OKC Public Schools Headquarters

[riflesforwatie]

Why do they want the parking areas fenced off? Is it common for a student or parent to attack the cars parked at the OKC headquarters?

My guess is they have employees concerned about the folks in the area that lack housing. There are people who have to live on and off under the cantilever at the abandoned Love Link Ministries building across the street. Honestly, though, I walk through that area all the time and I've never felt any threat to my safety from that, so that's just a guess.

It could also be due to employees that have to cross NW 5 at either Western or Classen. That wouldn't explain the fencing but would explain closing the street. Of course, they could ameliorate the problem with better crosswalks, traffic signals, and removing a lane or two from that block of NW 5.

[shawnw]

Yes, remove two lanes and do a mid-block crossing signal.

[Pete]

OKCPS owns the property directly south of the old bank drive-thru which was demolished.

It's on the NE corner of 4th & Western and they also demolished this building which was built in 1932. This is outside any design review district so no approvals were required.

[shawnw]

Agitating. I've only ever seen one car parked in the overflow parking lot, there's always plenty of space in the main one. Why would they need to destroy another building?

[Pete]

Agitating. I've only ever seen one car parked in the overflow parking lot, there's always plenty of space in the main one. Why would they need to destroy another building?

And they just bought it recently. Why?

[shawnw]

Omg

[riflesforwatie]

That whole situation was extremely weird. For a few days, the building looked cleaned up, almost like someone had gone in and salvaged a bunch of equipment inside, cleaned the windows, etc. I really thought it was being renovated. Then a few days later, boom, the whole building was gone. I second the thing about the overflow parking lot - no one is ever parked there (granted, a lot of them probably work from home now, but still) - so why tear it down?

[Dob Hooligan]

That whole situation was extremely weird. For a few days, the building looked cleaned up, almost like someone had gone in and salvaged a bunch of equipment inside, cleaned the windows, etc. I really thought it was being renovated. Then a few days later, boom, the whole building was gone. I second the thing about the overflow parking lot - no one is ever parked there (granted, a lot of them probably work from home now, but still) - so why tear it down?

I'm guessing they learned from the drive through bank heartburn that it is much easier to remove a structure that doesn't fit in their long term plans as quickly as possible. Eliminates the preservationist mobilization.