OU Projects

[Plutonic Panda]

It looks like the residential hall towers are going to be replaced:

In today's meeting of the OU Board of Regents, OU President Joseph Harroz announced the administration's plan to replace the residential hall towers located on south campus.

The towers include Adams, Couch and Walker, which are currently used as freshman dormitories.

"The towers right now were built in the '60s, the mid-'60s," Harroz said. "So what we are endeavoring to do is go on a multi-year plan to replace those."

- http://www.oudaily.com/news/ou-presi...i_8ClASfQgtQ5M

[Pete]

I lived in Walker Tower my freshman year; lots of fond memories.

They just spent a ton of money to renovate all those dorms, but I know times have changed and students now want a different type of living experience, more like the most recent housing they have built to the east of the towers.

I'm also sure it's a competitive thing in terms of recruiting prospective students.

[DowntownMan]

I lived in Walker Tower my freshman year; lots of fond memories.

They just spent a ton of money to renovate all those dorms, but I know times have changed and students now want a different type of living experience, more like the most recent housing they have built to the east of the towers.

I'm also sure it's a competitive thing in terms of recruiting prospective students.

Renovations mainly completed in fall 2008-spring 2009. But the tornado shelters that were probably a couple million we’re just completed in the last few years

[HangryHippo]

I lived in Walker Tower my freshman year; lots of fond memories.

They just spent a ton of money to renovate all those dorms, but I know times have changed and students now want a different type of living experience, more like the most recent housing they have built to the east of the towers.

I'm also sure it's a competitive thing in terms of recruiting prospective students.

I believe the serious mold issues are playing into this.

[BG918]

I imagine the replacement will look similar to the quad-style dorms that have been built along Lindsey. This will also likely encompass Cate Center. The end product will be a huge high-density residential community for OU students. This will make the replacement of the Huffman Center a bigger priority as it will sit right in the middle of all this new housing.

[shavethewhales]

Walker 10th floor alumnus here. I liked the culture of the freshman quad. Always easy to meet lots of people and stuff going on in the courtyard. Nice to have everything super close. It felt like our own little city.

I get that the rooms are cramped by todays standards, and that people don't like sharing bathrooms, but IMO freshmen do not need "apartments". Too much emphasis on luxury living when everyone is complaining about the cost of college! These buildings will last another 100 years, I wish they wouldn't just be wasted.

[mugofbeer]

Torn on this in it's entirety.

I lived in Walker a couple of years and enjoyed it. At the time, all rooms had 2 beds per room in the identical setup. Some guys on the floor bunked their beds to provide some alternate space. When an inspection found it, they were told to take down the bunks but when a housing official saw what they did, he liked it so well, they were allowed to keep the bunk setup.

I could see taking one bed out of a lot of the rooms would to give students a choice on space. You could keep two beds in one room but turn the other bedroom into a living area. You could keep some rooms just as they are.

By providing some choices, the school could possibly bump up the prices of renovated rooms a little but lower the 4-bed suite prices. Cost is a huge consideration so the school needs to maintain a wide variety of choices.

How about replacing one tower to replace lost beds from renovated rooms in the other towers?

[Pete]

^

As part of a recent renovation, all the furniture is modular and most students stack the beds.

Also, in the new residential colleges to the east, the bathrooms are still shared; they are not set up like apartments.

[mugofbeer]

^

As part of a recent renovation, all the furniture is modular and most students stack the beds.

Also, in the new residential colleges to the east, the bathrooms are still shared; they are not set up like apartments.

My point was, there are options vs. going $150 million or more in debt. Try replacing one tower first and renovating others. The towers are fine except for room space which can be accomplished through opening some walls and making single rooms.

Edit: Some students bunk beds. My child looked at the fact bunked beds have such little room between the top bunk and the ceiling, it was claustrophobic. When l visited, many were not bunked.

[Pete]

They have not said they are going to demolish and rebuild the towers all at once.

I'm very sure they won't do that because they can't possibly give up all that dorm space at once, as enrollment remains near record highs.

And I said 'most' students bunk their beds in the towers, not all.

[DowntownMan]

I would expect the Cate center to be demolished and replaced with something mirroring Durham.
Then they probably will take out a tower at a time and clone the Durham again on the lots covered by current towers. In the end I expect kinda a village of lower 4-5 story residential halls

[FighttheGoodFight]

I would expect the Cate center to be demolished and replaced with something mirroring Durham.
Then they probably will take out a tower at a time and clone the Durham again on the lots covered by current towers. In the end I expect kinda a village of lower 4-5 story residential halls

Cate has all actually been redone and houses offices for certain programs across OU. I believe only one of the four is for dorms anymore.

[Pete]

^

There was a proposal years ago (by Boren I think) to replace Cate with residential colleges similar to Dunham and Headington.

The Cate complex is actually on more land than Walker and Adams combined, so it would make sense.

[BG918]

^

There was a proposal years ago (by Boren I think) to replace Cate with residential colleges similar to Dunham and Headington.

The Cate complex is actually on more land than Walker and Adams combined, so it would make sense.

From what I’ve heard that is the plan so they can gradually demolish the towers and move students into the new residential buildings.

One thing I hope OU can do is integrate more mixed-use into these residential halls.

[Pete]

^

The new dorms also have university offices and even some classrooms.

[FighttheGoodFight]

New on campus living will be a good thing. The dorms are pretty dated. I think students want somewhere better to live. The real question will be the cost per month. Excited to see new living at OU. I think the new Headington style dorms are amazing. It makes the university look 10 times better than the old towers.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Adams Tower will be starting demolition this Summer.

Cross Village is now owned by OU (with help from the Chickasaw Nation) and will be student living in the Fall for freshman.

RIP Adams Tower. Lots of memories from when I was a in school.

[KayneMo]

Oh wow. I lived at Adams Center (Tarman Tower, 10th floor) my first year at OU, Fall 2010 - Spring 2011.

[Pete]

Turns out that negotiating with the company that built the new Cross Center turned out to be a better plan than slamming them in the press and threatening to sue them, which was Gallogly's ham-fisted, bombastic approach.

I still can't believe the way he was brought in and allowed to run the university.

Thank goodness he's gone and Harroz seems like a super sharp guy who truly loves the university.

[MikeLucky]

Oh wow. I lived at Adams Center (Tarman Tower, 10th floor) my first year at OU......

First thought, oh I might know him....

Fall 2010 - Spring 2011.

20 years too late.... lol

Turns out that negotiating with the company that built the new Cross Center turned out to be a better plan than slamming them in the press and threatening to sue them, which was Gallogly's ham-fisted, bombastic approach.

I still can't believe the way he was brought in and allowed to run the university.

Thank goodness he's gone and Harroz seems like a super sharp guy who truly loves the university.

Agreed. I personally believe Gallogly was brought in to hatchet some costs and go after Boren. That might be my tin foil hat talking, but I'm just sayin.... Unfortunately I think it cost us some really good people at OU.

[BG918]

Agreed. I personally believe Gallogly was brought in to hatchet some costs and go after Boren. That might be my tin foil hat talking, but I'm just sayin.... Unfortunately I think it cost us some really good people at OU.

Like the 1995 season with Howard Schnellenburger I usually just try to forget that the Gallogly experiment even existed

[MikeLucky]

Like the 1995 season with Howard Schnellenburger I usually just try to forget that the Gallogly experiment even existed

Pretty good comparison.

[Plutonic Panda]

I’m not sure if this will result in a new building built but its pretty impressive:

“ OU awarded $208M for severe weather research institute”

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/ou...8b7fcbf67.html

https://okcfox.com/news/local/ou-bec...ther-institute

[SEMIweather]

Still would love to see a world-class meteorology museum across the street from the National Weather Center one day. This would further cement Norman as the meteorology hub of the U.S. ahead of State College and Atlanta, IMO.

[lady_o]

Still would love to see a world-class meteorology museum across the street from the National Weather Center one day. This would further cement Norman as the meteorology hub of the U.S. ahead of State College and Atlanta, IMO.

That would be really cool