address=500 E. Sheridan
status=Complete
owner=Alliance Investments
architect=Bucher Design Stuido
start=2015
finish=2016
contractor=HLL Commercial
height=2 stories
sq. feet=39,606
acreage=.7713

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/criterionwiki1.jpg
Information & Latest News
The owners of the Wormy Dog Saloon are proposing a new live music venue for the east end of Bricktown, dubbed Criterion Concert Hall.

In 2012, the group bought two properties that were part of the former Stewart Steelworks. This project would be on the eastern end of the block, a parcel of .77 acres with the .73 acre parcel directly to the west. The existing metal buildings on the eastern lot are to be demolished.

The largely brick building would be 39,606 square feet with a u-shaped upper mezzanine and a capacity of 4,200, coincidentally the exact same as the Brady Theater in Tulsa.

Immediately to the south of this project, the Bricktown Events Center is nearing completion of a massive renovation where they are adding a similar u-shaped upper level and other improvements, with the owners promising much more in the way of live music events.

And work is set to start later this year to the immediate north on the Steelyard, a large apartment and retail project that will also include a Hyatt Place hotel. To the east plans have been approved for a Springhill Suites hotel.
Links
County Assessor Record (http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/AN-R.asp?ACCOUNTNO=R020028825)
Gallery

Looks like "Criterion" in name only...

Looks like "Criterion" in name only...

Agreed. It's a great idea, but HORRIBLE design. It's a disgrace to the Criterion name. This is nothing more than a concrete tilt-up building covered in brick with a cheap sign. They should take more pride in our city and the very Bricktown district they already own another business in. Hopefully Bricktown Review will make them up their game.

Ugh

Very bland design. rhats a really tall brick wall....

What should it be? Is it just the name not gelling with the design that is bothersome?

IMO, it's what inside that counts on this, as long as there is brick to match the aesthetic. You can't really tell what the inside will be from these renderings, though. I actually went to the Brady for the first time this week and it's a dump. It won't take much effort for this to be nicer and people seem to like the Brady around here, so how bad can it be?

Maybe I'm just too excited of the idea of having a theater venue of this size (basically in the sweet spot for theater tours, which makes up the bulk of larger acts these days) to get too down on it. I'd always welcome more ornate design, but what's a good example of recent concert theater construction in a stand alone building that has impressive design that wasn't publicly funded?

With the BEC renovations and this, no one could complain about venue assets anymore. It'd just be up to finding a competent promoter to work the market.

I think this is a fantastic project.

Coupled with the Bricktown Events Center, there will soon be two mid-sized live music venues on the east end of Bricktown and tons of new development about ready to pop all around.

And a brand new, purpose-built music venue has the potential to present an awesome experience for the concert-goer.

I really like the marquee sign as well.

Very bland design. rhats a really tall brick wall....

I'm confused. Isn't bricktown basically a bunch of tall brick walls? I mean, you wouldn't expect them to put windows on it right? I guess they could because the concert hall doesn't have an outside wall, but still...

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just wondering what steps could be taken to make it better. Personally, I'd love some kick ass modern design, but I don't hate this and we already know what happens when our theaters get a little too innovative in design.

Like.

I actually kind of like it, but it would be nice to get some windows on the thing.

Looks great! Love it! It will be a great addition. The design fits bricktown, its in scale with the surrounding buildings, uses brick, and has great interaction with the street. I see no problems here! Can't wait until it opens!

This is very similar in design to the Brady Theatre in Tulsa, just without the prominent gable roof. I like it.

I love this project.. have been wanting something like it for a while. could the design be a bit more interesting?. sure. however it looks like a brick wharehouse and its in Bricktown. It could be much worse with lots of fake stucco ect. and windows in a music venue?. that isn't really needed.
I hope this proceeds!

A more ornate entrance would go a longggggg ways in the aesthetics.

I actually kind of like it, but it would be nice to get some windows on the thing.

I can see that, but adding windows does present possible ongoing maintenance issues. Maybe there is some other way to break up the visual: neon? metal or stone accents? I don't know.

The thing with dedicated venues is that they don't always present a consistent or constant cash flow. Lots of them are dark as much as they are booked. So, sustainability through minimizing upkeep is key. I admit, I am probably being more lenient on this than I would if it were residential, an office, or restaurant. But this is a local dude building a new music theater from the ground up, so maybe I'm more apt to compromise on design because the market needs it and those things can suck you under as fast as they make you rich.

By way of comparison, the Bricktown Events Center is 24,000 square feet and the new 2nd level there will add about 5,600 SF.

This project would be larger at more than 39,000 SF.

All the anti-design people are coming out of the wood work!
I think it looks pretty good. All of Bricktown is square buildings or large brick walls. Concert halls are not supposed to have windows.
They did use some varying brick designs on the wall and various brick heights in the corners.
Also there will likely be things built all around it so why spend more money for designs on the east & west sides if it's going to be concealed?

What else do you want?

Just to be clear, the east side will front the street and of course the north side will be the main facade along Sheridan.

The facades on the west and south sides will but right up against other development.

This is very similar in design to the Brady Theatre in Tulsa, just without the prominent gable roof. I like it.

Yeah, pretty much and you got to assume the interior will be nicer just by default.

Looks like a great addition to BT, bring it on!

Like times 1000. While the exterior could be considered a little bland, it will fit in nicely in Bricktown. A smaller mural on the front would be a cool way to dress it up, don't know how the design committee would feel though.

Yeah, pretty much and you got to assume the interior will be nicer just by default.

Not only nicer, but built from the ground up as a modern live music venue, with full consideration to acoustics, sight lines and other amenities.

Might not have the history and charm but once the lights go down and the music starts cranking, you know this will be a great place to hear live music.

I like it. I think it's the name "Criterion" that is turning people off to it. Criterion was an architectural treasure and this bares little resemblance to it. In itself though this looks like a great addition to Bricktown.

Not only nicer, but built from the ground up as a modern live music venue, with full consideration to acoustics, sight lines and other amenities.

Might not have the history and charm but once the lights go down and the music starts cranking, you know this will be a great place to hear live music.

I agree. And I guess that's why I'm not too concerned with the exterior, so long as it doesn't offend the current bricktown aesthetic, which, from these drawings, I don't think it does.

Love the concept and should be great for Bricktown but would also like to see at least a bit of aesthetic improvement on the side along Sheridan.

I like it. I think it's the name "Criterion" that is turning people off to it. Criterion was an architectural treasure and this bares little resemblance to it. In itself though this looks like a great addition to Bricktown.

Criterion is a very common name for theaters; virtually every city had/has one.

I'm sure 99% of the people in OKC will not correlate this project with the old downtown movie theater.


And frankly, it's a great name -- I can see why they chose it.

I'm confused. Isn't bricktown basically a bunch of tall brick walls? I mean, you wouldn't expect them to put windows on it right? I guess they could because the concert hall doesn't have an outside wall, but still...

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just wondering what steps could be taken to make it better. Personally, I'd love some kick ass modern design, but I don't hate this and we already know what happens when our theaters get a little too innovative in design.

I love the a brick. It's just a really tall brick building with nothing to break it up. Even some faux industrial looking windows would be a huge improvement.

Criterion is a very common name for theaters; virtually every city had/has one.

I'm sure 99% of the people in OKC will not correlate this project with the old downtown movie theater.


And frankly, it's a great name -- I can see why they chose it.

Considering the definition I guess all this judgement goes right in line with the name :)

Thanks for talking me down. Hopefully we will have great promoters to attract a ton of decent acts. It sure beats Diamond Ballroom.

Great points, Pete.

Is there still a chance another Criterion Theater could be built to honor the old one?

I love it! I love the name, I love the building, this will really add some excitement to Bricktown!!!

I would like to see electronic screens or at least artwork painted onto this building. It might be a little plain jane but that can easily be fixed with minimal effort.

I hope this venue is promoted well and that it can help steal some of the big name shows from Tulsa.

I would like to see electronic screens or at least artwork painted onto this building. It might be a little plain jane but that can easily be fixed with minimal effort.

I hope this venue is promoted well and that it can help steal some of the big name shows from Tulsa.+1

I would like to see electronic screens or at least artwork painted onto this building. It might be a little plain jane but that can easily be fixed with minimal effort.

I hope this venue is promoted well and that it can help steal some of the big name shows from Tulsa.

I'm not sure it needs to steal anything. There are plenty of acts and plenty of dates to go around. Tulsa gets some good acts, but it's far from an "every tour" type market. It doesn't even come close to getting half the acts each year that are on the theater / ballroom circuit. You could probably book twice as many shows at this than the Brady does without stealing a single bill from Tulsa.

The problems in OKC are that it does not have a venue for the theater circuit and the only promoter really booking the theater circuit in OKC is more interested in Tulsa.

I'm not sure it needs to steal anything. There are plenty of acts and plenty of dates to go around. Tulsa gets some good acts, but it's far from an "every tour" type market. It doesn't even come close to getting half the acts each year that are on the theater / ballroom circuit. You could probably book twice as many shows at this than the Brady does without stealing a single bill from Tulsa.

The problems in OKC are that it does not have a venue for the theater circuit and the only promoter really booking the theater circuit in OKC is more interested in Tulsa.

Maybe steal was the wrong word. Lets say I hope shows that today would only play in Tulsa will now also play in OKC. Likewise hopefully this can get some shows that previously wouldn't have played in Oklahoma period.

Maybe steal was the wrong word. Lets say I hope shows that today would only play in Tulsa will now also play in OKC. Likewise hopefully this can get some shows that previously wouldn't have played in Oklahoma period.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure, if done right, the end result will just be a net gain in live music in Oklahoma.

What will be interesting to watch is if the Wormy Dog group intends to be the sole promoters of shows at this theater, or if it will be made available for other promoters and, if so, what kind of mix there'll be.

A TV screen or large mural on the outside of this building would be really cool one day. Seeing as there are going to be apartments straight across from this, a TV screen might be a no go...

This will be a multi-million dollar project so the developers must have a clear plan on how they plan to generate some serious revenue.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the Wormy Dog guys have other partners in this.

This will be a multi-million dollar project so the developers must have a clear plan on how they plan to generate some serious revenue.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the Wormy Dog guys have other partners in this.

Yeah, and they have been putting this together for awhile now.

How will the fact that it is so close to Bricktown Events Center play into its purpose, is there some overlap or do the two venues attract different acts?

How will the fact that it is so close to Bricktown Events Center play into its purpose, is there some overlap or do the two venues attract different acts?

This is about twice the capacity of BEC, so they're not really directly competing. Their proximity to each other will probably help more than hurt.

A TV screen or large mural on the outside of this building would be really cool one day. Seeing as there are going to be apartments straight across from this, a TV screen might be a no go...

Completely agree. A mural would be awesome.

The Brady and Cain's are within walking distance of each other. Doesn't seem to be a problem for them.

The Vanguard in Tulsa is getting a lot of smaller acts and I would say it is comparable in size to the BT Music Hall. The Chevy will be a hybrid Cain's-Brady (bigger than Cain's, not as big as Brady but the configuration is more Brady) and the Criterion is more like the Brady Theatre according to Pete. With the ACM performance venue just down the street from this, I think we could have quite a nice live music scene to build on. Then you also have to consider The Peake, Cox Convention Center (for now), Micheal Murphy's (different, but music centric) and JJ's Alley.

I wonder if this is the 'jealous' thing that Steve has been hinting about? It is in Bricktown after all.

I wonder if this is the 'jealous' thing that Steve has been hinting about? It is in Bricktown after all.

I don't know if a venue like this would make KC or Dallas jealous since Dallas has The Granada and House of Blues which are about the same size.

I don't know if a venue like this would make KC or Dallas jealous since Dallas has The Granada and House of Blues which are about the same size.

Love the Granada and HOB. I see far more shows at those two venues alone than anywhere in OKC. also the Moody theater in Austin i get to a lot as well. that is a FIRST RATE set up there!

Will this building still be around in 50 years or just be another run down looking "ugly" building that will be torn down to build something else? That's kinda what I'm getting at. Nothing is really built to last a long time anymore.

Will this building still be around in 50 years or just be another run down looking "ugly" building that will be torn down to build something else? That's kinda what I'm getting at. Nothing is really built to last a long time anymore.

What in particular makes you think this will be low-quality construction? It isn't ornate, but it fits in well with the existing building stock in Bricktown.

Will this building still be around in 50 years or just be another run down looking "ugly" building that will be torn down to build something else? That's kinda what I'm getting at. Nothing is really built to last a long time anymore.

I think it's pretty safe to say the design and aesthetics hasn't really been a consideration on whether something gets torn down or not. We've lost more ornate theaters than ugly ones.

Now, if the community does not support its function and it actually gets run down, then all bets are off.

Awesome! I'm looking forward to this opening. Gonna be a hit!

Also... when it comes to larger national tours in regard to Tulsa and OKC... you have to remember that when the Ford Center opened it had the same "smashing" success in regards to ratings and acts and gate. When Tulsa leaders were deciding on a management company for their arena, they specifically stated that a big reason for choosing SMG was that they didn't want to compete with OKC for shows. We have a LOT of dates taken up by the Thunder and SMG is trying to make both venues successful. They're aren't necessarily trying to improve the cultural scene in OKC.

I do love Cain's Ballroom though. Hopefully this project will eventually have the same type of name recognition that Cain's has developed over time.

I wonder if this is the 'jealous' thing that Steve has been hinting about? It is in Bricktown after all.

No. Not of any scale or uniqueness for anyone to be jealous of.

What in particular makes you think this will be low-quality construction? It isn't ornate, but it fits in well with the existing building stock in Bricktown.
It fits in with 1960's Bricktown...not 2015 Bricktown. Look at the new ones that are being g built right now..at least they have a distinct look. This would look too much like one of the old ones. You can have brick building fit in quite well without just putting up some brick wall. Love the idea and name of this, hate the design

92769277
I mean really?!?!?!

With a mural, which could be easily done, it would look 200% better and give it some character.

To those who oppose this, how would you design it without substantially increasing the cost?

No. Not of any scale or uniqueness for anyone to be jealous of.

Agree with this. Even though I like this theater and see the potential, I don't see it as anything to be jealous of. Now if they were reconstructing the original Criterion, then maybe.

Really excited for this. It should give me an added push to come back into town when (hopefully) some of my favorite bands come through.

It does look like crap, but Pete swayed me with his discussion of acoustics, etc.

Agree with this. Even though I like this theater and see the potential, I don't see it as anything to be jealous of. Now if they were reconstructing the original Criterion, then maybe.

guys, I don't disagree with what you're saying, I was just asking if THIS was what STEVE was talking about - not that I agree.

guys, I don't disagree with what you're saying, I was just asking if THIS was what STEVE was talking about - not that I agree.

Todays chat Steve said if the 'jealous project' is announced, it'd be in 2015.

ok, thx