Office Buildings
Central Business District
Tall Buildings


no



Address: 55 N. Robinson (http://g.co/maps/73bnp)
Status:
Owner:
Cost:
Architect:
Start Date:
Finish Date: 1992
Contractor:
Height in Feet / Floors: 10 stories
Sq. Feet: 195,702
Acreage: 1.05
Other: 10.1% vacancy


http://www.okctalk.com/images/wikiphotos/55nrobinson1.jpg


Information & Latest News
Tenants

US Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms‎
US Internal Revenue Services‎
US Occupational Safety & Health‎

Links
County Assessor Record (http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/AN-R.asp?ACCOUNTNO=R010014810)
Gallery

We were told today that an unknown buyer closed on sale of Robinson Plaza, aka the IRS building. Here we sit in the shadow of the tower and of course, we are all speculating that Devon bought it. The current building manager packed his stuff and turned in his keys already.

With sequestration, continuing resolution expiration, debt ceiling and now this - some of us are wondering what the heck is going on!

Nothing on line about it - anyone heard anything?

Nothing on the County Assessor site, although it sometimes takes a while for the information to be updated.

It was just sold a coupe of years ago to the current ownership group.

What the hay? This is a bolt out of the blue.

I have no idea what this means.

With Steve hinting around at complex real estate transactions it is possible we might see a lot of property change hands real fast. The IRS would make a nice spec office tower tenant.

IRS has slightly over half the building. Other tenants include a private insurance company, small division from Veterans Admin, OSHA and another federal LE agency.

We've been hearing rumors for months and have been tenants without a lease for nearly a year. I do know that our rent cost is huge.

Many of the rumors involve Devon and that the building property has long been coveted. The terminated building manager said the sale was half again as much as building was appraised, so someone really wanted it bad.

We're all pretty stunned ourselves. GSA has not been keeping management informed at all - union found out first and told management. I wouldn't mind moving, but not to another downtown location. Our customers and employees do not find the CBD at all convenient.

What the hay? This is a bolt out of the blue.

I have no idea what this means.

Very out of the blue. And very interesting.

Remember that Oklahoma Tower has been for sale for a while; Beffort & Oliver holding out for a good price.

If Devon was going to buy an existing building, I think it would be that one.


Also, remember that Devon just pulled a $1.5 million building permit for a new medical clinic in Corporate Tower. If they were in the process of purchasing Robinson Plaza, I doubt they would be investing so much into a building right next door and one they don't own.

The terminated building manager said the sale was half again as much as building was appraised, so someone really wanted it bad.

Sounds like Chesapeake to me :)

Sounds like Chesapeake to me :)

Heh, no doubt! Or someone else with wads of cash...

Wait... that's it! This validates all those crazy Shell rumors. Shell has bought the property so that they can build a 1000 ft tower right next to Devon!
:wink:

The no-brainer is Devon. This property is awkwardly close to everything Devon, to not be Devon.


http://www.treasury.gov/auctions/irs/ocok_fina_6591.htm

So the IRS seized the building they pay rent to?

Don't forget this is also right across the street from Continental Resources. With their rapid growth, this building could be used to accommodate new employees until new tower is completed.

Don't forget this is also right across the street from Continental Resources. With their rapid growth, this building could be used to accommodate new employees until new tower is completed.

It is over a block a way from Continental. The Sheraton and Century Center are between them.

So the IRS seized the building they pay rent to?

Yes, and according to OP - someone bought it immediately.

So the IRS seized the building they pay rent to?

Yes, and according to OP - someone bought it immediately.


I think there is some confusion here. The building was first built for the IRS, but later sold it and then lease back some of the space. At that time the building name was changed to Robinson Plaza and non-IRS businesses moved in. It was not seized by the IRS and sold to recover back taxes.

I think there is some confusion here. The building was first built for the IRS, but later sold it and then lease back some of the space. At that time the building name was changed to Robinson Plaza and non-IRS businesses moved in. It was not seized by the IRS and sold to recover back taxes.

Did you read this link above? IRS Auction - Sales Ad for Oklahoma City, OK (http://www.treasury.gov/auctions/irs/ocok_fina_6591.htm)

Lesson learned: Don't take the IRS as your tenant!

Did you read this link above? IRS Auction - Sales Ad for Oklahoma City, OK (http://www.treasury.gov/auctions/irs/ocok_fina_6591.htm)

Thanks Catch22 - I didn't read that (in fact - I don't even see that link at all in this thread other than the one you posted). Anyhow, please disregard my previous transmission :)

On edit - I see it now in Post #10. Thanks again. I don't remember reading about this anywhere.

On second edit - that isn't a listing for the sale of the 55 N. Robinson Building, that is the address of the auction to buy some company stock.

Thanks Catch22 - I didn't read that (in fact - I don't even see that link at all in this thread other than the one you posted). Anyhow, please disregard my previous transmission :)

On edit - I see it now in Post #10. Thanks again. I don't remember reading about this anywhere.

On second edit - that isn't a listing for the sale of the 55 N. Robinson Building, that is the address of the auction to buy some company stock.

Yes I see that now. I misread it also, just came back to the thread to post also.

False alarm. :)

Ah, my mistake in linking it. I thought it was in regards to the property. The webpage is so outdated and hard to read I didn't even get down to the part about stocks.

No worries - we are all straight now :)

Yes, and according to OP - someone bought it immediately.

This was not a seizure - the link posted by anonymous was for a seizure sale held AT that building for some seized property.
IRS holds sales of tangible and intangible seized property in the building where IRS seizure specialists are located.

Tenants in building are mostly federal with one insurance company. Did find out the insurance company does still have a valid lease. None of the federal tenants have a lease, so some of us are a little concerned. Hard to imagine we'd be evicted though.

amazing to me that the federal employees were not consolidated in the new federal building when it was built

IRS email to employees this morning (Wednesday, February 27th):

We found out yesterday, 2/26, that the building was sold, but we do not have solid answers as to who the buyer(s) might be. We can speculate that the purchase might be connected with our neighbors to the south and west of us, but we do not have firm knowledge. Hopefully, Saturday’s issue of The Oklahoman will have the sale posted.

As of this morning, we do know that the building management group, Harris Developments, INC, is being replaced. James Savage, the building manager on site, packed up and moved out. We have no idea when or if he will be replaced or who is managing the property now. James stated to me that the cleaning, alarm, and elevator contracts would remain intact.

Evidently, this development was a complete blindside to IRS and perhaps even to GSA. Right now, there is no signed lease agreement for IRS. I truly have no clue what to expect next, but when we find out any concrete information, we’ll let you know. This email constitutes all of my personal knowledge as of 5:30 AM today.

My understanding is that this was a conscious decision to NOT co-locate them with other federal agencies.

IRS email to employees this morning (Wednesday, February 27th):

We found out yesterday, 2/26, that the building was sold, but we do not have solid answers as to who the buyer(s) might be. We can speculate that the purchase might be connected with our neighbors to the south and west of us, but we do not have firm knowledge. Hopefully, Saturday’s issue of The Oklahoman will have the sale posted.

As of this morning, we do know that the building management group, Harris Developments, INC, is being replaced. James Savage, the building manager on site, packed up and moved out. We have no idea when or if he will be replaced or who is managing the property now. James stated to me that the cleaning, alarm, and elevator contracts would remain intact.

Evidently, this development was a complete blindside to IRS and perhaps even to GSA. Right now, there is no signed lease agreement for IRS. I truly have no clue what to expect next, but when we find out any concrete information, we’ll let you know. This email constitutes all of my personal knowledge as of 5:30 AM today.

That was my email to my union members- would you mind pm-ing me where you got this?
We now know Devon did not buy this- still searching.

We now know Devon did not buy this- still searching.

I was so sure it was Devon.

Devon wouldn't buy directly. They'd do it through someone else. They may still be behind it.

Remember that this building is mostly (or maybe completely) leased to government agencies.

I know there is an issue with the IRS lease but it's not so easy just to move out these big government tenants.

Could have been purchased simply for investment purposes, which was exactly the case when the last group (out-of-state owners) bought it in 2010.

We've received a bit more information but rather inconclusive. The supposed buyer is "Mid South Redevelopment" from California. All of this was verbal, so no idea how it is spelled. I've Googled all the various ways of spelling "Mid South" and nothing. Of course, it's possible the cormporation is recently formed.

No one seems to have any information on how this will affect current tenants, but taking an Occam's Razor approach tells me it may be as simple as Pete states above. No zebras - just horses - hopefully!

That was my email to my union members- would you mind pm-ing me where you got this?
We now know Devon did not buy this- still searching.

The internet wants to be free. This is why traditional media is dying, information will get out.

Traditional media is not dying - it is changing, and I think for the better. I believe there will always be value in reporters, like myself, making sure they have facts nailed down before putting out a report. You can go back now to your usual commentary. I started working on a report on this sale on Wednesday. Unfortunately, some details are still very difficult to confirm on this transaction.

Henry Jenkins (Convergence Culture, 2006) addresses how old (traditional reporting) and new media (Web 2.0, message boards) interact, and his conclusion is that old media is not dying, but the relationship between the two is unpredictable. Good read.

The internet wants to be free. This is why traditional media is dying, information will get out.

And rightfully so - but this wasn't sent over the traditional internet. When I send an email to my members, I assume that everyone in the world will have access to it and I make no claim to copyright. (though I guess I could - since these were my words used without attribution)

OKCTalker also said the email came from the "IRS" - and that was not a true statement. The IRS is my employer, but I do not speak for the agency. I speak for myself as chapter president of NTEU for the state of OK.

I simply asked - both publically and in a PM where he/she got the email that was sent to a defined private list over government email. I don't have an answer and probably never will as some people like to hide behind obscure handles without being outed. It could very well be that OKCTalker is one of my members or a friend/family member of same. Meh - I was curious. I've never tried to hide who I am or what I do for a living.

It has nothing to do about media and everything to do about boundaries. Often it isn't about what you CAN do, but about what you SHOULD do.

That said, if the memo wasn't marked "private" or "confidential" there is no breach.

We have access to a lot of information via OKCtalk due to posters using anonymity. Asking for information on who it was goes against the entire method a lot of information gets passed along. Stay anonymous OKCTalker.

:cool:

:cool:

haha, YES!

As per Steve, the building has sold and it's not a local buyer. Lauri101 had the correct information.

Robinson Plaza in Oklahoma City sells for $16.3 million | News OK (http://newsok.com/robinson-plaza-in-oklahoma-city-sells-for-16.3-million/article/3760378)

So - my final post on the issue of publishing my work - only because of the additional posts above by various anonymous posters.

Example - if someone posts Steve's work without attribution, I promise you that he will mention it.
My publication was a private newsletter sent to members of the organization I lead. As I stated above - I really was not at all angry, but I was curious on the route it took to get from my outbox to someone else's inbox. I didn't even ask for anyone to "out" themselves - just "how did you get it?" The answer could have been as simple as "one of your members sent it to me".

As Rover said - what you "should" do is to give attribution to the information. What OKCTalker did was give erroneous information to this board by saying it was an email "from the IRS". I was attempting to correct that record as I cannot legally speak for the IRS - only for myself in my union position. Anything more could get me fired - capiche?

smh - didn't mean to make a "federal case" out of it - I wanted to correct the inaccurate information given.
-30-

Allow me to clarify some misconceptions, and defend characterization that I have intentionally provided erroneous and inaccurate information.

First, when a news outlet publishes content, it is typically protected by intellectual property laws. That’s true for the DO, the JR, Steve Lackmeyer’s columns and perhaps his blogs (I don’t know – Steve may want to clarify the latter for everyone’s benefit). But when Steve Lackmeyer personally posts an opinion – as virtually everyone does on this board – it is not protected.
Second, I shared a portion of an email that came from an IRS email account, “***@irs.gov.” That email also included this passage: “Feel free to share with non-members if you want to.” Therefore, it was clear to me that recipients were free to share the contents of the email with anyone. However, most of the contents weren’t relevant to this discussion and were therefore not included by me. I certainly didn’t – and won’t - share the email addresses of the sender or recipient.
Third, I began my post #24 with “IRS email to employees this morning…” which I defend because the message came from an IRS account and contained only agency-related information. Most people I know have personal and business email accounts, and share information accordingly. Perhaps the sender’s message should have been sent from a non-IRS email account.
Finally, this board is utilized by thousands of people, and many have never posted here at all. No-one is obligated to identify themselves or contribute to the content, which is their choice, as it should be. The board’s owner and administrators do an excellent job in policing the boards, and when misinformation is posted – either intentionally or by accident - it is typically discovered in short order and corrected by others on the board. Ours is a broad, diverse and well-informed community, which is the strength of OKC Talk.

This is a good topic and is worth continuing in its own thread (not this one on Robinson Plaza), but I wanted to defend that I did not provide erroneous or inaccurate information, the information was clearly provided with permission to share, and that I have protected the identities of the email’s sender and recipient.

Good post OKCTalker.

And to topic - The inhabitants of 55 N Robinson have always assumed we were already in "Class A" property - now we find out that's not so, per the new management company. Is the classification of business/commercial property officially determined via a set of standards, or is it market-driven?

There's no small bit of alarm generated by the last sentence in Steve's article regarding upgrading to Class A and leasing the building. GSA will have to find us space and typically, a move of this magnitude takes two years. GSA says - our customers want us to be downtown. Life could get interesting for the four agencies concerned.

Class A, B, C is pretty arbitrary and usually driven by the local commercial real estate brokers who routinely publish market surveys and classifications.

Since the new owners paid such a premium over the sales price of just 2-3 years ago, I'm sure they will want to raise rents significantly and I bet the government agencies in that building will gradually be replaced by those from the private sector, which should be easily accomplished given the scarcity of high-quality downtown office space.


And all of this begs the question: What the heck is Rick Dowell waiting for?? Dowell Center still sits there completely empty and it doesn't look like any work is happening at all. You think he'd be motivated to get it renovated and open for business given the demand. And he may well regret these delays if big chunks of SandRidge space come back on the market.

My understanding is the classification is market driven. It all comes down to rental rates. Class A properties get the highest rents and then go down from there. If the owner feels his propoerty is Class B then for him to get Class A prices he will have to find someone willing to pay Class A rates, which might require upgrades to the building. Unless of course he feels that the IRS and other tenants have been getting a deal all along and he can get higher rents by simply finding a different tenant.

Maybe FNC is in the IRS's future.

I wasn't sure if there was already a thread about this building. Feel free to move this if there is.

This seems to be an interesting turn of events.

http://newsok.com/irs-other-agencies-looking-for-new-home-after-being-told-lease-wont-be-renewed/article/4744361?custom_click=columnist




The Oklahoma City operations of the Internal Revenue Service and three other federal agencies are looking for a new home after being informed their current downtown leases may not be renewed.

The 10-story building at 55 N Robinson Ave. was built for the IRS in 1992 and is immediately east of the new Devon Energy Center. The building’s other tenants are the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Veterans Affairs, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and a health care company, Universal American.

Why aren't they offering a lease renewal?

This was disucssed awhile back. The building is for sale (or was recently bought). I think there was a rumor that one of the local energy companies wanted to occupy it.

Wouldn't be surprised if Devon needs the space.

They already have a bunch in Corporate Tower.

Wouldn't be surprised if Devon needs the space.

They already have a bunch in Corporate Tower.

I hope they're working on a second tower. Probably not with all this activist investor stuff, but that would be amazing if they did.

Of course, I'd like to see Continental working on one as well.

If they build another tower, they could go the OG&E route and get an independent developer to take the lead.

After all, Nick Preftakes has more development experience than Rainey Williams.

That would be my guess. Devon fills up all available office space in the area while they try to get the Preftakes stuff set up.

Of course if they tore down the IRS building, they could put a new tower right there and just connect it to their existing complex.

I hope they're working on a second tower. Probably not with all this activist investor stuff, but that would be amazing if they did.

Of course, I'd like to see Continental working on one as well.


Investors wouldn't have a problem if it is something they clearly need. What investors don't like is what Chesapeake was doing -- building (and overpaying to do it) things that had no direct meaning to the company's goals.

Would Enable have spent that money on the new signage if they were going to move soon? Or are we just talking a second location?

Would Enable have spent that money on the new signage if they were going to move soon? Or are we just talking a second location?

They are maxed out at Leadership Square and talking about adding close to 400 more jobs in the next few years.

I suspect this may be a 2nd location and ultimately they'll get their own building.

Devon is moving employees into some of the vacant space of this building within next 60 days. They are leasing parts of three different floors.
This is firm information. We've been told that it is unlikely we will remain in this building beyond March, 2016, but that the building owners would be agreeable to us (IRS) moving before the short term lease is expired.
"Someone" wants this building!

Devon is moving employees into some of the vacant space of this building within next 60 days. They are leasing parts of three different floors.
This is firm information. We've been told that it is unlikely we will remain in this building beyond March, 2016, but that the building owners would be agreeable to us (IRS) moving before the short term lease is expired.
"Someone" wants this building!

Even though the address of the property owners (and recent purchasers) is in Los Angeles, I did some research and found that the LLC tracks back to Roy Oliver and Mark Beffort, who also own Oklahoma Tower, Corporate Tower, City Place, and Leadership Square.

I've also heard that Devon is taking a good chunk of the new parking spaces being added to the City Center East Garage, also owned by the Oliver/Beffort group.

I am not sure if Devon is also an investor in this building, but it's a possibility, since the government tenants are being moved out and Devon is moving in.

Once the government tenants are out is there any chance the security bollards will be removed and parallel parking will be restored on the curb? I know it is a tight and oddly-configured part of Robinson there, but a more normal street/sidewalk setting would be nice.

Once the government tenants are out is there any chance the security bollards will be removed and parallel parking will be restored on the curb? I know it is a tight and oddly-configured part of Robinson there, but a more normal street/sidewalk setting would be nice.

Not if Devon has a say in it. You don't see any on-street parking in front of the Devon complex AND they put bollards in.