This is great news for OKC!
First time i have posted an article so im going by the instructions on the bottom of the page:
"Oklahoma City's downtown skyline is set for more growth"
Steve Lackmeyer
NewsOk
10/21/12 http://newsok.com/oklahoma-citys-dow...720969/?page=1
There is a lot going on in terms of new businesses, construction, and proposals in central OKC.
New retail is moving fast to Automobile Alley near Midtown. It also seems that there are a lot more hotel and apartment projects on the way for Midtown and Bricktown.
There is definitely 1 tower proposal getting ready for announcement and maybe up to 3. Prime suspects are Oklahoma Gas & Electric (utility), Continental Energy (recently relocated to OKC, growing out of space), and a potential major relocation or new branch office for an international energy company.
CBD
Mystery Tower - Stage Center Site - Likely Announcement in Spring
Century Center - Office/Retail renovation - OPUBCO (The Oklahoman) moving from suburban tower to downtown
Braniff Building - Office/Retail - Facade restoration, glass rear facade, new Kitchen 324 restaurant
Main Street Parking/Retail - 830 spaces - fueling speculation about west downtown mystery tower
Downtown Elementary School
Journal Record Building Renovation + New Parking Garage - building houses offices and the OKC National Memorial Museum
Deep Deuce
Maywood Apartments Phase 1 (139 units) - construction
Deep Deuce Apts (97 units + retail) - approved
OKCTalk.com
Aloft Hotel (130 rooms) - construction
Calvary Baptist Church renovation (offices) - construction (newsok photo)
Bricktown
Holiday Inn Express (125 rooms) - construction
Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites (250 rooms) - construction
Candlewood Suites (125 rooms) - design work in progress
Just wanna pop in and express my appreciation toward OKC! My fiance' and I recently visited OKC to see a Thunder game and loved it! We're from Springfield MO, and are Thunder fans and we stayed at the Skirvin hotel downtown and I must say thats one of the most impressively restored buildings Ive ever seen! The interior was amazing! We also went by the Devon headquarters! What an amazing skyscraper! I was curious about the new construction near bricktown and i noticed the crane, but now i see what's going on. Im happy for OKC and its nice to see another city besides NYC or Chicago in the USA build up their downtown. We also ate at the Kitchen 324 for breakfast downtown which was delicious and the atmosphere was wonderful! We will be visiting more in the future!
Heyerdahl: Thanks for the updates! ALWAYS nice to see that someone is updating the old thread. There really is a lot going on in around downtown, as always.
Awesome to hear you enjoyed your stay JClarke! Please do visit again, it's always nice to see OKC for yourself and rid the perception of 'backwater' from your mind... well for the most part. ;]
Cashville! You're still around, huh? I give props to you. I didn't think a troll could latch so strongly onto the object of their aggression whilst being forced to eat almost all words they spewed forth so confidently. Aren't you the one that also said Devon wouldn't be built while constantly lamenting any positive growth and recognition of Oklahoma City? Yes, if I do remember correctly, that has always been you Cashville! Oh and I like how you attempt to discredit the discussion of the new 'Mystery Tower' by pulling posts from a speculation, open-thought, anything-goes thread from OKCtalk. You've never been so easy...
All the while, OKC continues to grow and will do so with or without a new skyscraper.
Sorry, but OKS needs to worry about a lot more than a new tower. Surface parking and one/two floor developments surrounding the CBD, no real connection to surrounding neighborhoods, lack of traffic on the streets. Street level needs a lot of work.
GE to Build Oil & Gas Global Research Center in Oklahoma
Quote:
April 3, 2013
$110 Million Investment to Drive Best-In-Class Technology, Create 125 High-Tech Jobs
◾New center to develop innovative technologies in oil and gas sector
◾Strengthen GE’s Oil & Gas business, capitalizing on $11 billion in recent investments
◾Continued GE investment in U.S. R&D jobs, totaling nearly 2,300 since 2009
Oklahoma City, OK, April 3, 2013 – General Electric (NYSE: GE) today announced that it will build a new Global Research Center in Oklahoma dedicated to driving innovation and technological advancements in the oil and gas sector and bringing products to market faster. The new facility, which is GE Research’s first sector-specific Center, represents a $110 million investment by the company and will result in the creation of 125 high-tech engineering jobs initially, in disciplines ranging from mechanical and electrical to systems and software engineering. These researchers will join GE’s global network of 50,000 world-class scientists and engineers who are working to solve some of the world’s toughest challenges.
GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin made the announcement at the state capitol here today. The launch of the new Center comes as the availability of unconventional resources, such as shale gas, is changing the global energy landscape and has the potential to create jobs, fuel innovation and lead to greater energy independence. The Center will initially focus on technologies that enable safe, efficient and reliable production, delivery and use of unconventional oil and gas.
GE Oil & Gas is the company's fastest-growing business, with revenues of more than $15 billion and earnings and new orders having each grown 16 percent in 2012. GE has grown its oil and gas portfolio to win in today's dynamic landscape, bringing to bear industry-leading technologies and services in turbomachinery, subsea drilling, pressure control, remote monitoring and diagnostics.
“Unconventional resources, and shale gas in particular, may be one of the biggest productivity drivers of our lifetime,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. “At GE, we see a tremendous opportunity in the oil and gas space. Since 2007, we have invested $11 billion to build broad technical capabilities that can deliver productivity gains and foster innovation for our customers. Collaboration is key to leading the unconventional resource revolution, and in Governor Fallin and the people of Oklahoma, we’ve found excellent partners.”
Sorry, but OKS needs to worry about a lot more than a new tower. Surface parking and one/two floor developments surrounding the CBD, no real connection to surrounding neighborhoods, lack of traffic on the streets. Street level needs a lot of work.
Nah, it only looks out of place on the surface. If you know where OKC is in its development process, it doesn't seem out of place because you know what social and economic forces are at work and that more will follow and that it's just the first of many. Big buildings like this just set a precedent. They encourage people to build up, to attempt to build taller. Just wait and see. I promise you, one day not far from now, there will be another announcement of a tall building. And then another. And another. It's a domino effect. This building is just the first domino.
Instead of making fun of it and saying it looks out of place, which discourages development, maybe you should try to be happy for them, which encourages development.
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It is very similar to Minneapolis when the IDS Tower was built. The difference between Foshay Tower and IDS is almost exactly what Devon and Cotter Ranch Tower is. Look at Minneapolis now.
Nah, it only looks out of place on the surface. If you know where OKC is in its development process, it doesn't seem out of place because you know what social and economic forces are at work and that more will follow and that it's just the first of many. Big buildings like this just set a precedent. They encourage people to build up, to attempt to build taller. Just wait and see. I promise you, one day not far from now, there will be another announcement of a tall building. And then another. And another. It's a domino effect. This building is just the first domino.
Instead of making fun of it and saying it looks out of place, which discourages development, maybe you should try to be happy for them, which encourages development.
I totally agree.
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