Paseo District

[jbrown84]

I believe you are right.

[USG '60]

It was the Paseo Plunge originally. There is a long conversation about it on another thread from a year or two ago. It REALLY is interesting and there are a lot of pics on the thread.

[Spartan]

They're really moving forward on this! Was down on the Paseo earlier today and they have made a lot of progress. Lots of windows boarded up. Scaffolding in the front of it. Very exciting.

[okc4eva]

Ate dinner at Picasso Cafe tonight and noticed a rather large building being renovated across the street. Does anyone have an idea of what is in store?

[Larry OKC]

http://newsok.com/old-paseo-plunge-u...ad_story_title

Old Paseo Plunge undergoes another transformation

BY STEVE LACKMEYER Oklahoman Published: July 8, 2010

...Belt, who bought the building last year, started exterior renovations over the spring that added a tile roof matching those on surrounding buildings and a more colorful facade that included new window openings and the exposure of a long hidden deck. "The deck originally overlooked the (Paseo Plunge) swimming pool and it had a slide on it," Belt said. "We're just bringing it back."
...
Belt is hoping the property will once again add to the street, though he has no definite plan for how he will use the building. ...

[Steve]

Retro Metro OKC will be hosting a brown bag lunch at the downtown library at noon Monday. Our speaker will be John Belt, who is the man many credit with making Paseo what it is today. Quite by accident he got into buying and then renovating properties in Paseo in the mid-1970s and then helped turn the area into an artists' colony. John will share a history of the area, and maybe some photos. The engagement is free and open to all. We will be meeting in the Friends Room on the 4th Floor of the downtown library, noon to 1 p.m. Monday.
To keep up with what Retro Metro OKC is up to, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/retrometrookc

[CaseyCornett]

See you there, Steve.

[metro]

That might interfere with lunch I had scheduled in the Paseo that day....

[Doug Loudenback]

Is this on Retro Metro's pages ... if so, I missed it. Otherwise, but for this thread, I'd not have known to be at the library on Monday. Might want to send out some notices ... or reminders, Steve, in case I'm not alone in this.

[Steve]

Yes Doug, it's on our Facebook page. It's on our group's PBworks page. But you have been busy mixing software training with bbq. Not that there's anything wrong with that....

[Doug Loudenback]

Well, I don't check Facebook very often and I don't remember seeing this in the PBworks stuff. Might be worth a separate e-mail, in case there are many do-dos like me. Now, back to BBQ and other tasty delights ...

[CaseyCornett]

American Planning Association Designates The Paseo One of Top 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2010

Commercial area sets apart revitalized historic neighborhood

Oklahoma City, OK – The American Planning Association (APA) today announced the designation of The Paseo as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2010 under the organization’s Great Places in America program.

APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value. It is the first APA Great Places in America designation in Oklahoma.

APA singled out the neighborhood for its historic architecture, colorful and Spanish-influenced commercial area, affordable housing, and strong citizen engagement and civic participation including an active arts community.

“This significant designation is a result of years of dedication from local artists, entrepreneurs, investors, neighbors and people passionate about The Paseo,” Ward 2 Councilman Sam Bowman said. “This extraordinary architectural and artistic haven is the envy of cities across the country.”

Through Great Places in America, APA recognizes unique and authentic characteristics found in three essential components of all communities – streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces. APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live, and are defined by many things including planning, architectural styles, accessibility and community involvement.

Since APA began Great Places in America in 2007, 40 neighborhoods, 40 streets and 30 public spaces have been designated in 47 states and the District of Columbia.

“We’re very excited to name The Paseo as one of this year’s Great Neighborhoods,” said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. “The brightly colored architecture, vibrant street life in the Spanish Village, and thriving art scene help create a strong sense of place. City officials, business leaders, community activists and residents are to be commended for creating a place of such value and liveliness,” he added.

Contributing to The Paseo’s unique character and strong sense of place is the Spanish Village, the neighborhood’s core commercial district along Paseo Drive. Spanish Mission Revival architecture, with stucco buildings and red roofs, dominates and differentiates the area from adjoining areas. The Village, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, features more than a dozen art galleries and reflects the neighborhood’s investment in its arts community. Here, artists, businesses and residents support each other with a symbiotic relationship that has helped the area thrive.

Colorful, early 20th Century bungalows comprise more than 60 percent of the Paseo Neighborhood Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. These brightly painted homes compliment the neighborhood’s artistic ambiance and many of art galleries.

In response to the neighborhood’s rising property values and growing reputation as a coveted place to live or locate a business, the non-profit housing advocacy group, Positively Paseo, and Oklahoma City have sought to provide housing for low- and moderate-income households. Since 1999, for example Positively Paseo has used federal funds to rehabilitate or construct more than 20 homes including a four-plex, 13 renovated single-family houses, and seven new houses built on in-fill lots.

In addition to its residential and commercial areas, approximately one-third of the neighborhood is taken up by Fairlawn Cemetery. Home to some of Oklahoma City’s earliest mausoleums, the cemetery also functions as The Paseo’s public living room where residents feel safe walking or jogging.

The nine other APA 2010 Great Neighborhoods are: Downtown Frederick in Frederick, MD; Historic Ninth Street Hill in Lafayette, IN; Lower Downtown in Denver, CO; Back Bay in Boston, MA; Cathedral Historic District in Sioux Falls, SD; Frank Lloyd Wright Historic Neighborhood in Oak Park, IL; Historic John S. Park Neighborhood in Las Vegas, NV; Hyde Park in Cincinnati, OH; and Riverside Avondale in Jacksonville, FL.

For more information about these neighborhoods, as well as APA’s top 10 Great Streets, top 10 Great Public Spaces, and designations between 2007 and 2009, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces. This year's Great Places in America are being celebrated as part of APA's National Community Planning Month during October; for more about the special month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm.

The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the art, science and profession of good planning -- physical, economic and social -- so as to create communities that offer better choices for where and how people work and live. Members of APA help create communities of lasting value and encourage civic leaders, business interests and citizens to play a meaningful role in creating communities that enrich people's lives. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Ill. For more information, visit www.planning.org.

###

[Doug Loudenback]

Very nice, Casey.

[Steve]

How do you guys rate Paseo against the Plaza District?

[Platemaker]

The Paseo has better architecture and would be cooler if there were more current, relevant, cool artists like the Plaza does... instead they have a bunch art galleries that are pointless to go browse because half of them need an appointment or aren't open when you go... and when you do the art seems 'old' for lack of a better word... unless its a temporary exhibit. I work in hotels and am reluctant to send guests there because they come back dissapointed often because they were only able to go to a few places.

... and Sauced is gone now so that royally sucks.

I really wish it would become more of a Canyon Road in Santa Fe.

[Spartan]

How do you guys rate Paseo against the Plaza District?

Residentially above Plaza, commercially beneath Plaza. Paseo doesn't have a snazzy streetscape with a lot of fresh interest like Plaza..and it's taken Paseo MUCH longer to get where it is today.

[Larry OKC]

... and Sauced is gone now so that royally sucks.

I really wish it would become more of a Canyon Road in Santa Fe.

Thought Sauced was coming back (or already is back)??

[Spartan]

I think they're reopening it soon and expanding the menu, possibly?

Speaking of the APA and Planetizen (who if I recall, was involved in these rankings?), on Planetizen there's a really cool blog that does a great job of tracking innovations and trends in urbanism that can be applied to OKC..

And here are some more of the neighborhoods that Paseo was ranked alongside:

LoDo in Denver:


Back Bay in Boston:


Frederick, MD:


Cathedral Historic District in Sioux Falls, SD: (really?)


Oak Park (FLW District) in Chicago:


Historic John S. Park Neighborhood in Las Vegas: (really?)


Ninth Street Hill in Lafayette, Ind.:
No photos can be found

Riverside Avondale in Jacksonville:


Hyde Park in Cincy:

[dmoor82]

I love Boston's density in The Back Bay, Rowhouses as far as The eye can see!Nice company for The Paseo to be in!Thanks for posting that Nick!

[flintysooner]

I love Boston's density in The Back Bay, Rowhouses as far as The eye can see!

I fail to understand why it is good as it looks to me more like warehousing for humans

[EBAH]

I fail to understand why it is good as it looks to me more like warehousing for humans

Well, the overhead shot doesn't really do the neighborhood justice. At the bottom of most of those row houses is some of the best shopping in the US. The neighborhood is beautiful, tree lined streets, gorgeous old buildings, GREAT restaurants etc. Also, it is sandwiched between the most desirable parts of the Boston metro. Across the river to the north is Cambridge, one of the greatest college towns in the world. To the west is the fens, home of the Boston Red Socks. On the east you have the beautiful Boston Common, and the CBD. To the south is Church of Christian Scientists, Copley, Prudential center. In short it is truly one of the best neighborhoods in the US. And honestly, if I could live anywhere in the USA it would probably be in a luxury brownstone in Backbay.

[Spartan]

I fail to understand why it is good as it looks to me more like warehousing for humans

Well, if the Back Bay is "warehousing for humans" then any suburb could be a "cattle ranch for humans." lol

[flintysooner]

Well, if the Back Bay is "warehousing for humans" then any suburb could be a "cattle ranch for humans." lol

Why would that be bad?

[Spartan]

I'd take the warehouse over the cattle ranch. I don't do well with desolation, isolation, and the lack of civil society. Most people don't. That's why we strive to build our cities with a sense of continuity and definition, because those things are comforting and reinforce how spaces are intended to be used.

[Architect2010]

Why would that be bad?

Why would that be good? o_O Incredibly wasteful of our precious land, strains our resources, enforces solitude and not connectivity. I'd also take a "warehouse for humans" any day.

Hell, I basically just repeated Spartan.