers/Celtics games. Nice TV hanging over the bar.

This is a commingled review, I am just the messenger on most of these critiques.
Hope this helps.

Were you born in 1984?

Yes, and?

Seems like common sense to me. Don't know what age has to do with it.

I'm glad you gave them another shot. Sounds like it's a good place.

Had a terrific sazerac there tonight. Sit at the bar and have Pancho make your drinks... You will be pleased.

Had a terrific sazerac there tonight. Sit at the bar and have Pancho make your drinks... You will be pleased.

Panco is an old soul behind the bar. He very much reminds me of a bartender from old black and white movies. He fits our motif very well. The sazerac has been one of our best selling cocktail along with the Jack Rose and margarita. You may or may not know we use all fresh ingredients in our cocktails, such fresh lemon and lime juice. Which we squeeze everyday. For you scotch drinkers we have a scotch list with 64 labels and a 2oz pour.
Also we should have our lunch menu available this week.

Thanks for your support

Thanks for all the information, RSA.

Really hope you guys do well. We all appreciate your investment into OKC and that area in particular.

Thank you for your well wish's. Has anybody heard of the Gold Dome doing a a Santa Claus display on the roof back in the 60's or 70's? If I have the years correct. And, does anybody have pictures of this? Somebody also told me there used to be a needle in the middle of the top of the dome.

Panco is an old soul behind the bar. He very much reminds me of a bartender from old black and white movies. He fits our motif very well. The sazerac has been one of our best selling cocktail along with the Jack Rose and margarita. You may or may not know we use all fresh ingredients in our cocktails, such fresh lemon and lime juice. Which we squeeze everyday. For you scotch drinkers we have a scotch list with 64 labels and a 2oz pour.
Also we should have our lunch menu available this week.

Thanks for your support

Pancho = awesome. :bow:

Stopped in last night saw Jessica Tate playing harp. She is freakin AWESOME!
:congrats:

Okie Bob,
Jessica Tate on Jazz harp tonite at 7:30

:bow:

Interestnig news in Steve's blog today:

Prohibition Room Revamping Lunch Operations (http://blog.newsok.com/okccentral/2008/12/01/prohibition-room-revamping-lunch-operations/)