New OCU Law School (dead)

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Model T plant
LEGACYFAMILY HOPES MAPS 3 GIVES OLD FACTORY NEW USE AS LAW SCHOOL

BY STEVE LACKMEYER
Published: November 18, 2009

Calling it a "game changer” for development of west downtown, businessman Fred Jones Hall detailed a letter of intent Tuesday that calls for the Oklahoma City University Law School to move into the historic former Ford Model T plant his family owns.

"We’re very excited,” Hall said. "We see the success of the Oklahoma Health Center on the east side of downtown. We think that between OCU and maybe some other universities, we could build a music industry downtown as big as the health sciences center. And we have all the elements to have legal industry to take off down here.” The building at 900 W Main was built in 1916 by Henry Ford and sold to Hall’s grandfather, Fred Jones, in the 1940s.

Jones manufactured car parts in the factory, and in more recent years the plant has been used for parts distribution. It has been sought out by multiple developers seeking to convert it to housing, retail and offices. "Everyone likes the architecture and style of this building,” Hall said. "We’ve had inquiries every year.” Hall said Tuesday such plans never fit his family’s plans of maintaining control of their legacy property.

"We have criteria that have to be passed — it has to be a nonprofit institution that would help downtown, and at the same time allow the building to stay in the hands of the family. I think we’ve found that with the university.”

OCU President Tom McDaniel said he began looking at options of moving the law school downtown after he was asked by Mayor Mick Cornett to submit ideas for adding an education component to a potential MAPS 3 ballot. "We looked at a good number of locations, including First National Center,” McDaniel said. "But we never had one that appeared to be financially viable — where the finances would work.”

McDaniel called the old car plant an ideal location for the law school — if voters approve MAPS 3 and plans to create a downtown streetcar system. The streetcar, he said, could allow the school and the county to consider a consolidation of their two law libraries. He also noted the property is within walking distance of the Oklahoma County jail, police headquarters and municipal courts — all ideal for enhancing indigent legal aid initiatives for students. "We want to start an innocence project — we want to be servant leaders, we want people to graduate our law school knowing there is a need to serve others,” McDaniel said.

As a result, the letter of intent has a big "if” clause — the passage of MAPS 3 on Dec. 8.

Read more: NewsOK