How lucky are we to have someone like Gary Brooks and Charlie Nichols this city?

WOW! Those pictures are simply incredible! What a transformation

Incredible work on display. Echo that thanks to Gary Brooks and Charlie Nicholas on the renovations efforts.

Pretty amazing to think that just in the last several years we've seen renovations all well over $100 million for 3 of OKC's tallest buildings: FNC, Kerr McGee and BancFirst.

City Place has also recently been completely remodeled from top to bottom.

*Nicholas

*Nicholas

Thanks Urbanized, so it's Charlie Nicholas...

Thanks, so it's Charlie Nicholas...
Yes, and to be clear he is a Dallas-area guy, though he is heavily invested in OKC and has been involved in quite a bit here, especially in the past decade.

Pretty amazing to think that just in the last several years we've seen renovations all well over $100 million for 3 of OKC's tallest buildings: FNC, Kerr McGee and BancFirst.

City Place has also recently been completely remodeled from top to bottom.

Now if only Mr. Dowell would sell...

Did Ruth Chris pull out of this project? If so, any hint as to anyone filling the spot?

Did Ruth Chris pull out of this project? If so, any hint as to anyone filling the spot?

Unfortunately yes. And as for replacing them, it will be another run of the mill "fine steakhouse", I'm sure.

Did Ruth Chris pull out of this project? If so, any hint as to anyone filling the spot?

Yes. There is a place called The National Steakhouse going in and I believe it will be operated by the Coury Hospitality team, the same that will be managing the hotel (also manages The Colcord and Flint and The Ambassador and their restaurant).

I saw the OKCTalk account tweet with the pictures go out this morning, I am really curious to see what the Facebook and Instagram impressions are.

I saw the OKCTalk account tweet with the pictures go out this morning, I am really curious to see what the Facebook and Instagram impressions are.

2,500 'likes' on Insta and counting.

Unfortunately yes. And as for replacing them, it will be another run of the mill "fine steakhouse", I'm sure.

I don't understand this comment. I travel a ton, and upscale chain steakhouses like Ruth's Chris, Fleming's, and Morton's are exactly what I consider to be "run of the mill". In my opinion, local OKC steakhouses like Ranch, Mahogany, and RedPrime beat them in quality and service. I don't think people realize how good OKC has it when it comes to steakhouses. Maybe The National Steakhouse will be a disappointment, maybe not. But I'd rather see a locally operated restaurant succeed than a chain steakhouse any day.

*Nicholas

What happens when you rush to copy a story OKCTalk has already broken and before we had a chance to correct a typo:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/lackmeyernichols1.jpg

I don't understand this comment. I travel a ton, and upscale chain steakhouses like Ruth's Chris, Fleming's, and Morton's are exactly what I consider to be "run of the mill". In my opinion, local OKC steakhouses like Ranch, Mahogany, and RedPrime beat them in quality and service. I don't think people realize how good OKC has it when it comes to steakhouses. Maybe The National Steakhouse will be a disappointment, maybe not. But I'd rather see a locally operated restaurant succeed than a chain steakhouse any day.

True. I just know that you get a consistent quality at those steakhouses. May be run of the mill to some, but it is consistent across the country. The local ones can be exceptional, or they can flop. Name recognition also matters.

I hope this succeeds, since the development has been incredible, and looks stellar!

What happens when you rush to copy a story OKCTalk has already broken and before we had a chance to correct a typo:

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/lackmeyernichols1.jpg

Hilarious, and sad. You ought to leave “Easter eggs” in more of your reporting work.

How lucky are we to have someone like Gary Brooks and Charlie Nichols this city?

Congrats on being an unintentional source for the Oklahoman!

A fun thread about how awful this is if anybody wants to get into it. I just don't have the energy...

https://twitter.com/ANNthropologist/status/1471197018588684300

^

This is why I almost never read the comments on our social media posts.

never imagined that there wouldn't be a few hundered families in a metro area of 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE that might want to live downtown in a highrise. .. OMG -

the thought of it in no income increasing Oklahoma!

That's a rather appalling lack of awareness that other people exist.

"That's not what *I* want in life, therefore *nobody* wants that, so you're stupid for building it!"

:rolleyes: :doh:

That's a rather appalling lack of awareness that other people exist.

"That's not what *I* want in life, therefore *nobody* wants that, so you're stupid for building it!"

:rolleyes: :doh:
lol they deleted their Tweet. I said on this more or less this same thing and suggest this person go stand outside of FNC when the apartments open and fill up asking the residents why they bought units there.

That person was also claiming to work across the street weren't they? So I guess we can assume they will use none of the retail, restaurants, or bars in FNC.

The main lobby renovation appears to be beautiful and should be a real local landmark. Looking forward to visiting some of the eateries.

I used to bank at First National when I worked downtown in the '80s just so I could experience the Great Banking Hall.

Can't wait to see it all cleaned and restored. It was pretty dingy after over 50 years of use (and smokers).

Iconic First National Center set to reopen (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=766-Iconic-First-National-Center-set-to-reopen)

Oklahoma City's third tallest building is set to reopen early next year as a hotel and apartment complex with 8 eating and drinking establishments.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/FNC121321a.jpg


The 193 luxury apartments, known as The First Residences at First National, are currently leasing and will welcome their first tenants starting February 1st, 2022.

The 146-room hotel will open on March 1st and be known as The National, part of the exclusive Autograph Collection by Marriott.

First National Center is actually 3 separate structures: The 33-story art deco Tower built in 1931; the 14-story Center building finished in 1956; the East building opened in 1974.

The Tower has been extensively renovated to include the apartments and hotel rooms. The stunning Great Banking Hall has been painstakingly restored, including the decorative painted ceilings, stone columns, and several large murals. The huge skylight has also been renovated, once again bringing natural light into the marble-lined space.

The hall, originally used by First National Bank, will serve as a public lobby as well as a bar, cafe, and event space.

Atop the two wings of the tower, a new pool, deck, and dog park have been installed.

The Center and East buildings were gutted and now provide 620 parking spaces. The Arcade, on the ground floor and spanning from Robinson to Broadway, has been completely renovated.

In the basement, a restaurant and bar will occupy the former bank vault area. The former Beacon Club space at the very top of the tower will reopen as a bar.

After First National Bank failed in 1980, the complex saw a variety of owners. In 2015, the few remaining tenants vacated and the building was placed into receivership. In 2017, the property was purchased by a group led by Gary Brooks and Charlie Nicholas and the restoration plans were announced.

After many broken promises by previous owners, the reopening represents years of work and over $200 million in investment in the heart of Oklahoma City's central business district.

https://firstnationalokc.com/
https://thefirstokc.com/
https://thenationalokc.com/



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This place is absolutely class. It looks like a place you'd see straight out of New York City with the way it's done! This is brilliant! The designer really kept to the integrity of the structure in many areas, while providing a 21st century style in others that don't take away from the classic appeal. This is a remodel done right.

I can expect some movie scenes being made here, especially of the espionage and rom-com variety. Prairie Surf Studios might actually rent out the place to shoot a scene here. It's that well-done.

I don't understand this comment. I travel a ton, and upscale chain steakhouses like Ruth's Chris, Fleming's, and Morton's are exactly what I consider to be "run of the mill". In my opinion, local OKC steakhouses like Ranch, Mahogany, and RedPrime beat them in quality and service. I don't think people realize how good OKC has it when it comes to steakhouses. Maybe The National Steakhouse will be a disappointment, maybe not. But I'd rather see a locally operated restaurant succeed than a chain steakhouse any day.

The comment is directed at the fact that there will now be 6 "fine steak houses" downtown: Bob's, Mickey Mantle's, Mahogany (practically across the street from First National), Red Prime, Broadway 10, and this place, whatever it's called. Maybe we can push to get three or four more downtown so we can have a steakhouse on every block.

I'm sure I'm not alone in loving a great steakhouse but wow, OKC's culinary scene could use a little variety in the near downtown region. Hopefully this makes things a little more understandable.

I will say that it would be nice to have a bit of parity with fine veg/vegan places (and I'm neither of those, just have lots of friends that are).

That's a rather appalling lack of awareness that other people exist.

"That's not what *I* want in life, therefore *nobody* wants that, so you're stupid for building it!"

:rolleyes: :doh:

Agreed. I had the same discussion with a friend of mine that didn't understand the appeal of the Wheeler District. "Who would want to live that close to their neighbors?" ::people already live that close to their neighbors in cookie cutter areas of Edmond and small homes in OKC:: "Who would want to pay that much per square foot?" ::people are already paying that much per square foot in DD, DT, Edmond, NH, etc:: "They have no yard, who would want to live there?" ::someone does, otherwise, they would have a bunch of houses available for sale::

Iconic First National Center set to reopen (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=766-Iconic-First-National-Center-set-to-reopen)

Oklahoma City's third tallest building is set to reopen early next year as a hotel and apartment complex with 8 eating and drinking establishments.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/FNC121321a.jpg


The 193 luxury apartments, known as The First Residences at First National, are currently leasing and will welcome their first tenants starting February 1st, 2022.

The 146-room hotel will open on March 1st and be known as The National, part of the exclusive Autograph Collection by Marriott.

First National Center is actually 3 separate structures: The 33-story art deco Tower built in 1931; the 14-story Center building finished in 1956; the East building opened in 1974.

The Tower has been extensively renovated to include the apartments and hotel rooms. The stunning Great Banking Hall has been painstakingly restored, including the decorative painted ceilings, stone columns, and several large murals. The huge skylight has also been renovated, once again bringing natural light into the marble-lined space.

The hall, originally used by First National Bank, will serve as a public lobby as well as a bar, cafe, and event space.

Atop the two wings of the tower, a new pool, deck, and dog park have been installed.

The Center and East buildings were gutted and now provide 620 parking spaces. The Arcade, on the ground floor and spanning from Robinson to Broadway, has been completely renovated.

In the basement, a restaurant and bar will occupy the former bank vault area. The former Beacon Club space at the very top of the tower will reopen as a bar.

After First National Bank failed in 1980, the complex saw a variety of owners. In 2015, the few remaining tenants vacated and the building was placed into receivership. In 2017, the property was purchased by a group led by Gary Brooks and Charlie Nicholas and the restoration plans were announced.

After many broken promises by previous owners, the reopening represents years of work and over $200 million in investment in the heart of Oklahoma City's central business district.

https://firstnationalokc.com/
https://thefirstokc.com/
https://thenationalokc.com/



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/FNC121321f.jpg



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There's a reason Gary Brooks thinks he can charge $300+ per night at the hotel and $3/sf for the apartments and now it's pretty GD obvious why... just wow...

So beautiful, it's hard to put into words!

I will say that it would be nice to have a bit of parity with fine veg/vegan places (and I'm neither of those, just have lots of friends that are).

A good seafood joint seem like a concept whose time has come. Interested to find out more about Chef Black's concept for First National.

A good seafood joint seem like a concept whose time has come. Interested to find out more about Chef Black's concept for First National.

Agreed on both.

This place is absolutely class. It looks like a place you'd see straight out of New York City with the way it's done! This is brilliant! The designer really kept to the integrity of the structure in many areas, while providing a 21st century style in others that don't take away from the classic appeal. This is a remodel done right.

I can expect some movie scenes being made here, especially of the espionage and rom-com variety. Prairie Surf Studios might actually rent out the place to shoot a scene here. It's that well-done.

Haha I was having the same thought about Prairie Surf except about using the Great Banking Hall for a heist movie.

That sounds great. I love those kind of places. Any idea what the hours will be?

Pete, how do you feel about the lighting in the main lobby now? I remember it used to be pretty dark and the original plan was to restore the skylight. Do you think the lights they installed behind the glass on the ceiling mimic natural light well (what we were told it would do)? I'm sure all the cleaning and restoration helped with brightening that space too.

Pete, how do you feel about the lighting in the main lobby now? I remember it used to be pretty dark and the original plan was to restore the skylight. Do you think the lights they installed behind the glass on the ceiling mimic natural light well (what we were told it would do)? I'm sure all the cleaning and restoration helped with brightening that space too.

I'll be taking a tour soon and will let you know.

Was fortunate enough to take a tour of the FNC today and my Goodness... This is such a great thing for the City. The overall quality and finish levels are fantastic. We saw a few of the hotel rooms, some seemed a bit small but others had nice tall ceilings and were pretty decently sized. The restaurant spaces and bars are pretty damn cool but still had a ways to go to being finished. The journey downstairs to the vault is very cool. It's definitely a great blend of preservation and modernization throughout. They're really leaning into the bank theme which is a nice touch. The last thing he told us is that they're working on a few luxury clothing/apparel stores for the retail spaces along Park Ave.

Here's a photo I took a few weeks back: 17307

Really nice photo Ross!

Was fortunate enough to take a tour of the FNC today and my Goodness... This is such a great thing for the City. The overall quality and finish levels are fantastic. We saw a few of the hotel rooms, some seemed a bit small but others had nice tall ceilings and were pretty decently sized. The restaurant spaces and bars are pretty damn cool but still had a ways to go to being finished. The journey downstairs to the vault is very cool. It's definitely a great blend of preservation and modernization throughout. They're really leaning into the bank theme which is a nice touch. The last thing he told us is that they're working on a few luxury clothing/apparel stores for the retail spaces along Park Ave.

Now that's what I want to hear! Can't wait for Park Ave to be reactivated back to OKC's High Shopping street!

I know at least one of the retailers, but since I don’t believe it’s been announced yet I’ll not reveal it here. Will just confirm that it’s definitely upscale, and also wisely targeted a bit at hotel guests from out of town.

I know at least one of the retailers, but since I don’t believe it’s been announced yet I’ll not reveal it here. Will just confirm that it’s definitely upscale, and also wisely targeted a bit at hotel guests from out of town.

Is it a new to market store?

Either way, a great get for downtown!

Is it a new to market store?

Either way, a great get for downtown!
Haha sorry to be cryptic and evasive but if I answered that question properly it would set off an online speculation/investigation that might ultimately give it away via process of elimination. Just trying to be respectful of the developer and the tenant and let them be in charge of their own messaging.

great news nonetheless, thanks Urbanized!

hope there's many more to repopulate Park Ave high street.

Have any residents starting moving in yet? I think Pete had reported apartments were opening February 1 a few weeks ago. Is that still the case? Has anyone heard?

Also is the hotel still set for March 1? Excited to see this open and take a walk thru it. I noticed the removed all the construction fencing and the sidewalks around the property are all open again as of this week or the last

^^^^^^^^
Residential move-ins were pushed back a couple of weeks but the first residents are still moving in this month. Not sure whether the hotel opening was impacted. I saw Gary today at lunch but didn't ask him about the hotel opening. I'm sure it's still very close to March 1.

Any gauge on the apartment pre-opening leasing rate/percentage. This place is so much nicer overall than anything to date in OKC

Any gauge on the apartment pre-opening leasing rate/percentage. This place is so much nicer overall than anything to date in OKC

I mentioned this upthread: "Around $3/sq ft for a ~1250 sq ft two bedroom unit, closer to $3.50/sq ft for one bedrooms ranging from ~860 to ~1K. Prices vary by floor and directional exposure, which also influence some finishes and appliance types. I know there are larger (and more upscale) units but I don’t have any info handy on them."

As far as number leased so far the last time I spoke to someone about it there were around 12-15 move-ins scheduled for February, most of which came from pre-leasing to folks who were already on a waiting list. It was more than a month ago that I asked, and they had just recently begun showing to non-waitlist members of the general public. I think leasing has been fairly brisk.

From their website, rents start at $1,825 for a studio to $11,590 for a large 3 bedroom.

https://thefirstokc.com/floorplans/

I wonder if they will ever considering selling some. Those prices for the larger units are pretty incredible for OKC.

From their website, rents start at $1,825 for a studio to $11,590 for a large 3 bedroom.

https://thefirstokc.com/floorplans/
Ah, good to see that they now have pricing listed with the units.

I wonder if they will ever considering selling some. Those prices for the larger units are pretty incredible for OKC.

yeah $11k+ is nuts. Power to them if they can get it but it would be hard to imagine anyone paying rent that high here especially when buying is so affordable.

I wonder if they will ever considering selling some. Those prices for the larger units are pretty incredible for OKC.

Historic Tax Credits require the property to remain an income-producing property for 5 years after the rehabilitation is complete. So they probably won't be selling any units for at least another 5 years if they ever decided to.

yeah $11k+ is nuts. Power to them if they can get it but it would be hard to imagine anyone paying rent that high here especially when buying is so affordable.

These units may cater specifically to NBA players, energy executives in Tulsa, or even people who live in New York but maintain a residence/ties here, like the chairman of the Kirkpatrick Foundation.

These units may cater specifically to NBA players, energy executives in Tulsa, or even people who live in New York but maintain a residence/ties here, like the chairman of the Kirkpatrick Foundation.

Nm

yeah $11k+ is nuts. Power to them if they can get it but it would be hard to imagine anyone paying rent that high here especially when buying is so affordable.
These types of posts always puzzle me. They come from the assumption that everyone sees the world like you do, desires the same lifestyle you do, has the same financial means you do. While OKC isn’t a particularly wealthy city, there ares still plenty of residents here with considerable means.

It’s not like the building is full of $11K+ units. They’ll only have to find a very few tenants for the truly extravagant units. $11K/mo is similar to a mortgage on a $2M home, and believe it or not, more than a few people in OKC can swing that amount in monthly housing cost without thinking too hard about it. In fact there are some who could swing that simply as a crash pad while retaining a primary residence elsewhere. And not everyone is married to the idea of a giant house and yard in the suburbs, anyway. Or even owning vs renting.

Throughout the rest of the building, rents are more along the lines of a mortgage on homes ranging from $400K to $700K, and there are large housing additions all over OKC with broad swaths of homes in this range. Believe it or not there are even people RENTING homes in that range, for a variety of personal reasons. Those people would be prime candidates here.

Then too there are people residing in OKC on extended business who have zero desire to own a home here, and for many of them these rents don’t seem high, based on the city from which they’ve temporarily relocated.

Additionally there are plenty of people who already rent here in OKC in other properties purporting to be “upscale” that really AREN’T upscale. Many of them would pay a bit more rent to unlock the type of amenities being offered here.

There’s also corporate housing to think about. Plenty of companies would happily pay the types of rent shown here without thinking twice about it, if they routinely host executives from other branches, visiting directors, game night executive crash pads, whatever.

None of these things is unusual or outlandish in a major city.

These types of posts always puzzle me. They come from the assumption that everyone sees the world like you do, desires the same lifestyle you do, has the same financial means you do. While OKC isn’t a particularly wealthy city, there ares still plenty of residents here with considerable means.

It’s not like the building is full of $11K+ units. They’ll only have to find a very few tenants for the truly extravagant units. $11K/mo is similar to a mortgage on a $2M home, and believe it or not, more than a few people in OKC can swing that amount in monthly housing cost without thinking too hard about it. In fact there are some who could swing that simply as a crash pad while retaining a primary residence elsewhere. And not everyone is married to the idea of a giant house and yard in the suburbs, anyway. Or even owning vs renting.

Throughout the rest of the building, rents are more along the lines of a mortgage on homes ranging from $400K to $700K, and there are large housing additions all over OKC with broad swaths of homes in this range. Believe it or not there are even people RENTING homes in that range, for a variety of personal reasons. Those people would be prime candidates here.

Then too there are people residing in OKC on extended business who have zero desire to own a home here, and for many of them these rents don’t seem high, based on the city from which they’ve temporarily relocated.

Additionally there are plenty of people who already rent here in OKC in other properties purporting to be “upscale” that really AREN’T upscale. Many of them would pay a bit more rent to unlock the type of amenities being offered here.

There’s also corporate housing to think about. Plenty of companies would happily pay the types of rent shown here without thinking twice about it, if they routinely host executives from other branches, visiting directors, game night executive crash pads, whatever.

None of these things is unusual or outlandish in a major city.

And you mentioned some nice retail coming to downtown, as well. I think those go hand in hand. People will want to be downtown if the amenities are there.

yeah $11k+ is nuts. Power to them if they can get it but it would be hard to imagine anyone paying rent that high here especially when buying is so affordable.

i mean it is a 3,500 SQFT place on the 28th floor in a historic downtown building ..