We CAN have a convention hotel ... For A Few Dollars More

Was a convention hotel mentioned as a part of the MAPS 3 campaign? Part of the June 11, 2013, City Council discussion focused on that question during a presentation by the Alliance for Oklahoma City Economic Development. A truncated version of the discussion, focusing only on this question, appears below ...

For a few dollars more.

MORE THAN WHAT? That would be more than the $280 million (now $250 million) that those in charge of the MAPS 3 campaign said that it would cost to fund the convention center element of MAPS 3 ... around $50-$250 million dollars more ... that the city would need to spend for the MAPS 3 convention center project for it to be economically viable. In this context, "city", unfortunately, means the taxpayers of Oklahoma City. You can be sure that the mayor and city council members, as individuals, aren't going to pony up the cost of financing a convention center hotel, right?

The above video only contains relevant portions of the council meeting as to whether a convention hotel was mentioned during the MAPS 3 campaign. The complete discussion between Ms. O'Connor and the City Council is in the 22:43 minute clip below. The main components of the discussion begin at the following time-points ... use the slider to move to particular locations ...

Cathy O'Connor ...	0:13	Credentials; Tom Morsch ...	12:20	Pete White ...	17:48
Ed Shadid ...	4:09; 12:20	Meg Salyer ...	15:48	Larry McAtee & Jeremy Stone ...	19:00
James Greiner ...	11:20	Patrick Ryan ...	16:53; 18:48	Motion & Vote ...	21:20

Links Within This Article
Background   Hotel History   Biltmore Hotel
What Would Colcord Do?   Urban Renewal Destruction   Urban Renewal Aftermath
Exiting Hotels   Pre-Maps 3 Chamber Viewpoint   Thunder Interlude
MAPS 3 Begins   The Chamber's Study    Dark City
Hotel Not Mentioned   Why Not?   The Chamber's Hotel Quest
Why Did O'Connor Say What She Did?

BACKGROUND. In this period, it is helpful to understand that a convention center AND a convention hotel were not always linked together as they have evidently come to be linked today. I'll begin with the easiest part, the development of the city's downtown hoteliers.

      A Glimpse At Downtown Hotel History. This by no means traces the history of Oklahoma City's downtown hotels and is only a peek at a part of it. Building and operating hotels involves a good bit of risk taking, and Oklahoma City's downtown hotel experience is abundantly steeped in both sides of that flipped coin, particularly concerning the frailty of downtown hotels when economic times are tough and public assistance in helping them survive was non-existent.

            The Biltmore. Construction of a large downtown hotel finds a precedent with the Biltmore. With construction starts and stops before it was completed, the Biltmore was constructed between 1929 and 1932, it opening in March during that year, a year after the Great Depression finally hit Oklahoma City. It involved a monumental undertaking for private business leaders to get the project completed. A number of city capitalists played key roles in making this hotel a reality, including Charles F. Colcord, Martin Reinhart, Stanley Draper, J.F. Owen, Frank Buttram, Frank P. Johnson, W.E. Hightower, W.T. Hales, and W. R. Ramsey who built the 33-story Ramsey Tower (now City Place).

About Johnson, it was said in a December 18, 1931, Oklahoman article on 1931's "Most Useful Citizen," that:

In nominating Johnson, C. Edgar Honnold, broker, wrote: * * * I believe it has been through his efforts that the First National building has been erected. It is certainly a great credit to any community, institution or individual. I believe it has been mostly through Mr. Johnson's efforts that the Biltmore hotel has actually been constructed and completed. ¶ Charles W. Gunter, chairman of the First National bank and Trust Co. executive committee, and W.R. Ramsey, oil man, also nominated Johnson for similar reasons. ¶ Gunter wrote: "I am convinced the Oklahoma Biltmore never would have been built had it not been for his (Johnson's) untiring efforts and leadership."

In a December 25, 1931, letter to the Oklahoman editor, J. K. Wells nominated Ramsey, noting, among other things,

He was largely responsible for bringing the Biltmore hotel to Oklahoma City and was the first to suggest the idea to the Biltmore interests of New York City.

As to Colcord, a March 6, 1932, Oklahoman reporter T.T. Johnson said,

Seventy-two years old, he is still straight and agile. His brown eyes are clear, his hair snow-white. He has proved his generosity and kindliness many times, and his record forbids that anyone ever should gainsay his qualifications as a forceful leader. During the three-year fight for the Biltmore, he arose early and worked late and vigorously. When the hotel seemed doomed, he snatched it from the brink of failure. He drove, drove, drove, into the pocket books of men who were able to pay. He has given Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the southwest its finest hotel.

The project also involved a community effort. As late as early 1932, money was still needed for an operating fund for the hotel. In February 1932, stock sales were solicited from the public to create a $400,000 operating fund for the hotel.

When done, standing at 26 stories plus two basement levels, it was the 3rd tallest downtown building (although it claimed to be the tallest, perhaps because of its signage) and hosted 619 rooms. The Biltmore was then the largest hotel in the state and was said to be "the finest hotel in the Southwest." From 1932 until its destruction in 1977, no Oklahoma City hotel has matched its size or room capacity, and none have thereafter. To this day, the Biltmore remains as a shining example of what Oklahoma City's business leaders can do if they are willing to take the risk, even if dire economic challenges are presented while doing so.

            In retrospect, what would Charles Colcord do today? One can but wonder what Charles F. Colcord might do if presented with today's challenge of building a convention hotel in Oklahoma City. Would he enlist investment by Oklahoma City's existing capitalists and take on the job of making it happen? Would he engage experts to determine the need? Would he involve the Alliance for Economic Development? Would he ask city taxpayers to share in the expense? Or would he just step up and see that it got done, just like he did with the Biltmore? These days, are any capitalist leaders around in the mold of Charles Colcord, whether he/she be a member of the Chamber or not?

            Urban Renewal Hotel Destruction. Beyond the Biltmore, many of us remember the stark time that the Urban Renewal Authority demolished many downtown hotels in the 1960s-1970s, including the Huckins, Bristol/Threadgill, Kingkade, Egbert, Oklahoma Club/Tivoli Inn, Wells-Roberts, YWCA, and others, including, to be sure, the Biltmore.

            Urban Renewal Aftermath. After those legacies were gone and the 1964-1993 Holiday Inn (last named the Commonwealth) at 520 W. Main closed its doors as a hotel, only the 1976 Sheraton Hotel (then called the Century Center) remained as a downtown hotel. In 1993 it, too, was in dire straits, it owing $167,000 in back property taxes for 1990, 1991 and 1992. As for the Skirvin, it closed its doors in 1988, not to be reopened as the Skirvin Hilton until 2007, 19 years later, and only after a huge effort by the city and private partners was the Skirvin restored to its former glory in 2007.

      The City's Existing Downtown Hotel Stock. As described above, Oklahoma City's downtown hotel status had been abysmal for many years prior to the 2009 MAPS 3 election, even though it had improved by that time. At one point, after the former Holiday Inn (via various iterations) (about 200 rooms, 1964) finally closed as a hotel in 1993, Oklahoma City's downtown included only one hotel, the Sheraton, built in 1977, with 395 rooms. Hotels either completed or in construction as of July 2013 are shown below.

Between 2000 and 2008, six (6) hotels were added: the Marriott Renaissance (2000, 311 rooms); the Courtyard Marriott (2004, 225 rooms); the Colcord (2006, 108 rooms); and, not the least, the Skirvin Hilton (2007, 225 rooms). In Bricktown, the Hampton Inn (2006, 200 rooms) and Marriott Residence Inn (2006, 151 rooms), were also added.


As of this writing in July 2013, four other hotels in Bricktown, Deep Deuce, and/or the Health Sciences area, are under construction and will open in 2013 or 2014: Hilton Inn & Homewood Suites (2013, 255 rooms); Aloft (2013, 130 suites); Holiday Inn Express (2014, 124 rooms); and Embassy Suites (2014, 194 rooms).


Yet another, a 54-room Midtown boutique hotel owned and being developed by Tulsa hotelier Paul Coury's company (which developed the Colcord Hotel in 2006) should be included. This outstanding project is presently converting the historic 1929 Osler physicians building at 1200 N. Walker into an Ambassador Hotel and it is scheduled for opening in December 2013. That date may be a bit ambitious — I'm guessing that an early 2014 opening is more likely.

Still other downtown hotels are in the proposal/approval stage, but I'm not including any of those projects in hotel room count here since doing so would involve some degree of speculation, and that includes a possible convention center hotel. Others not included are possible hotels that have been mentioned but remain speculative: Staybridge Suites (Bricktown, 131); East Bricktown (Bricktown, 150); Springhill Suites (Deep Deuce, 125); Patel's 2 potential projects in Bricktown at Lincoln & Sheridan (125 each).

As it stands today, the downtown stock of hotels, either built or being built, numbers twelve (12) and, unless I've misread something, that amounts to 2,372 downtown hotel rooms or suites which could bear some or a lot of risk should the city decide to finance, partially or completely, a convention hotel — which would compete against them — and remembering that "economic times" are historically cyclical and include both good times and bad.

Abbreviations below are: CBD=Central Business District; BT=Bricktown; DD=Deep Deuce; HSC=Health Sciences Center; MT=Midtown.

#	Hotels Done or Under Construction	Rooms	CBD	BT	DD	HSC	MT
1	Sheraton (1976)	395	395
2	Marriott Renaissance (2000)	311	311
3	Courtyard Marriott (2004)	225	225
4	Colcord (2006)	108	108
5	Marriott Residence Inn (2006)	151		151
6	Skirvin Hilton (2007)	225	225
7	Hampton Inn (2008)	200		200
8	Hilton Inn & Homewood Suites (2013)	255		255
9	Aloft (2013)	130			130
10	Holiday Inn Express (2014)	124		124
11	Embassy Suites (2014)	194				194
12	Ambassador (2014)	54					54
Total Done or Under Construction		2,372	1,264	730	130	194	54

Several articles by Oklahoman reporter Steve Lackmeyer have documented downtown hotel development. In his December 6, 2005, article, Lackmeyer reported on the appointment of Alan Sims as the convention center sales director. Lackmeyer said, "A decade ago, the Interstate 40/Meridian Avenue hotel corridor dominated the convention business. Since then, the downtown hotel market has recovered, with the number of hotels increasing from just one, the Sheraton, to seven with 1,400 rooms being opened over the next two years."

      The Chamber's Pre-Maps 3 Point of View. Well before the 2009 MAPS 3 campaign and after several downtown hotels had been added (above), the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce had been pushing for a new convention center, AND a new convention center hotel, although not always in tandem. In the December 2005 article referenced above, Lackmeyer said that, "[new convention sales director Alan] Sims said he thinks the city's Metropolitan Area Projects improvements downtown and at the State Fair Park, combined with new hotels, make the city ripe for a move into the second tier of the convention market. He said the city could still use a large convention hotel downtown — but can compete without one."

By Lackmeyer's January 18, 2007, article, "City chamber explores shift to tier two city," he reported,

A large conference hotel and additional meeting space may be the next mission downtown for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber as it explores how to move from a tier three to a tier two convention city. ¶ The effort, announced by chairman Larry Nichols at Wednesday's State of the City address, will start with the chamber hiring a consultant next month.       "A new 1,000 room convention hotel is something we can certainly dream about," Nichols said. "The convention center is at capacity. If you try to book something in three weeks, won't find anything available." ¶ Nichols said the city has been told repeatedly it needs more than 1,000 hotel rooms to attract large conventions — and the opening of six new hotels over the past few years has put downtown's room count to more than 1,400. He noted more meeting space was added at the Cox Convention Center a decade ago as part of the Metropolitan Area Projects improvements back when downtown only had one hotel.       "Now we're on the other side, where we have more rooms but less convention space," Nichols said. "We've got to define what a tier two city needs in terms of facilities and hotel capacity. And if you look around, major tier two cities all have major conference hotels — 500 to 1,000 rooms, a convention headquarters — which we don't have." * * *       Mayor Mick Cornet endorsed the chamber's study. ¶ A lot of people look at Oklahoma City and say, 'anything is possible.' We need to know if this center can be expanded or do we need to start over someplace else,' Cornett said."

In a January 25, 2008, op-ed piece by Brett Hamm, then President of Downtown OKC Inc., he said,

What tools are needed for Oklahoma City's future? An expanded convention center? A convention hotel? A light rail system? How do residential, retail and Core to Shore fit into tomorrow's picture? And, what will it take to integrate thse new and vibrant districts? ¶ As we collaboratively work to answer these questions, our willingness to consistently assess available tools and implement new tools as needed is paramount. These past 15 years have shown that when we rise to this challenge we not only surprise other cities, but ourselves as well.

Can you say, "These comments were a precursor to the MAPS 3 content?"

      2007-2008: A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to The Forum MAPS 3. MAPS 3 seemed to be on track for a vote sometime in 2008. But, when it developed in December 2007 that Seattle's ambivalence/incompetence/whatever in handling its own affairs made it evident that the SuperSonics could well move to Oklahoma City because of that, should the Oklahoma City voters agree to make improvements occur to the Ford Center and construct a training facility, potential MAPS 3 matters took the sideline. Acting quickly, Mayor Cornett took the lead in December 2007 to be the cheerleader in presenting a vote to the public to undertake the needed items through a "mini-MAPS" project for a penny sales tax for 15 months at a cost of $128 million beginning with the January 1, 2009, expiration of the MAPS For Kids sales tax in the same penny amount. One might call this development the "MAPS With No Name" or "MAPS For NBA." On March 4, 2008, voters eagerly assented to the projects by a vote of 44,849 to 27,564 (62% to 38%). The rest is history and the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City, were renamed the Thunder, and there you have it — Oklahoma City's National Basketball Association team, right here in River City.

MAPS 3 — 2009. At long last, we arrive in 2009, the year of the MAPS 3 vote. Development of a MAPS 3 plan was sidelined during 2008 due to the Ford Center project, but in spring 2009, things got cookin'. MAPS 3 was ostensibly formulated during spring and summer 2009 — I say, "ostensibly," since it is clear that since at least 2007 a new convention center, as well as a a convention hotel, were projects favored by the Chamber and the Mayor — but not necessarily as parts of MAPS 3, per se. Recall also that Steve Lackmeyer's January 18, 2007, article, reported that the Chamber would hire a consultant the next month, February 2007, to evaluate the city's needs for a convention center, and that in the same article that Chamber president Larry Nichols spoke of the need for a 500 to 1,000 room convention hotel.

      The Chamber's CSL Convention Study. The convention study referenced in Lackmeyer's 2007 article was doubtless the study by Conventions, Sports & Leisure, International, which was first publicly described (as far as I can locate) in Lackmeyer's March 11, 2009, article, "New convention center is priority, study finds." Doubtless, the study funded by the Chamber in February 2007 was completed well before its first public quasi-disclosure in March 2009.

"What do you mean, 'quasi-disclosure,'" you rightly ask? Even though the study was performed by CSL in 2007 and was likely completed during the same year, no mention was made of that study in the Oklahoman or other news sources before March 2009, and it has pretty much been a phantom study as far as the public is concerned. Even to this day, the study has not been released to the general public. It is foolhardy to doubt that it was not seen by the Mayor and at least some council members prior to its quasi-disclosure in March 2009 in an Oklahoman article by Steve Lackmeyer.

Lackmeyer's March 11, 2009, article said, in part:

Oklahoma City is at a crossroads in its quest to become a second-tier convention market, and a new study commissioned by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber recommends building a $400 million convention center to ensure the city stays competitive.       The study by Conventions, Sports & Leisure International, suggests that replacing the 38-year old Cox Convention Center will cost $250 to $400 million.       Mayor Mick Cornett has suggested for the past two years that any MAPS 3 should include a new convention center as a priority project. That call is being joined by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.       "We believe the convention center plays a vital role in the development of the visitor industry and in the development of downtown," said David Thompson, chamber chairman.       "This study tells us clearly that our current center is not large enough, nor does it boast the amenities we need to be competitive. It is time for us to make an investment in this industry or recognize that we are slowly going out of business as far as conventions are concerned."

Did reporter Lackmeyer have the full CSL study when writing the above March 11 article? He didn't say. $250 to $400 million for a convention center cuts a pretty wide swath. Was a Phase 1 and Phase 2 mentioned in the study? He didn't say.

One additional item should be mentioned about this March 11, 2009, article. In the article's sidebar, Lackmeyer wrote,

WHAT'S NEXT? >Consultants recommend construction of a new convention with between 200,000 and 300,000 square feet of exhibit space; between 50,000 and 75,000 square feet of meeting space; and between 30,000 and 50,000 square feet of ballroom space. * * * * * *       Chamber President Roy Williams predicts planning for a new convention center will be complicated, and an opening would take six years if started today. Ideally, Williams said, a proposal should include a hotelier ready to commit to building a convention hotel as part of the project if approved by voters. Williams added the convention center and hotel should open at the same time. [Emphasis supplied]

A reasonable inference, if not explicit suggestion, of Williams' comments just referenced is that a convention hotel, if one be built, would be not involve taxpayer support, but would instead be paid for by a hotelier ready to commit to building a hotel. At the least, if I've misconstrued Williams' comments, his remarks clearly differentiate between (a) a convention center which would be funded by the public as part of a then potential MAPS 3 proposal and (b) a convention hotel which would not be. At least, that's my reading.

In a separate March 11 Q&A Oklahoman article with the Mayor by Lackmeyer, we get more of a glimpse at, but not yet a complete picture, of the answers:

Q: The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber released a study Tuesday recommending construction of a $400 million convention center. How do you see this proposal moving forward?       A: First of all, the $400 million number you mentioned is if we pursued both a phase one and two. I think we are more focused on considering a phase one in the short term, which would cost closer to $250 million. * * * But the vehicle for funding this project would be a MAPS 3, and we as a community still have to decide that we want to proceed towards a MAPS 3 vote at the end of this year. If we do, a new convention center will strongly be considered as a project.

Again, I wonder if Lackmeyer had the full report when writing the pair of March 11 articles.

About the CSL study, the main March 11 article continued by giving Roy Williams' (the chamber's CEO) take on the study:

Williams said Conventions, Sports & Leisure was chosen because of reputation and prior experience looking at Oklahoma City's convention market. ¶ Williams said the study is ongoing. The first phase included a comparison to cities Oklahoma City competes with for conventions, and a destination market analysis that considers the likelihood that the city can move up to the next tier with a new convention center. ¶ "The destination market analysis looks at other amenities you should have to attract visitors," Williams said. "It looks at the total component of visitor attractions." ¶ Williams quoted the consultants as saying Oklahoma City is assured increased business if it builds a new convention center.

"Phase one" ... "phase two" ... where do those phrases come from? They obviously relate to the CSL study, but, aside from Cathy O'Connor's comments in the June 11, 2013, city council discussion, wherein O'Connor said ...

The convention center hotel project WAS [emphasis hers] mentioned as a part of the MAPS 3 campaign literature and campaign materials as a part of the Phase 1 development of a new convention center.

... we are pretty much left to guess about the parameters of phases one and two in the CSL study and any possible mention of a convention hotel. During the MAPS 3 campaign, the CSL convention study received no mention all from March 11 until December 8, the day of the election itself.

In an un-authored December 8, 2009, "A closer look," article, on the day of the election, the Oklahoman said,

A study by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber found the Cox Convention Center is too small to serve the city's convention needs in the coming decades. * * *       A study commissioned by the chamber estimates the new convention center would triple the economic impact of the Cox Center, bringing nearly $80 million a year and 1,100 jobs to the local economy.

What I've identified above contains the complete public record of any mention of the CSL study between March 11 and December 8, 2009. Other than the passing reference Roy Williams made to a convention hotel in Lackmeyer's March 11 article, no mention is made of a possible convention hotel.

Even after December 8, 2009, until today, the CSL study has received little mention in the press, even though the Oklahoman, or at least its leadership, as well as the Mayor and at least some council members, were obviously privy to it.

      Dark City. This was a very dark period for investigative journalism at the Oklahoman, very dark. Recall these things: the Chamber itself guided the MAPS 3 campaign; the campaign was led by David Thompson, then the Chamber President; Thompson was also president of the OPUBCO Communications Group. Thompson or his staff held close reigns on what Oklahoman reporters were allowed to write about during the MAPS 3 campaign and, on at least one occasion that I am privy to, even changed a reporter's submitted MAPS 3 story to render it more MAPS 3 friendly than the article he originally wrote for publication.

During Thompson's regime as head of the MAPS 3 campaign, that Oklahoman reporter privately communicated with me by e-mail. The reporter, no longer with the Oklahoman, told me that a MAPS 3 article that he'd submitted for publication was substantially changed by his editor to make it more MAPS 3 friendly and that the changes were made without his knowledge or consent and even though the reported story continued to bear his byline.

In short, the Chamber, which had commissioned the study in February 2007, was fully aware of the study's content after its completion, probably in late 2007 but certainly by early 2008, and that the Chamber via David Thompson controlled what was said about the convention center, including the CSL study, during the entirety of the MAPS 3 campaign.

      Hotel Not Mentioned. The Chamber's "Breaking Through" presentations/luncheons in October and November 2009 did not mention the study or a convention hotel. The city's website for MAPS 3 did not mention that a convention hotel would or might be needed for the convention center's viability.

Why then did the CSL study which was relied upon by the Chamber and the Mayor as being so important as a touchstone rationale as to why a convention center should be included in MAPS 3 receive absolutely no attention during the MAPS 3 campaign itself?

As of this writing, the Oklahoman has still not presented an article comprehensively describing the content of the CSL study. Fortunately, the city has a weekly newspaper, the Oklahoma Gazette, which sometimes fills in some of the gaps.

In a lengthy December 5, 2012, Oklahoma Gazette article by Clifton Adcock, some, but not all, of the CSL missing pieces were filled in. About the study, Adcock wrote,

The CS&L study almost has the air of legend to it — often referred to, but few have actually seen it.       Completed in February 2009, it details why the city needs more convention center space. Although it holds critical implications for public policy and the spending of taxpayer money, the report itself is not a public record.       Instead, it is kept by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. The chamber recently provided Oklahoma Gazette with access to the study. A reporter was allowed to read it under supervision and take notes, but not to copy or photograph any of the materials.

That is a step in the right direction, at least. The article says that the report was completed in February 2009, notwithstanding that the Chamber engaged CSL to perform the study in February 2007. That fact leads one to wonder if an earlier CSL study also existed, or if the report was merely delayed to be in sync with the MAPS 3 campaign. Be that as it may, Adcock's report continues ...

"The rationale behind the study was we have a 40-year-old convention center that is not built to industry standards. If we're going to grow our convention business, what do we have to do?" said Roy Williams, president of the city chamber.       The report concluded that while the "practical maximum capacity" occupancy rate — the amount of sellable space being occupied per year — is around 70 percent, the Cox Convention Center had an average of only 26 percent occupancy between 2003 and 2009. ¶ The current usable space is too small and not high-quality enough to attract many large-scale conventions, according to the study. CS&L recommended a center with at least 285,000 square feet of usable space to better compete with peer cities.       This part of the study is often cited by officials and boosters as justification for a new convention center. ¶ But another reason for the low occupancy levels, the study continues, is the fact that management of the Cox Convention Center is shared by two companies: SMG, which manages and leases out arena and event space; and Renaissance Hotel, which manages and leases out the center’s ballroom and meeting rooms.       In the late 1990s, city leaders had used management of some convention center space to help entice the Renaissance to locate downtown. ¶ But that bifurcated management situation "is highly unusual in the industry and likely impacts overall ability to book events" at the convention center, the CS&L report says. "For any future hotel development, we strongly recommend that a hotel operator not be given rights to book or operate space in the convention center."

That's all good, but several unanswered questions remain:

1. Did CSL do one, or more than one, convention studies for the Chamber?
2. If only one, since the Chamber commissioned the CSL study in February 2007, why was its "release" (a euphemism, I think) not made until March 2009?
3. Exactly what does "phase one" and "phase two" mean?
4. Was ANY mention made of a convention hotel during the MAPS 3 campaign?
5. When, if ever, will the Chamber come out of the closet and let the public see the study or studies?
6. Did ANY study by the Chamber make mention of the need for a convention hotel?

The bottom line is that the public does not know the answers to the first 3 questions. Neither do I.

As to the fourth, we know that the answer is, "No. A convention hotel was not mentioned during the MAPS 3 campaign." Notwithstanding Cathy O'Connor's statements to the City Council on June 11, 2013, neither during the Chamber's "Breaking Through" luncheons, through other campaign publicity, or otherwise in the media was a convention hotel ever mentioned, as council members Shadid and Greiner said on June 11, 2013. O'Connor was flat wrong.

Council member McAtee was also wrong in suggesting that Shadid and Greiner had "slanted" their comments, if "slanted" means not being truthful. If any council member can rightly be charged with being untruthful in the June 11 discussion, it is Larry McAtee and not the other two guys.

      Why wasn't a convention hotel mentioned in the MAPS 3 campaign? My answer and opinion is that David Thompson, who chaired the campaign and the other campaign cheerleaders, including the Mayor, didn't want it to be. See Dark City, above. Most probably, given the unpopularity of the MAPS 3 project, those leaders feared that its mention might doom the MAPS 3 vote, should the public become aware that yet another city taxpayer expense might become involved with the convention center than was involved in the MAPS 3 tax, itself.

My opinion is that Thompson, the Chamber, the Mayor, and all those privy to the CSL study, deliberately concealed from the public that a convention hotel would also be needed for the success of the MAPS 3 convention center. With publicity about the possible need for a convention hotel, and the potential of additional public funding beyond MAPS 3's amounts, MAPS 3 might well have been doomed to failure. As it was, without that information being available to the public, MAPS 3 passed by a vote of 54% to 46%. Would disclosure of the potential hotel expense have mattered in the vote tally? My guess is that, probably, it would, since the convention center was popular with the Chamber but not by the voters.

As to question 5, who can say? Maybe the Chamber will discontinue its peek-a-boo position concerning the CSL study (studies) and will at long last step out of the closet.

As to the 6th, we don't know the answer to that question with certainty, but we do have considerable information which indicates what the Chamber wanted.

      The Chamber's Quest For A Convention Hotel. At least by January 18, 2007, we know that the Chamber made its views known in a Lackmeyer article of the same date. In that article, "City chamber explores shift to tier two city," he reported,

A large conference hotel and additional meeting space may be the next mission downtown for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber as it explores how to move from a tier three to a tier two convention city. ¶ The effort, announced by chairman Larry Nichols at Wednesday's State of the City address, will start with the chamber hiring a consultant next month.       "A new 1,000 room convention hotel is something we can certainly dream about," Nichols said. "The convention center is at capacity. If you try to book something in three weeks, won't find anything available." ¶ Nichols said the city has been told repeatedly it needs more than 1,000 hotel rooms to attract large conventions — and the opening of six new hotels over the past few years has put downtown's room count to more than 1,400. He noted more meeting space was added at the Cox Convention Center a decade ago as part of the Metropolitan Area Projects improvements back when downtown only had one hotel.       "Now we're on the other side, where we have more rooms but less convention space," Nichols said. "We've got to define what a tier two city needs in terms of facilities and hotel capacity. And if you look around, major tier two cities all have major conference hotels — 500 to 1,000 rooms, a convention headquarters — which we don't have." [Emphasis supplied]

Hey, wait a minute! This article, mentioning the Chamber's wish list for a 1,000 (or 500-1,000) room convention hotel, was written on the eve of the Chamber's commissioning of the CSL study, the Chamber firing its salvos favoring a convention hotel. Put this info into your pipe and smoke it as the CSL study was about to begin.

However, like Ron Popeil says, "BUT WAIT!" so lets hold up on that smoke for a moment. Another article, a January 25, 2008, op-ed piece published in the Oklahoman written by Brett Hamm, President of Downtown OKC Inc. (a component of the Chamber), Hamm said,

What tools are needed for Oklahoma City's future? An expanded convention center? A convention hotel? * * * [Emphasis supplied]

By the time the January 2008 op-ed piece by Hamm was written, the CSL study commissioned by the Chamber in February 2007 would presumably have been done.

Now, finally, put the above into your pipe, also, and then proceed to smoke. It is difficult to doubt that a Chamber priority since at least 2007 has been the building of a convention hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. It is just as difficult to doubt that the CSL study which the Chamber initiated with CSL in 2007 did not mention a convention hotel.

      Why Did O'Connor Say What She Did? This one's a bit hard to figure. If Ed Shadid had wanted or needed a foil who would present, as the antagonist to the protagonist, a springboard to his more substantive comments about a convention hotel, it would be hard to imagine a better one than O'Connor presented with her opening remarks on June 11, 2013.

Why would O'Connor have made such a huge blunder? Perhaps it was because in her own mind she had melded and blurred the content of the MAPS 3 campaign, September 2009-December 2009, with the content of the CSL study, finished between 2007-2009, when she made her remarks on June 11, 2013, 3½ years after the MAPS 3 vote ...

The convention center hotel project WAS [emphasis hers] mentioned as a part of the MAPS 3 campaign literature and campaign materials as a part of the Phase 1 development of a new convention center.

O'Connor's completely inaccurate and false misrepresentation of history is perhaps due to (1) her ignorance or forgetfulness of what publicly transpired during the MAPS 3 campaign, and/or (2) her familiarity as an insider who was privy to the Chamber's CLS study (or studies). She may have simply confused the public campaign with the Chamber's private study and made no distinction between the two. Doubtless it was not her intention to be Shadid's foil in making the inaccurate statement that she made. Regardless, in her public words on June 11, she made a wholly historical blunder, and one which rather nicely played into the hands of and setting up Ed Shadid's rejoinder and his other comments, which followed her own presentation. Hearing O'Connor's remarks, Shadid may have been thinking to himself and inwardly rolling his eyeballs upward while sitting on the City Council's horseshoe, saying, "Thank you, god."

This post is nearly done but more will shortly follow.

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North on Lincoln: The Park-O-Tell

Original article posted on July 20, 2006; major edit & update on April 9, 2010

This is my second post on North Lincoln Blvd. (the 1st being Beverly's), and it's about the Park-O-Tell, which one could subtitle, What? No wireless internet?

Nope. Back in those pre-internet and pre-cable TV days, probably even pre-color TV for the most part, the best you could get was, “Free garage under same roof," "Air conditioned in summer, steam-heated in winter,” shown on the back of the 1940 postcard, below:

(credit: postcardsfromtheroad.net)
Click on the image, above, for its source pic
Since the original version of this article was posted in July 2006 and because of the motivation by the queries by KL of NYC (shown in the comments following this article), I've learned a bit more of the history of the Park-O-Tell which remains a point of interest to Route 66 aficionados around the country.

A 5" x 7" picture (matches not included) costing $25 of Park-O-Tell matches was once available at this location but the picture of the matches is now long gone since this post was originally made around 4 years ago. The Park-O-Tell is a part of the crazy "Route 66" phenomenon.

A pair of Park-O-Tell postcards appears in Vanished Splendor II by Jim Edwards & Hal Ottaway (Abalache Bookshop Publishing 1983) and they may also be seen at www.route66photographs.com and at www.playe.com — those shown below are from the Vanished Splendor II book — click on the images for larger views ...




As I said in the North on Lincoln: Beverly's article, I was on the debate team at Lawton High, graduating in 1961. In my 3 years at LHS, the team would travel to Oklahoma City fairly often and I think that we always stayed in the Park-O-Tell and always ate at Beverly's. By time we were doing such things, the Park-O-Tell was very obviously past its prime — I don't know its exact closing date but it was during either the 1960s or 1970s when Lincoln Boulevard was being expanded to circumvent the State Capitol.

But, on its opening day, February 9, 1930, a full-page spread in the Daily Oklahoman called it a "palace for tourists." Click here to read that full page description. Parts of the article and images contained in it appear below.









The following images show the Park-O-Tell most probably in the 1940s and are all from the Oklahoma Historical Center's on-line public archives. Click on an image for a larger view.

About The Park-O-Tell. The description given in Vanished Spendor II by Jim Edwards and Hal Ottaway appears to have been largely taken from the above-linked Oklahoman article, but here is their synopsis:

The Park-O-Tell complex in Oklahoma City was the first of a proposed chain of ten such units that were to be built north to Wichita and south to El Paso. The Daily Oklahoman called it a 'Palace for Tourists' on opening day, Sunday February 9, 1930. Completed at a cost of $185,000, the complex consisted of three Spanish-style buildings, facing east on Lincoln Boulevard, two blocks north of the State Capitol. Thee was a two-story hotel of sixty-eight rooms, along with a sixty-eight far garage; a coffee shop; and a gas station, which also housed a beauty parlor and barber shop. One patron remembered the convenience of 'being in your room and snapping on the radio connection and listening to whatever the operator of the master set downstairs chose to bring in.' There was also a special type of door used on the guest rooms. With a small knob the shutter could be regulated to permit air and light to enter the room without disturbing one's privacy. Velvety carpeting, a spacious lounge, and soundproofing between the bedrooms and the garage area, and later, sightseeing tours in a station wagon ... why, everything was 'Jake' at the Park-O-Tell."

Where Was It? The Park-O-Tell was located on the west side of Lincoln Boulevard between NE 26th and NE 25th Streets. A 1949 Sanborn map shows its exact location and a contemporary Google map shows where it was located, both maps being shown below. Click on either map for a larger view.
Though long gone due to developments surrounding Lincoln Boulevard and the State Capitol area, the Park-O-Tell's and Beverly's locations are shown in the right map.

Personal Experiences. In 1959-1961, I do recall having some of the best ever shaving-cream fights with my debate team members (one of whom died in the Vietnam War shortly later as well as with another, Mike Lewis, now a prominent Tulsa lawyer — I crashed his dad's car while on a debate trip at Shawnee) up and down the halls and in the rooms of the Park-O-Tell. It's not only amazing that we were not evicted from the premises, it's amazing that we survived puberty. By the time we spent our time there, it was on its downside — we'd probably have been kicked out of the Skirvin. Regardless, my stints at the Park-O-Tell are a part of my personal history that I remember very fondly.

Damn Kids! What are they good for besides making way too much noise and others wishing they were not there?

Looking back, my best answer is, yes, I understand, but "Thank you, God, for a great childhood, and for these great Oklahoma City memories! I think, in retrospect, that not only do kids get the benefit of the doubt, old geezers, in their nostalgia, do, too!

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Tall Buildings

Edited 4/16/2008 to add the Midwest Building


Jump to Tall Buildings Not Done
Jump To Tall Buildings Which Might Be Done
With last week's announcement by Devon Energy Company, one might start thinking about Oklahoma City skyscrapers, "tall buildings" (Doug Dawg did, anyway). How will the new building match up, and, in fact, how tall are other buildings in Oklahoma City, and where are they located? What once-fine buildings no longer exist? In this project, I've drawn much of the data from Emporis.com ... High Rise Buildings and Low Rise Buildings. But, not all ... a few of the buildings shown below are not in the Emporis database (e.g., the Plaza Court Hotel in Midtown on Shartel).

Another which is not in the Emporis list, probably because it lacks 8 "working" floors, is the Oklahoma State Capitol, shown here.

Is there more to come, soon? Steve Lackmeyer whets our collective appetite again today in Downtown investment trend not at an end. Among other things, he says,

This is turning out to be quite a month for downtown Oklahoma City.

March is just halfway through, yet the ramifications of announcements this month outweigh the entire expanse of the city's original MAPS projects.
* * *
So let's take a deep breath. Have we seen the last big announcement for downtown? Don't count on it.

He is such a tease!

Back in the days of the Pei Plan ... the Urban Renewal masterplan for turning downtown Oklahoma City around in the early 1960s ... plenty of general and specific proposals were made ... some happened but many did not. Click here to jump to, "Tall Buildings That Might Have Been."

For this review, I arbitrarily set the threshold at 8 floors for "tall buildings" ... even though that excluded several vintage as well as many new buildings by that choice. Even then, I did "fudge" by including the Aberdeen Apartments ... it has 7 ground level floors but a full basement, so I gave it a 7.5 and included it just because I wanted to! Otherwise, the vintage and still standing Pioneer Building, at 7 stories and when built in 1908 said to be Oklahoma City's first high-rise, the 7 floor 1922 Osler Building in Midtown, and several others, were excluded.

My "personal favorite" that didn't make the 8 floor threshold requirement is this one, Signature Place, at MacArthur & Northwest Expressway ... though I'd like it better if it didn't have "rent me" banners hanging out front uglifying the architecture.

Using 8 floors as the cutoff, here's what I've come up with ... for buildings which once existed, do now, and as have been announced or are in progress as this is written. When this post is finally done, it will also include buildings which were proposed but never happened, and for that I'll draw heavily on Steve Lackmeyer & Jack Money's masterpiece, OKC: 2nd Time Around.

In the table below, click the link or the miniature image for a look at the building and, sometimes, additional information about it.

Oklahoma City Buildings 8 Stories or More
Summary		Incl Is & Gone	Those Gone	Those Developing	As Will Be
	Downtown	55	16	2	41
	Midtown	3	1	0	2
	Northwest	27	0	0	27
	Northeast	8	0	3	11
	Southeast	0	0	0	0
	Southwest	2	0	0	2

1	Devon Tower Floors: 54 Date: 2012 Where: Downtown Status: Developing	2	Chase Tower Floors: 36 Date: 1971 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
3	1st National Floors: 33 Date: 1931 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	4	City Place Floors: 33 Date: 1931 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
5	Oklahoma Tower Floors: 31 Date: 1982 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	6	Sandridge Tower (Kerr-McGee) Floors: 30 Date: 1973 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
7	Biltmore Hotel Floors: 26 Date: 1932 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed	8	Regency Tower Floors: 24 Date: 1966 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
9	Leadership Square North Floors: 22 Date: 1984 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	10	Valliance Tower Floors: 22 Date: 1984 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
11	The Classen Floors: 21 Date: 1967 Where: Northwest Status: Existing	12	360 at Founders Plaza Floors: 20 Date: 1963 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
13	Mid-America Tower Floors: 19 Date: 1980 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	14	Dowell Center Floors: 18 Date: 1927 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
15	Gold Star Library - OCU Floors: 18 Date: 1954 Where: Northwest Status: Existing	16	Union Plaza Floors: 18 Date: 1982 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
17	Park Harvey Apartments Floors: 17 Date: 1956 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	18	50 Penn Place Floors: 16 Date: 1973 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
19	AT&T (SW Bell) Floors: 16 Date: 1928 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	20	BOK Plaza (Fidelity) Floors: 16 Date: 1972 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
21	Leadership Square South Floors: 16 Date: 1984 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	22	Globe Life Floors: 15 Date: 1957 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
23	Lakeview Towers Floors: 15 Date: ??? Where: Northwest Status: Existing	24	OKC Marriott Floors: 15 Date: 1985 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
25	Marriott Renaissance Hotel Floors: 15 Date: 2000 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	26	Sheraton Oklahoma Hotel Floors: 15 Date: 1976 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
27	AT&T Annex (Southwetsern Bell) Floors: 15 Date: ??? Where: Downtown Status: Existing	28	101 Park Avenue (Skirvin Tower) Floors: 14 Date: 1932 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
29	1st National Additions Floors: 14 Date: 1957 & 1972 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	30	Colcord Hotel Floors: 14 Date: 1910 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
31	Corporate Tower Floors: 14 Date: 1980 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	32	Oklahoma County Jail Floors: 14 Date: 1991 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
33	Oklahoman Building Floors: 14 Date: 1991 Where: Northeast Status: Existing	34	Auto Hotel Floors: 13 Date: ??? Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed
35	Oil Center East Floors: 13 Date: 1973 Where: Northwest Status: Existing	36	Oil Center West Floors: 13 Date: 1978 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
37	Skirvin Hilton Hotel Floors: 13 Date: 1910 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	38	100 Park Avenue (Medical Arts) Floors: 12 Date: 1923 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
39	Children's Physicians Building Floors: 12 Date: 2009 Where: Northeast Status: Developing	40	Herskowitz Building Floors: 12 Date: 1910 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed
41	Marie McGuire Plaza Floors: 12 Date: 1972 Where: Northeast Status: Existing	42	OG&E Floors: 12 Date: 1928 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
43	OK Health Department Floors: 12 Date: ??? Where: Northeast Status: Existing	44	Robinson Renaissance (Perrine) Floors: 12 Date: 1927 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
45	St. Anthony Hospital Floors: 12 Date: 1899 Where: Midtown Status: Existing	46	Tiffany House Apartments Floors: 12 Date: ??? Where: Northwest Status: Existing
47	City Center Building Floors: 11 Date: 1921 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	48	County Courthouse Floors: 11 Date: 1937 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
49	Integris Baptist Hospital Floors: 11 Date: ??? Where: Northwest Status: Existing	50	Integris Southwest Hospital Floors: 11 Date: 1969 Where: Southwest Status: Existing
51	Kingkade Hotel Floors: 11 Date: 1912 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed	52	One North Hudson Floors: 11 Date: 1930 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
53	Physicians & Surgeons Floors: 12 Date: ??? Where: Northeast Status: Existing	54	VA Medical Center Floors: 11 Date: 1931 Where: Northeast Status: Existing
55	YWCA Floors: 11 Date: 1931 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	56	324 Building (Braniff) Floors: 10 Date: 1923 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
57	5100 N. Brookline Floors: 10 Date: 1974 Where: Northwest Status: Existing	58	Plaza Court Hotel Floors: 10 Date: 1960 Where: Midtown Status: Destroyed
59	Campbell Building Floors: 10 Date: 1910 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed	60	Classen Center East Floors: 10 Date: 1965 Where: Northhwest Status: Existing
61	Commerce Exchange Floors: 10 Date: 1920s Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed	62	Country Inn & Suites Floors: 10 Date: 2001? Where: Northwest Status: Existing
63	Court Plaza (Cotton Exchange) Floors: 10 Date: 1923 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	64	Everett Tower Floors: 10 Date: 1973 Where: Northeast Status: Existing
65	Hales Building (State National) Floors: 10 Date: 1910 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed	66	Caliber Center (Hertz) Floors: 10 Date: 1973 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
67	Hightower Floors: 10 Date: 1929 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	68	Character First (Holiday Inn) Floors: 10 Date: 1964 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
69	Landmark Towers Center Floors: 10 Date: 1970 Where: Northwest Status: Existing	70	Landmark Towers East Floors: 10 Date: 1965 Where: Northhwest Status: Existing
71	Landmark Towers West Floors: 10 Date: 1972 Where: Northwest Status: Existing	72	Lee Huckins Hotel Floors: 10 Date: 1910 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed
73	Main Place (Harbour Longmire) Floors: 10 Date: 1923 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	74	Mercy Health Center Floors: 10 Date: 1974 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
75	Midwest Building Floors: 10 Date: 1930 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed Credit Jeff Chapman	76	OK DEQ (SW Bell) Floors: 10 Date: 1957 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
77	OK Savings & Loan Floors: 10 Date: 1928 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	78	Roberts Hotel Floors: 10 Date: 1927 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed
79	Robinson Plaza (IRS) Floors: 10 Date: 1992 Where: Downtown Status: Existing	80	Biomedical Sciences Building Floors: 9 Date: ??? Where: Northeast Status: Existing
81	Classen Center North Floors: 9 Date: 1969 Where: Northhwest Status: Existing	82	Crowne Plaza Hotel Floors: 9 Date: 1970 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
83	Hampton Inn Floors: 9 Date: 2008 Where: Downtown Status: Developing	84	Integris Baptist Building B Floors: 9 Date: ??? Where: Northwest Status: Existing
85	Murrah Federal Building Floors: 9 Date: 1977 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed	86	US Bankruptcy Court (Post Office) Floors: 9 Date: 1932 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
87	Waterford Marriott Hotel Floors: 9 Date: 1984 Where: Northwest Status: Existing	88	American National Bank Floors: 8 Date: 1909 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed
89	Cancer Research Center Floors: 9 Date: 2010 Where: Northeast Status: Developing	90	Courtyard Marriott Hotel Floors: 8 Date: 2004 Where: Downtown Status: Existing
91	Halliburton's Floors: 8 Date: 1920 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed	92	Insurance Building Floors: 8 Date: 1910 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed
93	Integris Baptist Building C Floors: 8 Date: ??? Where: Northwest Status: Existing	94	Integris Baptist Building D Floors: 8 Date: ??? Where: Northwest Status: Existing
95	Lawrence Hotel Floors: 8 Date: 1912 Where: Downtown Status: Destroyed	96	OK Medical Research Tower Floors: 8 Date: 2010? Where: Northeast Status: Developing
97	One Behnam Place Floors: 8 Date: 1983 Where: Northeast Status: Existing	98	Presbyterian Tower Floors: 8 Date: 1974 Where: Northeast Status: Existing
99	Western Tower Floors: 8 Date: ??? Where: Southwest Status: Existing	100	Aberdeen Apartments Floors: 7-8 Date: 1927 Where: Northwest Status: Existing
101	What's Next? Floors: ??? Date: ??? Where: ??? Status: Coming Soon

Tall Buildings Not Done. In their book, OKC: 2nd Time Around, Steve Lackmeyer & Jack Money laid out in magnificent form and content the downtown time zone of the mid-1950s through 2007 ... how we got from there to here. I say again that if you don't already own a copy of this excellent book, you're missing out, big-time!

Fueled by 1959 authorizing legislation at the state level, Oklahoma City established its Urban Renewal Authority in 1962. Internationally well regarded urban planner I.M. Pei came on board and what is commonly known as the "Pei Plan" came to exist. Its sweeping plan involved the destruction of about 2/5 of downtown Oklahoma City, largely on and south of Main, from east to west, and replacing the destroyed buildings with something that dreams are made of!

Thanks is given to Steve Lackmeyer for permission to post the following images ... all are contained in OKC: 2nd Time Around ... click on any image for a larger view.

The 1st image below appears at page 14 of OKC: 2nd Time. If you look closely, you'll see an irregular "gray line" running from the lower right to the upper left and that buildings below that line are a bit darker than those above it. In the 2nd version, below, I've doctored it a bit to highlight the "line" and add names of some of the "tall buildings" that either (1) were marked for destruction and were destroyed, or (2) in the case of the Perrine (Robinson Renaissance) was marked but was spared, or (3) in the case of the Biltmore was not marked for destruction but was.

Credit OKC: 2nd Time and OCURA




The "destruction" phase of the Pei Plan was "successfully" accomplished. The general vision of what would be replacing them is somewhat reflected in the following image which appears at page 10 of OKC: 2nd Time Around:

Credit Okc2nd Time, Greater Okc Chamber of Commerce (COC)
From Left:James T. Yielding, 1st Executive Director of OCURA, I.M. Pei,
and Ralph L. Bolen, Chairman of the OCURA Board of Commissioners

The City of Tomorrow


Of course, the Oil Bust, the Penn Square Bank failure and the resulting bank closing domino effect in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and beyond, marked the death knell of the grand design. The Galleria Shopping area became a parking lot ... but much of it will now become the Devon Tower. To be sure, several new buildings did spring to life before bad times hit, e.g., Myriad Gardens & Convention Center, Corporate Tower, Oklahoma Tower, Kerr-McGee Tower (Sandridge today), Sheraton Hotel, Mid-America Tower, Leadership Square, Liberty Tower (Chase today), and so much good did come of it, even thought not as much as expected.

OKC: 2nd Time Around contains several eye-candy images of some of the things which were planned but never saw the light of day, shown below.

High Rise Apartments
Credit OKC: 2nd Time and OCURA



Galleria Shopping Mall North of "Tivoli" (renamed Myriad) Gardens
Credit OKC: 2nd Time and OCURA



14 Floor Expansion of Skirvin Tower (101 Park Avenue)
Credit OKC: 2nd Time and Greater OKC Chamber of Commerce


Ron Burks became one of the owners of the Skirvin in 1979, along with Bill Jennings, John Kilpatrick, Jr., Bob Lammerts, Jerry Richardson, Dub Ross, and Joe Dann Trigg. See Bob Blackburn's article, A Tradition of Elegance. According to Steve and Jacks' book, and if I interpret it correctly, Burk was principally responsible for opening up the Skirvin lobby (to make it 2 open stories instead of 1), the purchase of a new chandeliers from Europe, and other stuff. At one time, he also owned the downtown Holiday Inn. See pp. 72-73 of Steve and Jacks' book. But Burks wanted more ...

Ron Burks' Office Tower By The Skirvin
Credit OKC: 2nd Time and Howard & Porch



Ron Burks' Hilton Hotel By Myriad Gardens
Credit OKC: 2nd Time and Howard & Porch


Tall Buildings That Might Yet Be. A few others have been identified as possibly being "in the works" ... when a construction contract is signed, I'll move any of them to the "current" table ... but, till then, I consider them as possibilities and uncertain.

Overholser Green. Of the things shown here, this one appears to be the most likely. This Midtown project which calls for development of the block bounded by NW 13th, NW 12th, Walker and Dewey, has, in fact, been approved by OCURA.


This December 6, 2007, article by Steve Lackmeyer says that the project includes,

109 condominiums built in a series of four-to-eight-story buildings above an approximately 220-space garage.

The developer is Wiggin Properties, which owns the 101 Park Ave. building and is converting the Mayo office building in downtown Tulsa into housing.

Although Wiggin Properties has said that construction will start by July 2008 and will include an 8 story hotel, I guess that my "Missouri-Show-Me" side is showing on this one. For lively discussion about this project, see this thread at OkMet.org and this one at OkcTalk.com.

Cotton Exchange. This proposed project would include a 12 story element and will require the approval of the Bricktown Design Committee (and land acquisition), would be located next to the Bricktown Ballpark on Reno.




While this may happen, it is by no means a "done deal." See this thread at OkcTalk.com and this one at OkMet.org for more.

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