I've been hearing the same quasi-information for a while now and things seem to be coalescing for this block.

First of all, 1 N Hudson / Hotel Black isn't going anywhere and will likely be renovated into residential. A hotel is also a possibility but it will be one or the other.

It also appears there will be a large parking garage along Sheridan, between Hotel Black and the Bus Station. It seems there are absolutely no plans to demolish the bus station but it's new purpose isn't yet clear. The garage would likely serve the Stage Center Tower (still think there will be parking on that site as well) and the long-rumored tower on the the site of Carpenter Square. Looks like that building and everything west to the city-owned building will be removed for a large office project.

I also think it won't be Devon doing any of this development; at least not directly. They are definitely behind Preftakes but he will likely sell to other developers, especially for the proposed tower. I don't think Devon wants to build any more for PR reasons, which is why they just spent a ton of money to build a clinic in Corporate Tower. However, they will have a lot to do with choosing the right developers and projects.

So, I think that Carpenter Square corner will ultimately be flipped to one of the groups who lost out on the Stage Center site. And I think this will be a combination of having some tenants in hand as well as spec space. There is STRONG demand right now and financing is loosening.

The fate of the Auto Hotel is less clear. I think there is a good chance it might not stay.

And don't be surprised if OG&E still builds it's own tower on the NW corner of Hudson and RS Kerr.


Not sure of the timing of any of this but the parking garage may move forward in conjunction with the Stage Center Tower. Parking is super critical right now and it's going to be an obstacle to more development unless the inventory is increased.

And don't be surprised if OG&E still builds it's own tower on the NE corner of Hudson and RS Kerr.

NW corner? I see parking garages on the NE corner.

Well it looks bad for historic restoration.

Evidently Park & Robinson is so vibrant we need some more of that.

I've talked with the developer working with Preftakes (Dr Musallam) and it looks like plans are moving forward to put a restaurant in the ground floor of 1 N. Hudson and convert the building into a 70 room boutique hotel.Completion date will be summer 2014.

NW corner? I see parking garages on the NE corner.

Yes, sorry, NW corner. I corrected my previous post.

Yes, sorry, NW corner. I corrected my previous post.

Yes...I was just making sure...I thought it was where that bank storage is and that drive thru that they're shutting down ;-)

I've talked with the developer working with Preftakes (Dr Musallam) and it looks like plans are moving forward to put a restaurant in the ground floor of 1 N. Hudson and convert the building into a 70 room boutique hotel.Completion date will be summer 2014.

Okay I'll be the first to bite...

Who??

Okay I'll be the first to bite...

Who??

Sorry, Spartan. I just can't resist. :wink:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8N2SftkPmQ

I've talked with the developer working with Preftakes (Dr Musallam)dr.

Labib?

Or Sam?

Or Sam?

Labib is Sam.

There is no spoon.

Or Sam?

Yeah, it's Sam.

Block West of Devon Energy Center (August 4 2013) - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhider/sets/72157635512513722/)

Photos from over a month ago. Nothing has changed of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR975R2ZJ50

Block West of Devon Energy Center August 5 2013) - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR975R2ZJ50)

I've been twiddling with an image for a few weeks now, and even though it's not quite finished (in my mind), I'm going to post what I have:

http://dl.dropbox.com/s/dy1g6qpnrp4iqim/preftakes_tower_with_main_garage.jpg

I've placed a tower on the Preftakes block, right on the Carpenter Square spot, as this seems to be the current best guess for where a new tower might go.
Using, again, that great Cooper Ross aerial shot for the backdrop.

I've rendered a pretty tall building -- at least 700 feet, maybe 720-730. Don't know if we'll get one that tall in reality, but it would be nice.
Whatever we may end up with would probably be more architecturally interesting than just a couple of stacked, rectangular boxes, but there's a limit to the scope of my image editing skills.

I've also drawn in the new garage on Main Street to make this thing more fun. At least we know what that building should look like.
I tried to make it look reasonably close to the renderings.

You did a good job !

I've been twiddling with an image for a few weeks now, and even though it's not quite finished (in my mind), I'm going to post what I have:

Awesome!

That is my favorite OKC perspective and your rendering demonstrates how a building on that block and/or the Stage Center Tower will extend and enhance our skyline.

Good work, Praedura!

Any chance you could edit a couple more in for giggles with 1) on the Stage Center site and 2) on the site just north of the Art Museum?

Great rendering...you should throw something on the SC lot as well ;-)

If there were any way possible, Devon extending the height of the parking garage to a 15 to 20 story building probably with office/residential on the top 5 to 10 levels, would really be all that is necessary to keep the skyline looking/feeling dense. By the time a tower goes on Stage Center and Preftakes...especially because it's likely the height will be concentrated in that area, it will look very sparse and unbalanced.

Great job, Praedura, on perspectives, vanishing points, shading, lighting, coloration, and level of detail!

I don't know how you do it, but bravo! Madd props yo!!

You did a good job !

Thanks!

Great job, Praedura, on perspectives, vanishing points, shading, lighting, coloration, and level of detail!

Appreciate that! Actually, there are little errors on all those aspects you mentioned... but I won't tell if you won't. :wink:

Good work, Praedura!

Any chance you could edit a couple more in for giggles with 1) on the Stage Center site and 2) on the site just north of the Art Museum?

Absolutely! I planned to do just that.

Except, well... I thought until recently that renderings for the Stage Center tower were coming out very soon, so I was holding off on that part. Because then I could possibly make use of a graphic, or at least have a guide for what to draw.
But now that it appears that it will be months before we see anything... I guess I'll just have to make something up out of the air.

Just for giggles (as you say) I created a quick and dirty mockup on the SC site. I've put in a shell building where the tower should go. Not sure what to make, but just putting something in there may stimulate my thinking in terms of what I should draw.
Here it is:

http://dl.dropbox.com/s/ixn1eqq808lxhi0/preftakes_tower_with_sc_mockup.jpg

This is a 34 story shell that would be approximately 600 feet tall. Still trying to work out some kind of design for this. Still, it makes for a quick look at a possible skyline impact.

Oh, and thanks to all the other thankers that I didn't yet manage to, well... thank. :)

If there were any way possible, Devon extending the height of the parking garage to a 15 to 20 story building probably with office/residential on the top 5 to 10 levels, would really be all that is necessary to keep the skyline looking/feeling dense. By the time a tower goes on Stage Center and Preftakes...especially because it's likely the height will be concentrated in that area, it will look very sparse and unbalanced.

That's an interesting idea. Something I had not thought about.

I'm sure that Devon has no plans or interest in this idea for now, but let's say they did at some point in the future. Would that structure be capable of handling an additional 5-10 floors?

This is like taking a view into the future, good job Praedura.

That's an interesting idea. Something I had not thought about.

I'm sure that Devon has no plans or interest in this idea for now, but let's say they did at some point in the future. Would that structure be capable of handling an additional 5-10 floors?

I think they'd just build another garage on the Preftakes block, this rumor has been circulating already. Less disruptive too.

Still need to fill in that spot north of the art museum...where the old bank drive thru is.

Still need to fill in that spot north of the art museum...where the old bank drive thru is.

That's where I'm going to put a new OG&E tower. Of course, I don't know that they're going to build one there... then again, I don't know that they won't. So I'm free to imagine. :)

That's where I'm going to put a new OG&E tower. Of course, I don't know that they're going to build one there... then again, I don't know that they won't. So I'm free to imagine. :)

I was going to write oge in my original post but I decided against it ;-)

:Smiley208
I've been twiddling with an image for a few weeks now, and even though it's not quite finished (in my mind), I'm going to post what I have:

WHATEVER...you do, is better than what I could do. I appreciate your efforts, and hope your post comes to fruition.

This is just too good not to comment. That is a great graphic. Now, let me provide you some other possibilities - educated possibilities - and all I ask is that you let me share this on OKC Central.
Put a 20-story tower where the Bank of America drive-through is. Add a 20-story hotel tower and convention center south of the Myriad Gardens. Make the Rainey Williams building a wide footprint. Show the Dowell Garage extending just short of Hudson Avenue. And add a 15-story residential tower on the triangle at NW 4 and Broadway. Praedura, if you can add this to the photo illustration as well as you did the Preftakes block... well, I'm not saying this is definitely our future. But it's very, very possible if trends continue.... I am sure Pete, who is very well sourced, will agree with me.

.....And add a 15-story residential tower on the triangle at NW 4 and Broadway.....

Now that's an interesting tidbit! I'm intrigued.

Let me add this caveat ... this is under best case scenarios where downtown momentum heats up even more than it already has. I don't want anyone saying this is what is going to happen. But yeah, these are possibilities, and define that as "these are the sort of developments being looked at or contemplated."

I'm hoping that Enogex/Enable/OG&E, one of them builds a tower that dwarfs OneOk in Tulsa. That is their big instate rival. That would make people in Tulsa that hate OneOk happier than us in OKC.

Thanks for the kind comments Steve.

I was thinking of adding the convention hotel to the pic. From this perspective, though, it probably won't show up much -- just a sliver between the other highrises.

Concerning the Stage Center tower... do you mean wider east-west (along Sheridan) or north-south? Or maybe both ways? I'm thinking north-south.

Feel free to re-post these renderings (aka "flights of fancy") that I conjure up wherever you like. (I'm assuming that Cooper Ross won't come chasing after me with a cease-and-desist!)
However, in a few months when the actual renderings for the the SC tower come out, mine will look pretty ridiculous in comparison, I'm sure.

I'll contact Cooper.

Preadura, what programs are you using to create these?

Preadura, what programs are you using to create these?

An image editor. It's a fairly standard featured program. I won't say which one because mystery is good. :wink:

It's NOT AutoCAD or any expensive architectural software. Nor is it SketchUp, which I've thought about getting and learning, but never have.

Keep in mind, my technique is not too fancy -- I just push pixels around until the results look something like I wanted.

Pushing pixels around...I don't even know how to do that, so you still THA MAN!

An image editor. It's a fairly standard featured program. I won't say which one because mystery is good. :wink:

It's NOT AutoCAD or any expensive architectural software. Nor is it SketchUp, which I've thought about getting and learning, but never have.

Keep in mind, my technique is not too fancy -- I just push pixels around until the results look something like I wanted.3dsmax?

For a non-AEC person SketchUp is probably the best option, they make a free version and a lot of the Google maps stuff comes with a lot of the 3D ready for SketchUp. 3DSMax has a huge learning curve, I only use it about every 8-12 months and spend a large part of the time trying to remember all of the toggles and switches and trying to get my Revit models to import right. SketchUp is one thing that I have never really used, I just manage it on our network, I just usually do all my prelim design in Revit. SketchUp is no longer a Google product, they sold out to Trimble last year and moved their HQ for that product to Boulder. The new product still has a lot of ties to Google maps and such.

Rhinoceros (http://www.rhino3d.com)

This is what is being taught in many architecture schools right now. FWIW.

I forgot about Rhino, McNeel has been pushing that product for years.

4883

Anybody else catch this? :(

I can't tell what they're doing... repainting?

4883

Anybody else catch this? :(

Not until you pointed it out!

Your pic is too small. Here's a bigger version:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BXx-_5UCMAEcX21.jpg:large

Source: https://twitter.com/OKCNightCourt/status/395330503953248257/photo/1/large

But I don't know what's going on there.

Looks like they are taking down at least some of those checkerboard tiles.

Perhaps the construction at the new Main Street Parking Garage across the street has shook some more loose. Those tiles are not original to the building and have been falling off for years.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BXx-_5UCMAEcX21.jpg:large

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5229/5574902164_81616cefe7_b.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5091/5574904788_17bc43c857_b.jpg

Something must be getting ready to break on this block because we know:

1. Any remaining tenants must be out of One North Hudson by April of next year (only six months away)
2. That building will likely be renovated into a boutique hotel
3. The bus station is being vacated this week
4. That means the only occupied buildings on the entire block will be Coney Island and the City building, the only two not owned by Preftakes

Looks like they are taking down at least some of those checkerboard tiles.

Perhaps the construction at the new Main Street Parking Garage across the street has shook some more loose. Those tiles are not original to the building and have been falling off for years

That explanation makes a lot of sense. What with all the rumbling and shaking from the garage construction across the street.

Imagine this scenario: a person walking downtown by Carpenter Square has a tile fall off and land "a little too close". This is followed by an angry (semi-threatening) call to the city, who in turn, notifies owner Nick. He quickly hires and sends out a couple of guys to pull off the remaining tiles before one lands on someone's head, thus avoiding a nasty little lawsuit.

Saw the guys this morning, scraping the tiles off the building.

It's the historic terra cotta tiles that will be painful to see come down. That building was beautiful in its prime. Somewhere there is a photo with the store windows and once-elaborate entry lit at night.

I'm sure those terracotta tiles can be salvaged.

It's really the only thing about that building that is special and I'm sure they can be repurposed elsewhere.


You can almost bet the farm that building and the ones immediately to the west will be demolished.

I'm sure those terracotta tiles can be salvaged.

It's really the only thing about that building that is special and I'm sure they can be repurposed elsewhere.


You can almost bet the farm that building and the ones immediately to the west will be demolished.

I wish Preftakes would do SOMETHING with these properties. They've been emptied, boarded-up and gathering dust for years. That whole section from the Carpenter Square Theater down to Coney Island has been like a creepy ghost town for ages now. And right in the middle of an otherwise active area of rebirth and renewal in the downtown. And now tiles are being scraped off a building exterior...

For the love of OKC, Preftakes, do something. Develop this block. Announce your intentions and some kind of plan. Please.

The state of those properties is pretty ridiculous, especially considering they are right next to the main City offices and there was just a fortune of P180 dollars spent to rebuild that street and sidewalks. And of course, an expensive new city-owned parking garage is going in right across the street.

All this tells me that everyone knows those buildings will be coming down, which is why Preftakes hasn't spent a dime in the years he's owned them and why no one in the City has given him any heat.

The state of those properties is pretty ridiculous, especially considering they are right next to the main City offices and there was just a fortune of P180 dollars spent to rebuild that street and sidewalks. And of course, an expensive new city-owned parking garage is going in right across the street.

All this tells me that everyone knows those buildings will be coming down, which is why Preftakes hasn't spent a dime in the years he's owned them and why no one in the City has given him any heat.

Yeah, I more or less assume the same thing. But I just wonder how many years this can go on.

If not, they could create a Ghost Town theme park for this area. Hire an old guy with a beard and a mule to play the part of the Old Prospector -- lead tourists around and explain how this was once a vibrant area and show what each building used to be. (sarcasm tinged with sadness)

I think we'll hear of plan for that block by next spring when the last tenants move out of One North Hudson.

I think we'll hear of plan for that block by next spring when the last tenants move out of One North Hudson.

Yes, and plans for the renovation of One North Hudson are set to begin in the Summer of 2014, with a completion in Fall of 2015