Boardwalk at Bricktown / Dream Hotel

[PhiAlpha]

Basically all the casual conversation and coverage I have seen of this project has treated OKC people as being the lunatics responsible for it. For example I listen to The B1M construction YouTube channel and podcast pretty religiously and to my disappointment their coverage of this was more or less just general mockery. It'd be hard to quantify but Matteson has done some amount of actual damage to OKC with this nonsense.

Yeah I'm sorry, I don't care what podcasts were talking about it. He hasn't done any actual "damage" to OKC or it's reputation. To think otherwise seems very dramatic. No one who matters will care about or possibly even remember this after it disappears from the news (it's already starting to happen). Building the tallest building in the US in OKC does sound like a stupid idea so props to them for recognizing how dumb it sounded when our own newspapers and stations failed to even ask questions that a casual skeptic would have.

On the positive side, they were actually talking about OKC on podcasts on which they otherwise probably wouldn't have been at all.

[PhiAlpha]

People who are mocking OKC based on this announcement are doing so because they already held those beliefs about OKC. The reality is the super tall only makes sense for 2-3 US cities. I don’t think the announcement did any damage.

Exactly

[David]

Maybe I am doomposting too much but I am pretty sure I am not. This project is a net negative for OKC at this point and that will only prove to be more true over time.

[Rover]

Maybe I am doomposting too much but I am pretty sure I am not. This project is a net negative for OKC at this point and that will only prove to be more true over time.

In what way?

People move or don’t move because of some press releases about a building project. Companies don’t invest in cities or make decisions to move based on buildings that may not get built.

People need to get out in the real world and quit going up or down and obsessing over things in their echo chamber.

[jn1780]

It would only be a negative if there is an actual scam going on. There are pipe dream towers all the time and sometimes towers stall mid-construction is worse than something on paper not becoming reality.

[PhiAlpha]

In what way?

People move or don’t move because of some press releases about a building project. Companies don’t invest in cities or make decisions to move based on buildings that may not get built.

People need to get out in the real world and quit going up or down and obsessing over things in their echo chamber.

people need to TOUCH GRASS!!!

[PhiAlpha]

It would only be a negative if there is an actual scam going on. There are pipe dream towers all the time and sometimes towers stall mid-construction is worse than something on paper not becoming reality.

I think it would be more of a net negative if the tower was actually built. Especially if they ran out of money halfway though the project. Would look like crap on the skyline and most likely be empty.

[mugofbeer]

I think it would be more of a net negative if the tower was actually built. Especially if they ran out of money halfway though the project. Would look like crap on the skyline and most likely be empty.

Maybe they could put a big gas flame on the top like Lord of the Rings looking south to Texas.........

[Pete]

From Sunday's Oklahoman. The author is a principal of a local PR firm.

********

Is Scot Matteson’s 1,907-foot skyscraper a pipe dream? Naysayers never build anything
Russ Florence Guest columnist

I wonder what Ray Ackerman would have thought of Scot Matteson?

If Matteson’s name doesn’t ring a bell, his project will. He’s the man behind the proposed 1,907-foot skyscraper in Bricktown, which would make it the tallest building in the country.

The plan has been met with skepticism, to say the least. Critics have questioned the wisdom of building such a structure in Tornado Alley. There are also factors of the market. While Oklahoma City is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, it also sprawls over 621 square miles. Density is not an issue.

As for Ackerman, if you don’t know his name, you know his legacy. Ray Ackerman was a visionary. He was an optimist. No dream was too audacious. In the early 1980s ― decades before Riversport OKC and the Boathouse District ― Ackerman proposed turning the blighted North Canadian River into a national attraction.

It seemed preposterous. “We have the only river in Oklahoma,” the joke went, “that you have to mow.” Who would dream of such a thing?

I’m not privy to the conversations, but I imagine that Ackerman’s idea was met with derisive cynicism. Imagine if social media had existed then. The idea would have been beaten to a pulp as soon as it left his mouth.

Is Scot Matteson’s plan a pipe dream? Could it happen? Admittedly, I’ve rolled my eyes at the drawings. But I also admire big thinkers ― people who create a plan, evangelize it to the masses, work it endlessly and prove the naysayers wrong. Can you show me one good thing that naysayers have built?

I have my doubts about Matteson’s plan. But I’m also rooting for him.

A few days ago, I stopped to read a plaque at Will Rogers Gardens about Margaret Annis Boys. You may not know her name either. She was born in 1909 and spent her career as a teacher and principal in Oklahoma City. She loved taking weekend excursions to see wildflowers and foliage across the state.

When she died in 1990, she left $1.5 million to establish a fund to support beautification efforts. The arboretum at Will Rogers wasn’t built by a cynic or a naysayer. It was built by a humble, committed dreamer: Margaret Annis Boys.

Outside of City Hall is a statue of Stanley Draper. Like Ackerman, Draper was known for his Utopian ideas. Better yet, he had the fortitude and tenacity to make it happen. Much of Oklahoma City’s mid-century progress ― Tinker Air Force Base, Will Rogers World Airport, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum ― was because of Draper.

Fittingly, the inscription at the base is a quote from Ackerman: “He dreamed impossible dreams … then inspired and united all who could make them probable.”

Outside the Chesapeake Boathouse, on the west end of the district, is a statue of Ackerman himself, standing tall, arms crossed, gazing toward a downtown and a city that only the visionaries could ever imagine.

There’s not a statue of a cynic in sight.

Russ Florence
Russ Florence lives and works in Oklahoma City. His column appears monthly in Viewpoints.

[catcherinthewry]

^^^ Shameless

[Bill Robertson]

If Matteson actually builds this thing then maybe he deserves to be on the same page with Boys, Draper and Ackerman. Maybe. Until then no way.

[Richard at Remax]

From Sunday's Oklahoman. The author is a principal of a local PR firm.

********

Is Scot Matteson’s 1,907-foot skyscraper a pipe dream? Naysayers never build anything
Russ Florence Guest columnist

I wonder what Ray Ackerman would have thought of Scot Matteson?

If Matteson’s name doesn’t ring a bell, his project will. He’s the man behind the proposed 1,907-foot skyscraper in Bricktown, which would make it the tallest building in the country.

The plan has been met with skepticism, to say the least. Critics have questioned the wisdom of building such a structure in Tornado Alley. There are also factors of the market. While Oklahoma City is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, it also sprawls over 621 square miles. Density is not an issue.

As for Ackerman, if you don’t know his name, you know his legacy. Ray Ackerman was a visionary. He was an optimist. No dream was too audacious. In the early 1980s ― decades before Riversport OKC and the Boathouse District ― Ackerman proposed turning the blighted North Canadian River into a national attraction.

It seemed preposterous. “We have the only river in Oklahoma,” the joke went, “that you have to mow.” Who would dream of such a thing?

I’m not privy to the conversations, but I imagine that Ackerman’s idea was met with derisive cynicism. Imagine if social media had existed then. The idea would have been beaten to a pulp as soon as it left his mouth.

Is Scot Matteson’s plan a pipe dream? Could it happen? Admittedly, I’ve rolled my eyes at the drawings. But I also admire big thinkers ― people who create a plan, evangelize it to the masses, work it endlessly and prove the naysayers wrong. Can you show me one good thing that naysayers have built?

I have my doubts about Matteson’s plan. But I’m also rooting for him.

A few days ago, I stopped to read a plaque at Will Rogers Gardens about Margaret Annis Boys. You may not know her name either. She was born in 1909 and spent her career as a teacher and principal in Oklahoma City. She loved taking weekend excursions to see wildflowers and foliage across the state.

When she died in 1990, she left $1.5 million to establish a fund to support beautification efforts. The arboretum at Will Rogers wasn’t built by a cynic or a naysayer. It was built by a humble, committed dreamer: Margaret Annis Boys.

Outside of City Hall is a statue of Stanley Draper. Like Ackerman, Draper was known for his Utopian ideas. Better yet, he had the fortitude and tenacity to make it happen. Much of Oklahoma City’s mid-century progress ― Tinker Air Force Base, Will Rogers World Airport, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum ― was because of Draper.

Fittingly, the inscription at the base is a quote from Ackerman: “He dreamed impossible dreams … then inspired and united all who could make them probable.”

Outside the Chesapeake Boathouse, on the west end of the district, is a statue of Ackerman himself, standing tall, arms crossed, gazing toward a downtown and a city that only the visionaries could ever imagine.

There’s not a statue of a cynic in sight.

Russ Florence
Russ Florence lives and works in Oklahoma City. His column appears monthly in Viewpoints.

One of the dumbest articles I've read lately from the Oklahoman

[G.Walker]

From Sunday's Oklahoman. The author is a principal of a local PR firm.

********

Is Scot Matteson’s 1,907-foot skyscraper a pipe dream? Naysayers never build anything
Russ Florence Guest columnist

I wonder what Ray Ackerman would have thought of Scot Matteson?

If Matteson’s name doesn’t ring a bell, his project will. He’s the man behind the proposed 1,907-foot skyscraper in Bricktown, which would make it the tallest building in the country.

The plan has been met with skepticism, to say the least. Critics have questioned the wisdom of building such a structure in Tornado Alley. There are also factors of the market. While Oklahoma City is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, it also sprawls over 621 square miles. Density is not an issue.

As for Ackerman, if you don’t know his name, you know his legacy. Ray Ackerman was a visionary. He was an optimist. No dream was too audacious. In the early 1980s ― decades before Riversport OKC and the Boathouse District ― Ackerman proposed turning the blighted North Canadian River into a national attraction.

It seemed preposterous. “We have the only river in Oklahoma,” the joke went, “that you have to mow.” Who would dream of such a thing?

I’m not privy to the conversations, but I imagine that Ackerman’s idea was met with derisive cynicism. Imagine if social media had existed then. The idea would have been beaten to a pulp as soon as it left his mouth.

Is Scot Matteson’s plan a pipe dream? Could it happen? Admittedly, I’ve rolled my eyes at the drawings. But I also admire big thinkers ― people who create a plan, evangelize it to the masses, work it endlessly and prove the naysayers wrong. Can you show me one good thing that naysayers have built?

I have my doubts about Matteson’s plan. But I’m also rooting for him.

A few days ago, I stopped to read a plaque at Will Rogers Gardens about Margaret Annis Boys. You may not know her name either. She was born in 1909 and spent her career as a teacher and principal in Oklahoma City. She loved taking weekend excursions to see wildflowers and foliage across the state.

When she died in 1990, she left $1.5 million to establish a fund to support beautification efforts. The arboretum at Will Rogers wasn’t built by a cynic or a naysayer. It was built by a humble, committed dreamer: Margaret Annis Boys.

Outside of City Hall is a statue of Stanley Draper. Like Ackerman, Draper was known for his Utopian ideas. Better yet, he had the fortitude and tenacity to make it happen. Much of Oklahoma City’s mid-century progress ― Tinker Air Force Base, Will Rogers World Airport, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum ― was because of Draper.

Fittingly, the inscription at the base is a quote from Ackerman: “He dreamed impossible dreams … then inspired and united all who could make them probable.”

Outside the Chesapeake Boathouse, on the west end of the district, is a statue of Ackerman himself, standing tall, arms crossed, gazing toward a downtown and a city that only the visionaries could ever imagine.

There’s not a statue of a cynic in sight.

Russ Florence
Russ Florence lives and works in Oklahoma City. His column appears monthly in Viewpoints.

Great article!

[CS_Mike]

So because Ackerman had an idea that didn't come to fruition until 20+ years after he proposed it, and it wasn't even implemented by him, we should cut Matteson some slack? That's an odd argument.

[jn1780]

Great article!

Sure if we ignore everything else we know about Matteson's resume.

[BDP]

Sure if we ignore everything else we know about Matteson's resume.

And that the article is equating civil works projects to an idea for a hotel / condo building.

[David]

In what way?

People move or don’t move because of some press releases about a building project. Companies don’t invest in cities or make decisions to move based on buildings that may not get built.

People need to get out in the real world and quit going up or down and obsessing over things in their echo chamber.

General reputation damage for the city as a whole, making us look less serious in the eyes of the world.

[Teo9969]

General reputation damage for the city as a whole, making us look less serious in the eyes of the world.

The Olympics and completion of the arena will wipe away any residual knowledge of this farce. The 537 people outside of OKC who remember about this in 2035 will also have to live down those 2 things.

This is marginally more important than the Clayco buildings, if not actually less given that Stage Center was given up for those to never coalesce

[Decious]

The Olympics and completion of the arena will wipe away any residual knowledge of this farce. The 537 people outside of OKC who remember about this in 2035 will also have to live down those 2 things.

This is marginally more important than the Clayco buildings, if not actually less given that Stage Center was given up for those to never coalesce

Agree.

[Rover]

General reputation damage for the city as a whole, making us look less serious in the eyes of the world.

Get real. Less serious about what? People do business here if they believe they can make money here. They couldn’t care less about dreamed of buildings not getting built. If you think wild plans aren’t announced in Atlanta, or LA or NYC then you don’t follow it much. If this doesn’t happen then there will be no damage to OKCs reputation at all. The sky doesn’t fall over deals like this, no matter how many Chicken Littles post on this board.

Good grief… we have posters with rose colored glasses who refuse to believe it won’t happen, and then those who are ready to call it existential for the city. Get a grip OKCitians.

[Ryan]

ATL does have the most magnificent skylines. Much better than LA. It almost deserves its own thread. That said reputation does count. Austin, san Francisco both prove points about reputation delivering

[PhiAlpha]

ATL does have the most magnificent skylines. Much better than LA. It almost deserves its own thread. That said reputation does count. Austin, san Francisco both prove points about reputation delivering

What are you talking about? lol. Nothing about those cities’ “reputations” deliver more tall buildings, the economics do. People build where they know they can make money, they don’t look around and say “look at this magnificent skyline, I’m going to add to it regardless of whether it makes financial sense to do so!”

[Mr. Blue Sky]

In my opinion, this is such an idiotic idea in the first place.

The Oklahoman puff promotion of this project is absurd. Equating things in a public park, lake projects, etc, with somebody proposing the tallest building in the world (in the middle of the plains in the United States!) is SO over-the-top. And a PR person was involved in penning that?

Put me down as not wanting this ridiculous-looking tall tower in Oklahoma City even if it could somehow happen. It would look silly, be a laughing stock, like a city with a few small buildings with this monstrosity sticking up. No way do I want that.

[Oski]

Get real. Less serious about what? People do business here if they believe they can make money here. They couldn’t care less about dreamed of buildings not getting built. If you think wild plans aren’t announced in Atlanta, or LA or NYC then you don’t follow it much. If this doesn’t happen then there will be no damage to OKCs reputation at all. The sky doesn’t fall over deals like this, no matter how many Chicken Littles post on this board.

Good grief… we have posters with rose colored glasses who refuse to believe it won’t happen, and then those who are ready to call it existential for the city. Get a grip OKCitians.

This ^^^

I love all the drama.

[traxx]

For example I listen to The B1M construction YouTube channel and podcast pretty religiously and to my disappointment their coverage of this was more or less just general mockery. It'd be hard to quantify but Matteson has done some amount of actual damage to OKC with this nonsense.

The basic US citizen does not listen to this podcast. Even people who are thinking of moving to a different state and relocating don't listen to it. The people who frequent OKC Talk are not representative of the general population. We're a niche audience. I've been reading these forums for nearly 20 years and I've never heard of this podcast. So I really don't think a pod or a video that got a few hundred thousand views is creating a lot of negative imagery for OKC. Most of the US doesn't care about this.

Personally, I don't think this will get built. I don't think it should get built. It's ridiculous. If everything but the super tall gets built, then that'll be fine.