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betts
12-26-2009, 07:03 AM
Behind closed doors, big changes underway at Oklahoma City musical landmark

BY TIM FALL The Oklahoman
Published: December 26, 2009

Designer-builder Bill Gumerson loves the metro-area landmarks — from the majestic homes of Heritage Hills, to the renovated and revitalized structures of downtown, to the campus of his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma.
But Gumerson, builder of some of the area's most exclusive private residences and award-winning remodels, has a secret favorite landmark. It's not a Gaillardia mansion or a Nichols Hills manse.

"You ever hear of the Blue Door?" Gumerson asks.

The live-music venue near Oklahoma City University, longtime favorite of locals and touring musicians alike, is in need of serious structural renovation.

"It's basically falling down," Gumerson said. His design-build firm, Bill Gumerson & Associates, has been retained to save it.

The only caveat?

"We have to leave it exactly as it is," Gumerson said. "The fact that there's no right angles in there is a good thing, acoustically." Gumerson's team designed beams and columns to hold the building in its current shape, a parallelogram tilting 6 inches toward McKinley Street. "We're digging under the structure to put in new footings. We're removing the façade stone by stone, then replacing them on a new frame," Gumerson explained.

It may seem like a lark, but really it's perfectly in character for a man who has made loyalty into a career commitment..............

In addition to six staff superintendents, Gumerson & Associates includes project managers Roger White and Jeff Blake. Bill Dinger is the in-house architect.

"Sometimes it's a downer when the owner moves in and we're out," Gumerson said, leafing through the pages of a book chronicling his firm's recent projects. "It's hard to leave sometimes."

Though surely, one would think, Gumerson will always be welcomed back to the stronger, reinforced but still vintage Blue Door.



Read more: NewsOK (http://www.newsok.com/behind-closed-doors-big-changes-underway-at-oklahoma-city-musical-landmark/article/3427565?custom_click=lead_story_title#ixzz0anrJGQB k)

Spartan
12-26-2009, 10:54 AM
I'm glad they're making the Blue Note a little nicer..it would be amazing to take my kids someday to a show there and say, you know, the Flaming Lips used to play here back when this place was a dump!

Steve
12-26-2009, 10:59 AM
Several years back, striving for some sort of campus perfection, things were pretty tense between OCU and the Blue Door. Hopefully leadership today can appreciate that having a rough diamond like this in the neighborhood might be a good thing.

okyeah
12-26-2009, 11:03 AM
I'm glad they're making the Blue Note a little nicer..it would be amazing to take my kids someday to a show there and say, you know, the Flaming Lips used to play here back when this place was a dump!

Blue Note and Blue Door are different venues

muzique808
12-26-2009, 09:21 PM
Several years back, striving for some sort of campus perfection, things were pretty tense between OCU and the Blue Door. Hopefully leadership today can appreciate that having a rough diamond like this in the neighborhood might be a good thing.

I had heard before that OCU was wanting to buy up all the properties north of campus to 30th street. Has that now changed?

Spartan
12-27-2009, 03:03 AM
OCU needs to focus on trying to improve NW 23rd. Honestly nobody even sees behind their campus.

wsucougz
12-27-2009, 09:29 AM
OCU needs to focus on trying to improve NW 23rd. Honestly nobody even sees behind their campus.

I think they made a huge mistake by not imposing their will on 23rd street over the years.

soonerguru
12-27-2009, 10:06 AM
I'm glad they're making the Blue Note a little nicer..it would be amazing to take my kids someday to a show there and say, you know, the Flaming Lips used to play here back when this place was a dump!

It's not the Blue Note. It's the Blue Door. Separate venues. The Blue Door is on McKinley near OCU. It is a great place to check out roots and Americana music.

Spartan
12-27-2009, 01:05 PM
Yeah thanks guru lol, I was already proven to be a moron in this thread though..but cheer up, I guarantee there's more mistakes to be found! I'm more of a "glancer" than a "reader" I suppose.

dismayed
12-27-2009, 11:17 PM
Perhaps you should consider an exciting career in management.

TheTravellers
12-07-2021, 08:05 AM
The Blue Note post reminded me of this, and it's actually appropriate to the thread being resurrected, hope it's OK with the mods to post fundraising info...

Blue Door needs $25,000 to renovate and open again, here's his website and his GoFundMe link. I've seen some great shows there, would hate for it to go away, so I've donated, looks like he's about halfway there.

http://www.bluedoorokc.com/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/gregs-blue-door-reopening

shawnw
05-06-2022, 12:38 AM
I guess it's done (even though with all the times I've ridden by it, I didn't see any sign of it), as the show docket on ticketstorm is starting to stack up...

https://www.ticketstorm.com/c/20/bluedoor/

TheTravellers
05-06-2022, 08:22 AM
I guess it's done (even though with all the times I've ridden by it, I didn't see any sign of it), as the show docket on ticketstorm is starting to stack up...

https://www.ticketstorm.com/c/20/bluedoor/

Interesting, he hasn't been posting updates, but his GoFundMe reached its goal a couple of months ago, good to see he's finished. More details here - http://www.bluedoorokc.com/

SEMIweather
05-06-2022, 12:25 PM
Love this venue to pieces, but man I wish they would book a wider variety of songwriters. Feels like it’s always the same dozen or so red dirt artists for the most part, but definitely looking forward to getting back to a show here on the occasions that they have something a bit outside of their wheelhouse, as it’s right up there with the Sooner Theatre (which I also desperately wish would again start to book shows outside of NMF weekend) for my favorite venue in the state.

Jersey Boss
05-06-2022, 12:33 PM
I guess it's done (even though with all the times I've ridden by it, I didn't see any sign of it), as the show docket on ticketstorm is starting to stack up...

https://www.ticketstorm.com/c/20/bluedoor/

Albert Lee? I'll be there.

Pete
05-08-2022, 07:34 AM
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/bluedoor050722a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/bluedoor050722b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/bluedoor050722c.jpg

shawnw
05-08-2022, 08:27 AM
I can't see any differences, but it's been a minute since I was inside.

Pete
05-08-2022, 08:28 AM
I believe most of the work was structural.

Roger S
05-09-2022, 06:01 AM
Hoping to check it out either June 3rd or 4th for the John Fulbright show.

shawnw
05-09-2022, 07:39 AM
So out SO fast...

SEMIweather
05-09-2022, 12:02 PM
I’ll be at Ponyboy for the Beau Jennings album release show that same night, but if you’re wanting to check out the Blue Door renovations, Michael Fracasso on June 11th will be a pretty good show.

Roger S
05-09-2022, 12:39 PM
I’ll be at Ponyboy for the Beau Jennings album release show that same night, but if you’re wanting to check out the Blue Door renovations, Michael Fracasso on June 11th will be a pretty good show.

Saw Beau open for Aaron Lee Tasjan at Jones a couple of years ago. They cranked out a solid opening set.

soonerguru
05-09-2022, 06:27 PM
Love this venue to pieces, but man I wish they would book a wider variety of songwriters. Feels like it’s always the same dozen or so red dirt artists for the most part, but definitely looking forward to getting back to a show here on the occasions that they have something a bit outside of their wheelhouse, as it’s right up there with the Sooner Theatre (which I also desperately wish would again start to book shows outside of NMF weekend) for my favorite venue in the state.

Have you ever met the owner? I mean, he's a pretty good dude, but he just does things his way. For example, he doesn't really like artists who bring drum kits into the room. That's going to limit the types of artists who play there. Even folk artists have drums.

He has made some exceptions in the past.

That being said, it's a very specific, insular audience. It just is what it is. However, unlike in the past, we have a ton of new venue options for live music in OKC, so the Blue Door can just be the Blue Door.

TheTravellers
06-03-2022, 01:59 PM
Was driving by today on the way home from grocery shopping and noticed the outside was all spruced up - new paint job, new window coverings on the inside, new trim paint, maybe a new fence, etc.