Mayfair Shopping Center

[shartel_ave]

Chick-fil-A near 63rd & N May uses a two lane system that doesn’t merge, though they just use delineator posts beyond the speaker boxes to keep the lanes separated.

doesn't the second lane have a person hand you your order there? there is no conveyor belt right?

[Mississippi Blues]

doesn't the second lane have a person hand you your order there? there is no conveyor belt right?

Correct, it’s all brought to you by an actual employee.

[shartel_ave]

Correct, it’s all brought to you by an actual employee.

probably weird me asking that but I have only had chic fil a one time in my life

[Pete]

The old gas station is coming down this morning:

[Pete]

[shartel_ave]

The apartments behind michaels kind of reminds me of government housing growing up as a kid.

[Bill Robertson]

The apartments behind michaels kind of reminds me of government housing growing up as a kid.

Yeah. And I don't remember if it was during original construction or a remodel but at least some of the buildings sat partially finished for many years.

[Pete]

The complex is called Mayfair Gardens and it's cool. Great mid-century charm and lots of green space all around. One of the buildings has a neat courtyard.

I walk by there almost every day and can see they stay fully leased.

I frequently see people who live there walking to and from Aldi and Target. It's a great location.

[Pete]

The complex is called Mayfair Gardens and it's cool. Great mid-century charm and lots of green space all around. One of the buildings has a neat courtyard and all the parking is behind the buildings.

I walk by there almost every day and can see they stay fully leased.

I frequently see residents walking to and from Aldi, Target and Walgreens... And now Summer Moon and very soon, Empire. That new Domino store will also have a large kitchen and their new builds are quite nice. It's a great location.

[Bill Robertson]

The complex is called Mayfair Gardens and it's cool. Great mid-century charm and lots of green space all around. One of the buildings has a neat courtyard and all the parking is behind the buildings.

I walk by there almost every day and can see they stay fully leased.

I frequently see residents walking to and from Aldi, Target and Walgreens... And now Summer Moon and very soon, Empire. That new Domino store will also have a large kitchen and their new builds are quite nice. It's a great location.

I've always thought they were a cool place and a great location. I always wondered why half of them sat unfinished and empty for so long. Kind of like the ones on the East side of Penn near 39th but Mayfair Gardens sat for way longer. Seems like most of the time I was in grade, Jr and Sr high and many years after that. I was thrilled when I saw work finally being done to finish them.

[shartel_ave]

The complex is called Mayfair Gardens and it's cool. Great mid-century charm and lots of green space all around. One of the buildings has a neat courtyard.

I walk by there almost every day and can see they stay fully leased.

I frequently see people who live there walking to and from Aldi and Target. It's a great location.

I like the old school apartments like that. Living in government housing similar to those apartments until 5th grade was pretty fun as a kid, always a lot of other kids playing outside and riding bikes back in the early 80's.

Although Alazán-Apache Courts in San Antonio was not exactly like this it still reminds me of these apartments.

[Bowser214]

That plot of cleared land on the south side would be great for an apartment complex with retail/restaurants on the first floor.

[barrettd]

I'm still kind of floored to see this shopping center reshaped like this. So many memories at the stores there for the first 20 or so years of my life, and now with the demo of the EZ shop, the last of the places I frequented has come down. Bittersweet, but very exciting for the future.

[Pete]

Found these on the LoopNet site:

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/4900...y-OK/25744252/

Conceptual plan for the land just south of Michael's. I believe Pad #1 is under contract to Taco Casa.

Turns out Pad #1 will be a Panda Express:

[Ward]

I thought Harbor Freight was going in here?

[Pete]

I thought Harbor Freight was going in here?

That was for the west section of the center and the deal fell through some time ago.

[Pete]

[Pete]

[stlokc]

So we no longer really have a Mayfair Shopping Center. We have disjointed buildings and yet more fast food parcels with drive-thrus. Seriously, how many fast food places does one town need?

I didn't grow up near Mayfair and wasn't there very often but I do remember some unique local shops in there. Color me disappointed in what this area has become.

[stlokc]

Also, this area, in my head, qualifies as fairly urban (at least by OKC standards).

And yet they are still building the huge parking lots in front of the stores with very minimal landscaping. And no attempt at architectural continuity. I mean, even the most exurban parts of St. Louis are getting away from that. What gives?

[Pete]

I live nearby and would never call this area urban. It's near-suburban and has the same characteristics as much more farther-flung suburban areas: Mainly homes on largish lots with some commercial on the key arterial streets, especially at the section line intersections. Mayfair was just one of the first to follow this model that remains so popular today.

What Mayfair was really no longer exists. To the extent there are still large shopping centers, they are anchored by big-box retailers, small restaurants and services. When Mayfair was built, it was almost all smaller retail. Even the two grocery stores and TG&Y were very small compared to 'anchors' of the modern era. And then the rest were small clothing and shoe stores plus a bit of service.

Frankly, we should all be grateful and amazed any of that center is still around. You could probably drive from 10th to 178th along May today and not see even half the number of clothing and soft goods stores that were once all concentrated in Mayfair.

Also, consider what the service station was vs. what it is now. The original gas station on the corner was tiny and the Domino that is taking it's place is about 5X as large. There has been a big transition from small, specialty stores to huge ones that offer much more (like a kitchen and seating and a big carwash).

I walk through that center at least 4 times a week. You are mourning something that has been long gone for decades. That center was almost completely empty and really run down. I would love to have boutique stores and small sit-down restaurants, but that was not feasible even 20 years ago, let alone today. And frankly, Summer Moon, Empire and Domino are all great additions that will get tons of business.


The parking all comes from city ordinances. You have to have x number of spaces per SF of retail and restaurants. Many have advocated getting rid of that requirement altogether (as we have downtown and all various districts) and letting the property owners build as much parking as they want to build.


BTW, there is still a great, old-school barbershop in Mayfair. Been there quite and while and they recently moved him to a brand new spot next Summer Moon Coffee, and it's miles nicer than before. And I'm thrilled to have an Aldi so close; that area hasn't had a grocery store in at least 30 years.

[stlokc]

Pete,
Thank you for taking the time to write all that. You are largely correct, as you usually are, and especially from the standpoint of someone who lives nearby, I defer. To a degree.

But I guess what confuses me is that OKC has generally had a real awakening in the last 10-20 years in terms of the degree to which it appreciates urban principles. I think about everything happening all across the core of the city, and even suburban developments like OAK and Chisholm Creek that nod to these trends. I do mourn the loss of local retail but there are many ways to build that are not so slash and burn. I mean, you could start by lining the buildings up closer to May along the lines that obviously exist in the neighborhoods to the south that are visible in these pictures. Just put the parking in the back and that would solve half of what I am talking about. You could build the Aldi and the bank and the Summer Moon place in the architectural style of Mayfair, a style that is at least vaguely present in that Michael's building. I can picture many fast food restaurants across the country that I have seen that "fit" with their local style.

I acknowledge that mom-and-pop grocers have given way to Aldi and mom-and-pop boutiques have given way to chains. But it's not the content of what is there that gives me pause as much as the aesthetics of how this is developing.

By the way, don't get me started on the gas stations. Something "5x as large" as whatever was there is a negative in my book. In St. Louis, neighborhoods fight against these large, Kwok-Trip colossuses and often win. I wouldn't want to live behind one.

Oh well. Rant over LOL.

[Bill Robertson]

stlokc, I think views on things like gas stations has much to do with what you're used to. We go to STL 5 or 6 long weekends a year to catch Cards games and eat, drink and be merry in between. One thing that bugs us to death there is the lack of mega gas stations/convenience stores. We love have to here. It's a matter of perspective based on what you're used to.

[TheTravellers]

...I mean, you could start by lining the buildings up closer to May along the lines that obviously exist in the neighborhoods to the south that are visible in these pictures. Just put the parking in the back and that would solve half of what I am talking about. You could build the Aldi and the bank and the Summer Moon place in the architectural style of Mayfair, a style that is at least vaguely present in that Michael's building. I can picture many fast food restaurants across the country that I have seen that "fit" with their local style. ...

First of all, the owners aren't going to tear up the existing parking lots just to move the buildings closer to the street, that will just never happen.

Second, the Aldi was built in the style of pretty much all Aldis - it's just a block. The bank has been there for decades and will never be rebuilt in the Mayfair "style", which isn't really that great of a style, if you're talking about the "style" of the Michael's part, it's just faux dormers added on top of regular rooflines.

Third, the Summer Moon/barber strip is an original building from when Mayfair was *originally* built, way back when, so they've done a great job of preserving that, major kudos to them for the effort.

[Pete]

^

But it's not just gas stations, it's all manner of retail and even restaurants.

When you and I were kids (and Mayfair was still thriving) there was no such thing as a 5,000 SF restaurant; now there are hundreds if not thousands in the OKC area.

Same with grocery stores (Winco and Walmart vs. Humpty Dumpty), hardware (Lowes and Home Depot vs. mom & pop store) and general merchandisers (Target and Walmart vs. TG&Y). And all the modern-day equivalents mentioned are within 2 miles of Mayfair, not to mention a massive Sam's Club within walking distance.

Remember, Aldi was sold their land precisely because Mayfair couldn't rent the dated shopping center that was there before it. And at least in OKC, Aldi is not going to build a store to blend in with a large center -- in fact, there are tons of reasons why that's not a good business model for them.

You mentioned OAK... What was there before? An abandoned Salvation Army office building, an ugly 1970s office park and some small homes. You should see that as a huge step forward instead and an extreme outlier (Classen Curve is the only thing in the area that comes close) rather than a model for all old strip centers. Go look at 50th & Meridan or 63rd and MacArthur which were the centers my parents shopped when I was a kid. They are in far, far worse shape than Mayfair; the latter was so atrocious it was demolished in full and it was actually a relief in many ways.

And while we are at it, at the time Mayfair was thriving nearby Penn Square was way smaller. Now it's an enclosed regional mall with at least twice the amount of square footage, plus out-parcels for the Cheesecake Factory, Whiskey Cake and the Container Store.


You will find no one more sentimental than me. I remember shopping at Mayfair as a kid. Just before they tore down the section that once held OTASCO, I ran my hand across that building and said a private goodbye -- I felt someone should.

But as is the case with most things we are sentimental about, we fail to realize those memories had been blown up decades before and it just takes the violent shove of a demolition to make you face a loss that had already happened long ago.