Gold Dome

[Pete]

Keep in mind that any retail use (as opposed to restaurants, office or something creative like a public market) would almost certainly mean gutting the interior and removing all or most of the 2nd level.

I don't see how retail is a good use of this structure, at least if saving any of the interior is a priority, which it certainly should be.

[jerrywall]

Convert it into "Thunderdome". We don't need another hero.

[Bullbear]

That interior is just too spectacular in my opinion to be gutted. not that someone wouldn't but WOW that would be a waste.. I even hated that prohibition room didn't really have the best space in the building. that main lobby is great and to have some good food and spirits there would be great.

[Urbanized]

The key to making the dome cash flow is in building other structures on the vastly oversized parking area - fronting Western and/or 22nd - which could/should include demo of the teller lanes. This would have the side benefit of better connecting the site to Gatewood and HH/Mesta (and those places to each other). The site itself currently just has incredibly poor land use. One big retailer inside would not remedy this, and on top of that would require major demo/reconfig inside as Pete points out, which spoils much of the dome's character, regardless of retaining the exterior.

If the outparcel was developed properly the cash flow would cover a multitude of the dome's sins (primarily ACTUAL functional obsolescence). If there were less pressure on the dome itself to perform financially, it could be home to a combination of office and restaurant/bar/retail. If it's just a big gutted/repurposed structure in the middle of a sea of parking I wouldn't consider that a win.

[bchris02]

I think it would make a good dance club, but I am not sure that is the best and highest use of the property.

If retaining the inside is essential, then a themed bar or restaurant would be perfect. In regards to the grocery idea, if the owner does have interest from both local and national names, then they must have confidence that it can work as a grocer. I know the Harris Teeter in downtown Charlotte has a relatively small footprint but is two levels. It could be done in the Gold Dome but it would take significant reconfiguring of the space.

[Pete]

The key to making the dome cash flow is in building other structures on the vastly oversized parking area - fronting Western and/or 22nd - which could/should include demo of the teller lanes. This would have the side benefit of better connecting the site to Gatewood and HH/Mesta (and those places to each other). The site itself currently just has incredibly poor land use. One big retailer inside would not remedy this, and on top of that would require major demo/reconfig inside as Pete points out, which spoils much of the dome's character, regardless of retaining the exterior.

If the outparcel was developed properly the cash flow would cover a multitude of the dome's sins (primarily ACTUAL functional obsolescence). If there were less pressure on the dome itself to perform financially, it could be home to a combination of office and restaurant/bar/retail. If it's just a big gutted/repurposed structure in the middle of a sea of parking I wouldn't consider that a win.

Agree with all of this but you can tell that Jonathan Russell is angling for the idea of putting in retailers which would almost certainly mean destroying most the interior.

This is how things start and people need to understand where this is likely headed.

[shawnw]

I miss the Prohibition Room. It's probably been functionally replaced at this point by all the new offerings around town, but it was a pioneering place in its time.

[Urbanized]

Agree with all of this but you can tell that Jonathan Russell is angling for the idea of putting in retailers which would almost certainly mean destroying most the interior.

This is how things start and people need to understand where this is likely headed.

If he does this he and/or his tenant will believe they need all of that parking - regardless of whether that is true - to support that use. This would institutionalize the parking and make it impossible to redevelop on that land, at least as long as that use exists. So you miss a golden opportunity to better connect HH/Mesta with Gatewood, you miss a chance to make the are more appealing and walkable, you miss a chance to further the mission of the Classen improvement project, and you gut a great mid-century interior all for a less-than-optimal tenant who will probably be run out of the area by other purpose-built groceries a few years down the road. Pretty bad tradeoffs, IMO.

Hopefully the people who care about the respective futures of Mesta, Classen, Uptown etc. will get together with him and help hatch a better plan.

[Pete]

^

Leasing to a single retailer is also by far the easiest and cheapest route for Russell.

He doesn't have to build anything or put any money into the structure until it is full leased to one likely national credit tenant.


I don't like the direction this is heading.

[Bullbear]

been pondering all day on the property and how to be useful.. here is my pie in the sky that nobody will like. but its my dream. a 5 to 6 story mid century looking hotel wrapping around 1/2 of the dome and the dome being the center. using it as the common space and lobby. a boutique type place in uptown.

[Mel]

I'm going to catch hell for this, but the Gold Dome could be an AMAZING club.

I was about to suggest the same thing. It would make a cool looking club. I must admit I have not been on the inside since it was a bank so I have little idea of what the interior is like now.

[Pete]

A recent video shows the roof is badly leaking in this structure:

[bchris02]

Steve said in his last chat that a deal for a grocery store in the Gold Dome is getting closer. Pete, do you know what grocers are interested?

[Pete]

Don't know but quite sure that if that deal happens the amazing interior will be gutted.

[bchris02]

Don't know but quite sure that if that deal happens the amazing interior will be gutted.

Do you think there will be major push back from the community if they were to try it?

Personally I am torn. I think a grocery store there would better serve the needs of the community than another themed bar or restaurant (which there are tons of just down the street with more to come). However, I definitely understand the concern with losing the interior and I hope they try to keep some of it intact.

[catch22]

I really think it's an awful building for a grocery store. The location is perfect but the building really isn't ideal for it.

[Eddie1]

I think some type of museum would be a better use of the Gold Dome space. Homeland needs to redo their store down the street and use that as a neighborhood grocery.

[Eddie1]

I really think it's an awful building for a grocery store. The location is perfect but the building really isn't ideal for it.

We must have posted at the same time ^, agree with you.

[Teo9969]

I really think it's an awful building for a grocery store. The location is perfect but the building really isn't ideal for it.

To be sure, the location is perfect for just about everything. That absolutely should not be used as an argument for ANY use of this building.

To further my argument for the club: With the way the interior is currently laid out, you could have multiple rooms for different types of music (turn one into a Latin Music lounge ), and different types of VIP suites on the second floor.

To promote not drinking and driving, they could have a (few) party bus(es) that runs back and forth every 30 minutes to various hot spots in downtown during the weekends.

I think it's one of the few places where a stand alone club would absolutely crush it and it's located such that no sort of club district is going to develop in the immediate area. With the right developers and managers, it could easily be the best club in OKC for 10 - 20 years.

[Spartan]

Don't know but quite sure that if that deal happens the amazing interior will be gutted.

What makes you think that?

[Pete]

What makes you think that?

Because a grocer would never make use of the 2nd level or the original teller windows or really any part of the original layout.

[Urbanized]

It would also be an incredibly inefficient use of the space, even if reconfigured. Nothing about that building lends itself to grocery. What would likely happen is that they would gut the building, put in an inefficient tenant, and when another grocery lands in the area with a traditional layout - as will surely happen - the grocery in the dome would eventually fail. Now you have a building that lacks its architectural integrity and becomes easily labeled as "functionally obsolete". We all know where it's headed at that point.

A much wiser choice would be to make use of the excessive land on that property by building new retail storefront structures to the street on both Western and 22nd (requiring removal of drive-thru lanes, which are not critical to retain and which ARE functionally obsolete).

This approach would activate the property, provide better pedestrian connection between HH/Mesta and Gatewood, AND would cash flow enough to allow the Dome itself to be leased to a tenant who wouldn't be required to fund the entire property. The developer would have MUCH more tenant flexibility, and the dome would have a much broghter, more secure future.

[Pete]

I'm also curious what type of grocer would attempt to use this type of space.

They all use big rectangular shelving and refrigerators/freezer cases.

I hope it's some cool and interesting grocer but otherwise this does not sound like a good fit at all.

[Urbanized]

It's just such a band-aid approach. The challenge (and opportunity) with this property is the current inefficient use of the excess of land. Make better use of the land and there is less financial pressure on the dome itself, which protects it in the long term. A poorly-considered grocery would be the next step in this building's long march toward demolition. That corner is too valuable for marginally-successful development, let alone UNSUCCESSFUL development.

[bchris02]

I think it all depends on the grocer and what kind of layout they go with. Let's wait and see what gets proposed before saying this is another step towards demolition.

Teo's club idea is interesting, but would any nightclub operators have deep enough pockets to do it right?