I've noticed lately that the Victoria Building on N. Classen at 18th street has lost several of it's tenants very rapidly. Hair Rage Salon, Weed and Seed office and Sweet Treats or whatever that bakery was named that didn't last long. The only tenant that appears to be left is the very delicious and foodie mecca, Cafe Antigua. Not sure if the building owner is wanting higher rents or what is going on, but I sure hope we don't lose the gem of a restaurant Cafe Antigua. It's a staple in the local foodie scene.

I hope so, it would be great to see them restore that building AND keep the cool tenants it currently has and replace the Weed and Seed and the bakery that went out of business. That area of Classen between 23rd and 16th really needs a lot of help from the city and is in dire need of walkability and streetscape improvement. So much potential there, and if you want to talk about turning Classen Blvd into a "true boulevard" (this could even be Mayor Mick's grandiose vision, just moved..gasp..north of downtown) then the section just benath 23rd is where you start with that.

I will also be interested to see how the new Classen Drive corridor connects to Classen Blvd, and also what ends up happening with the site where the rowhomes burned down in front of Classen SAS.

not sure what you're referring to as Classen Drive. Also there was only one row home that burnt down. Hopefully they'll replace it with quality development, but a lot of the infill in the area has been a crappy developer with less than suburban taste, even the suburbs would reject the crap the guy build on NW 16th just before you get to the main part of plaza district, and they wonder why they are still for rent, they are uglyyyyyyy.

That guy who built that infill was Jeff Struble, the same guy who restored the Plaza District commercial storefronts and dozens of beautiful old homes in the Gatewood and Plaza District area. He currently owns several other homes that he will restore as soon as he can find an occupant.

This is Classen Drive, which is being extended down to 8th (with new traffic circles planned at 9th and 8th).
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Oklahoma+City,+OK&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Oklahoma+City,+Oklahoma&gl=us&ei=cXA3TMaENZS6ngeu2rXeBw&ved=0CB4Q8gEwAA&ll=35.481867,-97.524734&spn=0.00795,0.013797&z=16

Of course between 13th and Classen Blvd is Heritage Hills and I'm not sure if Classen Blvd-Classen Drive access should go through Heritage Hills, even though that would make the most since. There's nothing wrong with 13th being the main access between Classen Blvd and Classen Dr.

Classen Drive goes through Heritage Hills and actually would be an easy connect to Classen Boulevard. However, it also goes through the most beautiful portion [to me anyways] of Heritage Hills adjacent to Harn Park. I agree and we should keep the Classen Drive curve on 16th away from Classen Boulevard and not connect it through. Let's keep the traffic of those two streets out of the neighborhood.

Well, Robinson goes straight through Heritage Hills as well. You would use speed bumps and other traffic calming devices, drop the speed limit to 30, and have stop signs every two or three blocks. Even Heritage Hills residents would benefit from increased access and being along a NW/SE route between Classen and Downtown, and it would make that neighborhood a lot more prominent and increase its profile.

Back to the Victoria Building. Thirty five or forty years ago the owners at the time hired a bazaar character (architect ?) to redo the building and the main thing he did was to spray Gunnite or something similar on the original limestone blocks. It had been constructed to be a miniature of the Old Vic Theatre in London. The nasty coating absolutely RUINED at ambiance and historical feel. I am not sure the stuff can be removed but if it can THAT should be the first thing done. If it just isn't feasible to do perhaps they can figure a way to fake a return to the original look. Beyond that, a little clean up on window and door trim is about all it should need for the exterior. Does anyone know what they actually have in mind?

Let's pretend the streetcar eventually goes through Harn Park and connects to Classen Blvd. (I think it would be a terrific option). All need is tracks and good pedestrian access... you don't HAVE to have traffic lanes.

Classen is such a broad corridor, it either needs to have a lane gobbled up by bus-only or bike-only or some kind of public transit mode, or it needs to be narrowed or perhaps have the third lane turned into parking or something, which is what it is around the Victoria Bldg.

The streetcar did once go down Classen, and in fact there's a little monument in front of the Braum's commemorating the former streetcar route.

I agree. There is plenty of room on Classen from 13th to 50th to have a bike lane, head-in parking (like in front of the Victoria building), a shared bus lane, and still be able to handle the current car traffic.

Drove by the building today and could not find any signs of the supposed changes underway.

Opening up Classen Drive to traffic from Classen Blvd is a terrible idea. It is a residential area! Would you want the street in front of your house turned into a major thoroughfare? The comparison to Robinson is not accurate. No houses in Heritage Hills front Robinson like they do Classen Drive.

I always liked the Victoria Building. Was there a theatre in it once?

Another question I've always had: What was in the V-shaped area between Western, Classen, and 23rd before the 60s-era buildings that house American Fidelity as well as The Classen and the Gold Dome?

Yes, it was the Victoria Theater. I remember when Citizens Nat'l Bank (Gold Dome) was built, but I can't remember what was in those areas before.

Side note re: my huge avatar. After our big crash a week or so ago my log in wouldn't work so I started all over with everything the same but now I have this huge avatar and don't know why. Because I was viewed as a new member I was to have had my posts approved by moderators. After about 10 and none being posted, I asked Pete about it on FB. He never answered by finally all my posts are up but looking like this. Help

I attended movies there occasionally in the 60's. I really can't remember when the theater closed though. I think maybe for a while it became an X-rated theater.

Drove by the building today and could not find any signs of the supposed changes underway.

Never stated changes were underway, other than the Weed and Seed office is gone, Hair Rage went out of business, and so did that dessert place that never advertised.

I recall going to the Victoria Theater for a dime in the early fifties and then later to some boxing matches there in the late fifties. Following that our father bought boxing gloves and set up a ring in our basement in hopes we would confine all of our brotherly punching to the basement but it did not work. However, I believe the Victoria Building was no longer operating as a movie theater by 1960.

I recall going to the Victoria Theater for a dime in the early fifties and then later to some boxing matches there in the late fifties. Following that our father bought boxing gloves and set up a ring in our basement in hopes we would confine all of our brotherly punching to the basement but it did not work. However, I believe the Victoria Building was no longer operating as a movie theater by 1960.

I'm sure it was operating past 1960 because I couldn't drive until 1963 and I know I drove there to see movies.

Would be great to see it restored as a theatre! Maybe as Carpenter Square's new venue?

The rain caused the backwalls to give and cave in. The weed and seed office actually lost their back wall. This is why W&S and Hair Rage have relocated. I know that Hair rage will be moving across from Pho Hoa this week. I agree, I hope the building gets restored. I'm sure they picked up some insurance money from the rain damage. We'll see.

A little more information regarding the Victoria Building. I spoke to my brother David about the boxing matches that we went to in the 50s in the Victoria Building. He reminded me that we attended them because they were broadcast by the Channel 25 Television Studio which was in that building in the 50s. I googled Channel 25 Oklahoma City and found the following information on Wikepedia:

"KTVQ signed on in 1953, and operated as the original full-time ABC affiliate for the Oklahoma City television market, and was one of the then-relatively few ABC network affiliates operating on the UHF dial. The station, the first to sign on in the Oklahoma City area since the FCC-imposed freeze on station licenses was lifted in 1953, took the ABC affiliation from primary NBC affiliate WKY-TV (channel 4, now KFOR-TV). Current ABC affiliate KOCO-TV (channel 5), was at the time operating out of Enid in Garfield County, Oklahoma and operating under the call letters KGEO-TV.

KTVQ had little success, largely in part because television manufacturers were not required to include UHF tuning capability on sets until 1964. KTVQ went dark in 1956. In the interim, WKY-TV took back ABC as a secondary affiliation. Channel 5 moved its operations to Oklahoma City in 1958, in a move similar to Tulsa's ABC affiliate, KTUL-TV (channel 8), which moved its operations from Muskogee, Oklahoma (under the call sign KTVX) to Tulsa in 1957.

The dormant channel 25 license was purchased in 1959, and it resumed operations as independent educational station KOKH that same year. On October 1, 1979, KOKH switched its format to a general entertainment independent station featuring cartoons, classic sitcoms, and movies. KOKH ceased to be an independent station in 1991, when PBS member station KETA (channel 13, the flagship station of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority), purchased then-Fox affiliate KAUT (channel 43), after which KOKH took the Fox affiliation from KAUT."

Yes, it was the Victoria Theater. I remember when Citizens Nat'l Bank (Gold Dome) was built, but I can't remember what was in those areas before.

I saw a scanned postcard on Flickr showing the Gold Dome from the air before Citizen's Tower (The Classen) was built and the area where the tower is now was just houses, so it's probably fair to assume the same of the other areas.

I love Cafe Antigua, but my personal impression is that whole building is in pretty heinous condition, and has been for years.

Oh, and the dessert place: I sort of know that guy. It's not appropriate for me to talk about what's going on, but he has good reasons for not keeping that restaurant going. He also owned Sweet Tea on NW23, where Mutt's is now.