California company buys downtown OKC building for $475,000

1200 N Robinson
2/13/2007

By Heidi Rambo Centrella and Pamela A. Grady
The Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture today sold the building at 1200 N Robinson to a Los Angeles entity for $475,000.

The same California outfit purchased the Lawyer’s Title office building in Midtown last fall for $1.4 million.

Avraham “Avi” Shemuelian who represents the California-based company dba Lawyers Title Building LLC, says they purchased the building because of its “beauty.”

“It’s a piece of art,” Shemuelian said.

Shemuelian said they have not officially selected an architect for the project, and plans are still in the preliminary stages.

“We want to see some preliminary ideas from architects,” he said. “We have received some sort of plan for what the foundation (Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture) has had in mind for the building, but we will probably want to change some of it."

Lawyer’s Title Company closed the deal. And financing will be provided by a local institution, Shemuelian said.

Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture purchased the 20,780-square-foot building, which was built in 1930 and has remained vacant for approximately 20 years, in 1999 for $350,000.

Can anybody describe this building to me? I guess it's at 12th and Robinson?

from the OK county assessor website:
http://www.oklahomacounty.org/assessor/Searches/sketches/picfile/2710/R040045490001zA.jpg

Oh yeah. That is a cool building--definitely worth saving. I assume it's a former church. I wonder what they will do with it.

Yes, it is the former home of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. (Christian Science)

Where are they now? It's interesting because I believe the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Tulsa is a similar Greek Revival building downtown.

Where are they now? It's interesting because I believe the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Tulsa is a similar Greek Revival building downtown.

It is defunct; although there are other Christian Science churches in the area, there is no longer a "First Church." And you're right about the Tulsa edifice; it is very similar to the one in Oklahoma City.

That's a lot of building for $475,000. Someone in LA got a good deal, especially since its a nice looking structure.

You can find 1-bedroom homes in downtown LA for 475,000.... this is chump change for these people.

You can find 1-bedroom homes in downtown LA for 475,000.... this is chump change for these people.

I know, that's what makes this purchase such a bargain for the buyer. Who would've thought you could buy a building in downtown Oklahoma City for almost $22 a square foot?

It's on the register of historic places, so they will be restricted from doing much to the outside.

Did any of the following plans ever get realized or has the building remained vacant this whole time?



Architects buy office
Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Apr 12, 1999 by Darren Currin Journal Record Staff Reporter

After being dormant for more than 10 years, the 77-year-old 1200 N. Robinson Ave. building will soon breathe again as the new home of the American Institute of Architects Central Oklahoma Chapter.

The AIACOC bought the 15,000-square-foot building for a reported $350,000 from Bushido Properties. The group acquired the building as the nonprofit Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture.

Anthony McDermid, chairman of the Oklahoma City Foundation for Architecture and past president of the AIA, said the building will not only be the home of the AIACOC but also will house other allied professional groups as well, including the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Society of Interior Designers and the Illuminating Engineers Society. "The building will provide office space, meeting space and exhibit space for these organizations," he explained, "as well as being a location for other community-based programs or meeting space for other community activities." McDermid anticipates renovations will commence around the beginning of 2000, with completion by the end of the year. Improvement efforts will center on the building's interior, since the exterior remains in good condition. Interior needs include peeling plaster and paint, falling acoustical ceiling tiles and some termite damage. The renovation also will include installation of new heating and ventilation systems, air conditioning, electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems. "One of the biggest challenges will be incorporating new systems in an existing structure without compromising the appearance of the building," added McDermid. The AIACOC estimates renovations will cost around $600,000. They will be paid for through a fund-raising effort now under way. The group purchased the building with a $260,000 forgivable loan from the Murrah Revitalization Program and pledge money received from local architectural firms. Design work on the building will begin in the upcoming months involving architecture students from state universities. "We will involve the schools of architecture at OU and OSU in an ideas competition for the renovations and landscaping design," noted McDermid. Constructed in 1922 as the home for the Church of Christian Scientists at a cost of $155,000, the building includes about 4,000 square feet of office space, 5,000 square feet of assembly space and a 1,000-square-foot foyer. "We view this as a very appropriate project from the standpoint of size, degree of difficulty, historical nature of the building and its value to the community," said McDermid. "It is a high-profile building on a well-traveled street which is enjoying something of a renaissance right now." The 1200 N. Robinson Ave. project is the second of its kind to be undertaken by the AIACOC. In the early 1970s, the chapter purchased and renovated the historic Overholster Mansion in Heritage Hills. McDermid believes the project will not only benefit the AIACOC by having a first-class facility, but will benefit the Oklahoma City architectural community by creating synergy among the various organizations under one roof. "I think it will have a unifying effect because it will give us a presence in the community," he explained. "This also enables us to give something back to the community." Now based in the Oklahoma City Art Museum building at the State Fairgrounds, the AIACOC boasts a membership of 200 central Oklahoma architects. Robert Kastens is its president.

Dang that building looks like a copy of the Union Depo in DT Tulsa...

Dang that building looks like a copy of the Union Depo in DT Tulsa...

not really...