OKLAHOMA CITY | Projects & Construction

[Peerson]

Wilshire Point

Wilshire Point is a 26-acre mixed use development currently under construction in East Nichols Hills.

It's designed as a mix of residential, commercial, and community space.
This is all under the mantra of "Live, Work, Play"... that is becoming a contemporary urban trend.




It's located at the SE corner of N. Classen Blvd. & W. Wilshire Blvd.



This will put residents close to Classen Curve, Nichols Hills Plaza, and a number of restaurants, shops, and other businesses along North Western Avenue.


Wilshire Point is being developed by Blackstone Commercial Property Advisors, LC

They describe it as a master-planned community having the following components & amenities:

• 5 contemporary single-family homes
• 14 garden offices
• a 160-unit high end apartment complex
• 55,000 sf of executive garage storage condos
• self storage units for residents
• a restaurant, coffee shop, deli / lunch cafe
• limited retail and services
• a resort pool, spa and fitness center
• pet park, natural walking trails, and other parks and ponds
• public meeting spaces - for art shows, food trucks, live entertainment, etc.

Renderings:









The executive garage condos would be used mostly for storing vehicles.
This is an image provided by Blackstone showing how they would look:



http://www.wilshirepoint.com/project-renderings


Site Map:



larger resolution site map: http://www.wilshirepoint.com/cdn/assets/clients/532/media/6b99377aae1d9489b19b62afc4d31f7e.jpeg


The project is led by David Bohanon, a local OKC resident and real estate broker.

website: http://wilshirepoint.com


Pete from OKCTalk took several nice aerials of the construction starting last year.

5-9-2018




11-5-2018




2-12-2019





https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=42351


Blackstone recently posted some photos of the progress on their facebook page.
These are from early August:
























source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Real-Estate/Wilshire-Point-147216749451522/

So, a good start on this project.

Early emphasis appears to be on the single family dwellings, office space, and the storage facility.
Nothing started yet on the apartment complex.
So much more to go.

[NYC2ATX]

The merging of ultra modern architecture with classic materials like brick really soars. I see this trend in a lot of places and I love it.

[Peerson]

Left Frame Lofts

Glass railing is being installed.


https://deskgram.net/p/2112031087835659474_256780250


Rendering:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/631-W-California-Ave-Oklahoma-City-OK-73102/2087392875_zpid

[Peerson]

Pull-A-Part Relocation

A downtown automobile junkyard is moving to a new location.

Pull-A-Part has been at the same spot for decades, next to the river.





https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=45258

It used to be somewhat isolated out there.
But the downtown area is being re-developed and gentrified, up to the river banks,
Scissortail Park, Wheeler District, American Indian Cultural Museum, and other park upgrades are all encroaching.
Increasingly, the junkyard has become out of place with the new developments.

The owners of Pull-A-Part undoubtedly realized this.
They've already purchased land a couple of miles to the south and plan to move the entire operation there.

This will free up over 14 acres next to the river.

It could be a prime spot for development.
Hotels, shops, and/or mixed-use commerical/residential would fit nicely into the area.
Great river views and close access to Scissortail Park and other downtown amenities would be automatic.

Is site cleanup an issue?

It seems reasonable that this might be a problem after decades of junk cars being stored there.
But the current owners believe that there are no environmental issues.
They had a study of the land made when they purchased the business a few years ago, and it revealed no problems.

https://oklahoman.com/article/5638272/ju...offered-for-sale-to-move-to-new-location

There are some issues to contend with, however.

The site is flanked by a railroad line on one side (noise and vibration) and a large utility substation on the other side.
The substation, of course, is not beautiful to look at and takes up a lot of (otherwise useful) real estate.

The substation is actually new and was relocated itself about a year ago to accomodate the new convention center.
Re-development of the area would have been much easier if the substation had been moved somewhere else.

Furthermore, access to the site is limited.
It is hemmed in by I-40, the river, and the railroad line.
The only road in is SE 15th Street which has no interchange with Shields, the main north/south road through the area.

Presumably the access issue can be resolved once there's sufficient motivation.
It might involve some help from the city.
Because otherwise, this is a great spot for new development.



https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=45258&page=2

[Peerson]

Convention Center:


https://twitter.com/Maps3


Incidentally, today was the "ribbon cutting" ceremony for the Oklahoma City Boulevard.
Someone posted a pic of a notification card while at the event.


https://deskgram.net/p/2114219950785645699_403739836


The mayor (and governor) made an appearance.


https://twitter.com/davidfholt/status/1163565452653674497


This is a bit silly, though, as the boulevard is far from being finished.


https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=39688&page=45

[Peerson]

Poe Bouyz House

This cajun and seafood restaurant opened today.


https://twitter.com/OKCTalk/status/1163889319800688640

Don't adjust your monitor -- it's supposed to look like that!

This is the work and passion of owner Tony Howard, who is also building it himself.
This has been under construction for over four years.
Tony has worked on it when he had the time and finances permitted.

from an Uncovering Oklahoma article:

During my one-on-one tour with Tony, he shared details of a Vegas–style decor complete with a 3D underwater painting on the floor, a VIP area upstairs, and a bar surrounded by a waterfall.
Poe Bouyz House also features a rooftop waterfall, which to both of our knowledge, is the only waterfall on a roof in the state and perhaps the country.
He said people have thought the building sprung a leak when he turns on his waterfall.

http://www.uncoveringoklahoma.com/2017/07/poe-bouyz-house-sneak-peek-tour/

They posted a video which gives a good look at Tony Howard and his zany creation.

• Video Link

Note: the video is about 2 years old, with much work left to be done.


Menu:





https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=43461

I'll get back to you whenever I found out how the interior turned out.


Edit:
I'm not sure what the inspiration for Tony's house design was.
But it reminds me of the kit house that Buster Keaton made in his silent film One Week:


https://www.treehugger.com/modular-desig...uild-kit-house-his-first-solo-movie.html

[Peerson]

Scissortail Park









https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=24502&page=96



Convention Center







https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=26179&page=189



Wheeler District









https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=21961&page=78

[Peerson]

Here's a bit of recent history.

Just a couple of years ago, OKC tore down some historic buildings to make room for the BOK tower.
This included the old Hotel Black, the Motor Hotel (30's era parking garage), Union Bus Station, and several others.

While preservationists decried the loss, at least we got a shiny new downtown tower in return.


https://bokparkplaza.com/toc.cfm

And some great views for the upper floor offices.


original: https://bokparkplaza.com/images/portfolio/gallery8.jpg
source: https://bokparkplaza.com/toc.cfm

But what of the demolished buildings?
Do they deserve any kind of commemoration on the part of the new development?

In the case of the Union Bus Station, the answer was yes, apparently.
The bus station, built in 1940, was something of a downtown icon.


https://brettdeering.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/union-bus-station/

It was getting a bit crusty and run down, though.


https://weburbanist.com/2015/03/08/terminal-velocity-10-abandoned-intercity-bus-stations/

The bus station was slated for demolition, not for the BOK tower itself, but for an adjacent parking garage that was needed.
The outcry on the part of some was not enough to save the building, but BOK decided to throw a bone to the preservationists.

The old bus sign was saved, cleaned up, and fully restored.
It was then placed into a hexagonal glass case and installed at the corner of the new parking garage.


https://www.instagram.com/p/Bww9BXdhgW2/

Some folks (in a satiric fashion) referred to it as a sarcophagus.

It's possibly a bit confusing to visitors to the city to see that bus sign and figure out the purpose.
I've heard mention that some tourists thought it was an actual bus station and wondered where the entrance was.

But it does light up at night.





http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=39700&page=127

It's always a sticky subject when older, historic structures are taken down for the sake of new stuff.
And to what extent the new site owes to the memory of what was taken away.

[Peerson]

The Boulevard


https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=45033&page=2

Villa Teresa


https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=29042&page=11

[Peerson]

Gold Dome

The owner of the Gold Dome applied for a permit to demolish the attached drive thru structure.





https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=33509&page=21

The drive thru is not original.
The demo is likely to be approved.

The owner has recently spent some money on the roof, making repairs.
We still don't know what re-use will be found for this iconic building.


https://twitter.com/stevejkfor/status/1163543486316105729

[Peerson]

Canvas Bistro

A new restaurant, presumably called Canvas Bistro, is going to open in a renovated building on Broadway.


https://deskgram.net/p/2115396132367966157_3300853275


https://deskgram.net/p/2072680656450058059_3300853275

This is the brainchild and passion of Larry Dean Pickering.


https://www.instagram.com/p/B0JESERh6gR/

Pickering is an interesting character.
He is already known about town for his work on many local restaurants, designing kitchens.
Recently, for example, he worked on Nonesuch.

After all the contributions he has made to other people's restaurants, he decided to start his own.

On Friday, Pickering signed a lease to take over a space at 611 N. Broadway where he'll open his own restaurant called Canvas.

Canvas will include a full bar at the front of the space, an open kitchen and tables that easily convert into a single communal table. But before any of that is accomplished, Pickering will participate in Thirst for a Cause.

Once the restaurant and bar open later this year, Pickering promises a place that serves proper iterations of classic cocktails without calling it craft and a simple, seasonal menu to support an inclusive, creative environment.

https://oklahoman.com/article/5603956/nonesuch-gains-national-notice

The old building being renovated, at 611 N. Broadway, is directly across the street from the Heartland HQ under construction.




https://deskgram.net/p/2074130310765210430_3300853275

It will have some nice views along Broadway.


https://www.instagram.com/p/B0igXzfh7-D/

While no website has been set up yet, Pickering has created several social media accounts for Canvas Bistro.
For example: https://www.instagram.com/canvasbistrookc/

And made quite a few posts on the work and its progress.
Here's some samples:


https://www.instagram.com/p/BqgMI3chPDP/


https://www.instagram.com/p/BrOwTybB__Q/


https://www.instagram.com/p/By-Y37mBPHV/


https://www.instagram.com/p/BtR20XTh0o8/


https://www.instagram.com/p/BwKBqIaB79J/

This will be a nice spot for Broadway.
And a great location for Heartland employees to grab a bite, if the bistro serves lunch.
Good luck to Mr. Pickering on this.


https://www.gofundme.com/f/canvas-bistro-okc

[Peerson]

Downtown Aquarium

The Oklahoma City Zoo has made a proposal for a downtown aquarium as part of MAPS4.



While the notion of an aquarium has been kicked around for awhile, this is the first formal proposal that I've seen.

The cost of the project is estimated at $100-150 million.
The idea is to create a "world class destination" for the city.

What is even more interesting is that, rather than being a stand alone development, it would be integrated into an extension of the Bricktown canal.




comments from Don Hayes , one of the presenters of the package:

The canal would be extended westbound, and the aquarium would be constructed adjacent to Summit Gyms at OKC Silos.

Hayes envisions a wall of glass within the aquarium where you could see aquatic animals.

He said the city could even continue extending the canal to Scissortail Park in the future.

more comments from Hayes:

... the canal doesn’t go anywhere. It just goes down and turns around,” Hayes said.

“So we said, ‘What if we gave the canal a destination?’ so that when people are coming into Bricktown and they want to know what’s in the canal taxi,
well, it goes all the way over to the Oklahoma City aquarium; inside the aquarium, as a matter of fact.

We can make it a Disney-type affair.”

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=45286

Note that there is no guarantee of the proposal's inclusion into MAPS4.
Even if it is, the renderings are very speculative and the designs may change considerably.

But it is a bold and innovative idea.
I love it!
I truly hope this, or something like it, comes to pass.

Edit:

The wall facing the interstate would actually be a video wall.

Here are a couple of simulations showing how it might look:

• Video Link


• Video Link

[colemonkee]

I think OKC got the better end of the deal with the BOK tower. The only thing worth saving from the old bus depot would have been the sign (which, in retrospect - pun fully intended) could have been added to the corner of the parking structure. The rest of the building didn't have anything architecturally significant.

[Peerson]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

I think OKC got the better end of the deal with the BOK tower. The only thing worth saving from the old bus depot would have been the sign (which, in retrospect - pun fully intended) could have been added to the corner of the parking structure. The rest of the building didn't have anything architecturally significant.

Yes, but the bus station was not removed to build the BOK tower.
It was demolished to make room for an adjacent parking garage.

The parking garage could have been made taller and less long, leaving room to save the bus station.
There were several ideas about re-using the old station as a diner or cafe. There were options.

But it's not that big of a deal to me. We've lost much nicer and more significant buildings.

To me, the weird thing was the "tribute" paid by placing the old sign into the corner of the replacement garage.
I couldn't decide at the time if it was cool... or just strange.
And I still haven't decided (because it's a bit of both).

[DetroitSky]

Thank you for all these updates! There's something so satisfying about seeing a city fill up their vacant lots.

[jtown,man]

The narrative of every project really draws me in. I feel like I know OKC quite well now...and want that little bistro to do well lol

Good job Peerson!

[patriotizzy]

Originally Posted by Peerson

Yes, but the bus station was not removed to build the BOK tower.
It was demolished to make room for an adjacent parking garage.

The parking garage could have been made taller and less long, leaving room to save the bus station.
There were several ideas about re-using the old station as a diner or cafe. There were options.

But it's not that big of a deal to me. We've lost much nicer and more significant buildings.

To me, the weird thing was the "tribute" paid by placing the old sign into the corner of the replacement garage.
I couldn't decide at the time if it was cool... or just strange.
And I still haven't decided (because it's a bit of both).

Personally, I dislike the way they went about preserving the sign. The sign is meant to be present and neon-lit. The way they preserved it, behind glass, flood-lit bright white, destroys the character neon-lights give to an art piece. The fin is supposed to stick out of the building, showcasing its beautiful signage. However, it's enclosed, with little of its character left. Can't fault them for trying, but that beautiful piece needs to come out of that horrendous glass shell and let it shine the way it should be. (Why does everything have to be enclosed in glass ffs. Glass is what destroys street character to begin with).

[Peerson]

Left Frame Lofts

In addition to glass railings, living room walls are now being installed.


https://deskgram.net/p/2111932808414341694_5867904356



https://deskgram.net/p/2116289149333312801_5867904356



https://deskgram.net/p/2116787728749510745_11130663314

[Peerson]

Monarch Building






https://www.instagram.com/p/B1g79ADhWr9/



New OU Medical Center Patient Tower


https://www.earthcam.net/projects/turner/oumedicalcenter

[Peerson]

Mexican Radio

This new new Tex-mex restaurant is set to open in the Plaza District on Monday.


original: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EASJIrcWsAE2vHw.jpg
source: https://twitter.com/stevejkfor/status/1154198195901276160

OKC Gazette got some preview photos yesterday.









https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=44901&page=2

The rainbow arch makes for such a cool looking covered patio.