That would be awesome
That would be awesome
A 2-story glass structure in the lower levels would be really a great idea! The property has so much potential w/ so many things that could be done to make it The HOT place. ...
....they may just continue to bleed it dry though.
Totally agree....push out the ground floor to be a useable space. If you want a fancy looking stone floored entry, fine. But DO something with the rest of the space. It's the most expensive real estate in OKC and it's just sitting there catching rain water and bird poop.
I really with Cotter wouldn't have been so stupid about the Underground plans too. That glass structure would have been step 1 to modernizing SOMETHING about the place. You can tastefully blend the modern style with international (since its so freaking bland), but I still would caution against just re-capping (which doesn't actually do anything but kill the style) and gutting the lobby structural elements. Lets not destroy what makes the place International (would hate to kick ourselves for it later). But that's not to say that you can't do something with a glass structure. I'm thinking a metal frame (think something like this at the Lourve, but not as a pyramid). Exposed mechanical so you keep natural light coming in from the ceiling. Say, attach it at the top of the lobby structure and extend that height out to the edge. You can either get a multi-level structure out of it, or something like a retail space for "open air-ish" dining or shopping. Imagine the smells that could fill an open space like that from a coffee shop or eatery.
Just a small example and I'm sure we could all come up with great examples of something to do that would be immeasurably better that the bricks.
I think the building looks much, much better with the corners lit. Maybe with the Chase logo likely coming down, they can light the entire building and not just the corners. I know I've seen old pictures of it with the entire top lit up.
personally, I like the neon ring and just that alone (no or a much smaller corp logo on the left please). I think the incandescent lights are a bit old fashioned.
To me, the full neon ring at the top has a bit of flair to an otherwise boring/ugly box.
Oklahoma City, the RENAISSANCE CITY!
Well that didn't last long, all the lights they replaced up top have failed again already.
Also this weekend they had the interior lights on inside a large portion of the floors and you could see how many unoccupied floors there are. The building looked like a movie set for an abandoned office tower.
The lights have been out on the east side for a couple of weeks now. It looks ridiculous. If they aren't going to have all corners lit they should just not light them at all. As for friday, personally I really liked the building lit up the way it was. Usually it is way too dark.
Yea the corner lamps went back out a week or so after I updated this thread saying they finally fixed them. Really disappointing.
I agree, it was neat that the interior lights were all on like that - but it was creepy how empty it was.
Ackerman Mcqueen was making a promotional video of downtown OKC this weekend and asked for most lights to be left on.
That explains a lot. I was at the Skirvin for an event and noticed a lot of lights were still on.
Any chance some investor or current owner might jump at the chance to restore this building. I for one think it could be pretty cool and wouldn't require a complete re-do. It may needs lots of work but would be much cheaper than a new building. Surely someone could come up with some cool ideas and make this place pop. I think some type of rooftop and re-think the lighting situation. The building looks dead, therefore gives the public the assumption that it is and that only lowers the value of the place.
If I owned the place, I'd put some money into, update it and do some cool lighting and give it a more vibrant presentation, leave some freaking lights on at night so it looks like it isn't on life support. I'd then either rent it for more money or sell it for more than what they'd ever get out of it right now. It's really a depressing building to look at actually.
A few weeks ago they left many of the lights on because they were filming and wanted the skyline to appear more vibrant. It was unbelievable what kind of difference it made. I agree it wouldn't take much at all to make the building really pop. From what I've heard Pete say though the current owners just don't care and aren't interested in being part of OKC's downtown renaissance.
BChris, that would be a good start for sure. What the owner or the people of OKC don't realize is that if this building continues this path it is headed for major trouble. Not only will it kill the property value, but it could end up vacant. If that happens, the neglect of building could be so bad that it end up being demolished. This was the tallest building in OKC for many years and still the second tallest in the city. Would be sad to see it go and I could see it happening if things don't change.
As the owner, I wish the city could force him to update things or force a sell perhaps. It could be deemed a health risk or some type of neglect of city code or something. I just can't imagine him letting it get to the point where he loses more money because of declining property value. Do some things to bring it to life and it is a win-win for all involved. Who is the owner and what can be done? Is he willing to sell and BChris, do you want to go in with me and buy the place and restore it and make lots of money? I have about 500 dollars currently I could add and we could find some other investors and make this happen!
Hoping Continental moves in and takes ownership somehow.
I like some of these ideas. I would hate for it to get to the point where it ends up abandoned. What can be done it about this legally? Also, stupid question but how to you like someone's comments on here? I see people do it all the time but don't know where to click on to do so.
You cannot "Like" comments in a "Wiki" article. If a topic is just a regular forum thread, you can, but a lot of threads are in the Wiki format and not the Forum Thread format.
The city can't do anything, but the free market can and will. FNC is going to get a renovation, the Clayco's towers, and a few others we don't know about yet will pick off a lot tenants. That provides competition and competition makes you grow stronger or thins out the herd.
Who is the owner of the Cotter Tower? Just imagine someone coming in and making this place a hip place to be. They could expand the base for shopping and retail, add some roof type stuff and give it a cool factor. Why is their not much interest in this. In its current state, I'd think it could be bought for a bargain. Anyone with any design or photo shop skills, could you come up with a new and improved look for this building just to give us some stuff to dream of? I think that would be cool stuff and the more ideas the better. Heck, maybe someone who reads these boards will pass it on and someone with money might run with it.
What keeps me out of the Red Piano Bar is not because it's not part of the scene. It is the fact that it is so over priced. I don't mind spending a little extra for a drink in a nice place but it is over the top. There are just too many other choices around. It is the difference between an 80.00 tab and a 160.00 tab.
I have noticed some of the changes at Cotter though. I go to the petroleum club a lot and they have done a good job remodeling so far. The new dining room on the north side of floor 35 is awesome.
Does anybody know if the Chase signage is coming down after the new Chase branch gets completed? I heard somewhere a while back that it is supposed to but I can't find it.
The lighting on Cotter Ranch Tower has only been half working for the past several months (looks awful). Could that be why they aren't fixing it?
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