Health Sciences Center

[metro]

Drove around on Friday and snapped a few pics on my phone.

The Children's Hospital addition is coming along real well.





Not sure what this building is, anyone know? It's on the N/S street towards the end of the complex. Classroom building maybe?




Also work was progressing on the OU Cancer center as well. Accidentally deleted that pic, but the basement and ground floor appear to be done and it looked as if they were working on the 2nd or 3rd floor foundation. I think it's going to be 8-10 stories or so.

[ronronnie1]

Cool pix. About time they finished that children's hospital.

[jbrown84]

I believe the latter is a classroom building for one of the divisions of the medical school.

[BG918]

The bottom pic is the new OU College of Allied Health building.

[Pete]

Yes, that's a $26 million project.

Go here for some great renderings and more details:

College of Allied Health

[BB37]

Cool pix. About time they finished that children's hospital.

The first two photos are actually of the new OU Children's Physicians' Outpatient Clinic building, which is set to open July-ish. Not shown in the photos is an atrium, conference center and new main entrance for the hospital; they've just started pouring the footings, and they're another 18 months to 2 years away.

Allied Health is currently in the old, OLD medical school building on the NE corner of 13th and Philips. After CAH moves, the old building is supposed to be razed, possibly to be replaced with a parking garage.

[okyeah]

The first two photos are actually of the new OU Children's Physicians' Outpatient Clinic building, which is set to open July-ish. Not shown in the photos is an atrium, conference center and new main entrance for the hospital; they've just started pouring the footings, and they're another 18 months to 2 years away.

Allied Health is currently in the old, OLD medical school building on the NE corner of 13th and Philips. After CAH moves, the old building is supposed to be razed, possibly to be replaced with a parking garage.

A parking garage? There's already a parking lot next to that building...why not build the garage there...I like the way the building looks. In other news, OMRF is adding on a new tower to their current facility (which is in the OUHSC area).

[metro]

Cool pix. About time they finished that children's hospital.

Actually they still have a lot to go on the Children's hospital as it will feature a very large glass atrium that hasn't even started yet. There are renderings of the final product somewhere on this site.

ok yeah, that will be a nice addition to the OMRF, I like the modern architecture much more than the boring institutional architecture they have been putting up.

[BG918]

The first two photos are actually of the new OU Children's Physicians' Outpatient Clinic building, which is set to open July-ish. Not shown in the photos is an atrium, conference center and new main entrance for the hospital; they've just started pouring the footings, and they're another 18 months to 2 years away.

Allied Health is currently in the old, OLD medical school building on the NE corner of 13th and Philips. After CAH moves, the old building is supposed to be razed, possibly to be replaced with a parking garage.

Are you sure? I hope that building isn't razed, it's a great old building. There are PLENTY of parking lots that could be turned into garages at OUHSC. Isn't the new OMRF tower going in near that building, possibly to the north on Phillips?

[jbrown84]

After CAH moves, the old building is supposed to be razed, possibly to be replaced with a parking garage.

I hope you are wrong. I have not heard that, but it would be a huge mistake. Have we learned nothing?




notice "State University of Oklahoma"

[bombermwc]

I would imagine the historical society would make a big stink and we'd hear about it before they would be allowed to tear this building down.

[jbrown84]

I took a pretty extensive look at the health center master plan, and I think I would have noticed it this was planned to be demolished. There are SO many surface lots that could become garages (and many are planned for just that).


EDIT: According to page 46 of the master plan, the building will be renovated, not demolished.

http://www.ouhsc.edu/OHC_masterplan.asp

[BB37]

I took a pretty extensive look at the health center master plan, and I think I would have noticed it this was planned to be demolished. There are SO many surface lots that could become garages (and many are planned for just that).


EDIT: According to page 46 of the master plan, the building will be renovated, not demolished.

I haven't heard any of the 'suits' say this, but the talk around the HSC campus of late has been that the old building will be demolished.

Plans change, and can change again.

[BG918]

I haven't heard any of the 'suits' say this, but the talk around the HSC campus of late has been that the old building will be demolished.

Plans change, and can change again.

That won't happen without a fight I guarantee that. Unless there is a structural issue the building can be renovated and a surface lot turned into a garage.

[BajaOklahoma]

The Allied Health Building is way behind schedule. It was orginally supposed to have been open no later than January 2009. I've heard they are hoping for January 2010 now. My daughter is not happy aout it at all. they have to park at the new building and walk across campus to the old building. and she may never see the inside of the new building at the rate they are going.

[BB37]

The Allied Health Building is way behind schedule. It was orginally supposed to have been open no later than January 2009. I've heard they are hoping for January 2010 now. My daughter is not happy aout it at all. they have to park at the new building and walk across campus to the old building. and she may never see the inside of the new building at the rate they are going.

Now that you mention it, it HAS been under construction for quite awhile. It's not that big a surprise, though; OUHSC construction projects have a history of going long.

[Patrick]

I'm a doctor at OUHSC/OU Medical Center, and I can assure you there are no plans to raze the old college of medicine building. Only the college of allied health is moving. The college of public health will remain in the building.

[Doug Loudenback]

I don't think this has already been mentioned, but Steve had a great article in today's Oklahoman at http://www.newsok.com/health-center-...ad_story_photo

Health Center projects part of building boom in Oklahoma City
GROWTH FIVE STRUCTURES UNDER WAY CARRY TOTAL PRICE TAG OF $534 MILLION

Imagine if someone announced that more than $500 million of construction and up to seven new buildings would rise up practically all at once on the edge of downtown Oklahoma City.
* * *
Cranes are popping up throughout the 325-acre complex with five buildings under construction and two more expected to start this fall.

"This is incredible,” said Hershel Lamirand, chief executive officer of the Oklahoma Health Center Foundation.

"The past 18 months have marked an incredible growth period for us. It only compares to what we saw in the early 1970s with the ‘HERO’ bond.”
* * *
Meanwhile, JoeVan Bullard, director of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority, confirms that construction is set to start on a $25 million Embassy Suites and a $4 million headquarters for the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association on land the agency controls in the health center district.
* * *
Lamirand said the Oklahoma Health Center intentionally limits commercial development, preferring that employees and visitors cross Interstate 235 and patronize businesses and restaurants downtown.

The article contains some great photos, but I decided to take some of my own today.

Here they are ... click on photos for larger views ...

Oklahoma Blood Institute




Cancer Institute













Surgery Center (I didn't see this one in Steve's article but I probably just missed it or maybe it was called something else)







Chidren's Phyicians Building
















Eye Institute











OMRF? I'm unsure about this one because I couldn't find a sign and it was more difficult to access. The not-so-good photo below was taken from the following general location: drive north from NE 13th to get behind the original OU Medical School, shown below.



Then, turn east and drive toward the VA Hospital, and then drive into its backside area. Then, look west to see ...



And there you have it. By my count, there were 6 projects under construction in one degree or another.

On another matter, I'd read somewhere that I don't presently recall that Moon Jr. High no longer existed, and I think that I've so written in one or two blog articles. But as I was driving around the back (east) side of the Eye Institute construction, I saw what looked to be an old school in the Moon Jr. High Location (on Lindsay). Sure enough, there it was:

[Steve]

Interested fyi - a lot of people call the area the OU Health Sciences Center. But the name for the entire area is actually the Oklahoma Health Center.

[onthestrip]

It's really crazy to think of what's going on there. It's like a mini-maps, and for the most part it's privately funded.

[Doug Loudenback]

Interested fyi - a lot of people call the area the OU Health Sciences Center. But the name for the entire area is actually the Oklahoma Health Center.

That works for me. What about me seeing 6 projects? And was the last one the OMRF project?

[Architect2010]

Impressive! This is a boost to employment as well. This doesn't even count the OMRF expansions either does it? I know they are seperate entities, but they reside in the same area.

One question though. Is this growth being captured within the OUHSC or is it located on the fringes of the district? I've noticed that the center is fairly spread out and has some rather large vacant spaces that should be infilled before they expand outward anymore.

[mugofbeer]

Thank you! I love seeing significant new construction in the central area - and a new Embassy Suites coming soon + more?

[Spartan]

Great pics, Doug!

For those interested, I also did a pictoral update on my blog a week ago (exactly), and I did an update after Steve came out with his today. I wonder if Steve saw my blog and decided to do a professional version? Idk, probably not considering that it takes a long time to get the pieces of a news article together, but anyway here's mine if anyone's interested.

A Downtown ontheRange: Medical District progress

and the update:
A Downtown ontheRange: Professional follow-up on Medical District

P.S. Everyone is forgetting about the OU College of Allied Health on Stonewall.


Shameless plug over.

[Steve]

Spartan, I try to keep up with your blog but didn't get to this past week. In this case my story package began a couple of weeks ago ...