Tulsa Convention Center

[carltonplace]

Tulsa World ran an article today on the Convention Center Expansion

By BRIAN BARBER World Staff WriterBy BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Published: 1/25/2009  2:23 AM
Last Modified: 1/25/2009  2:37 AM

New renderings for the Tulsa Convention Center's $50.5 million expansion and renovation show a dramatic glass curtain wall entrance that will echo the BOK Center's architecture across the street.

"These facilities are meant to work together, not only in function, but in their design as well," said Cecil Ricks, a director with Matrix, which is overseeing the Vision 2025 project's architecture and design.

The convention center's expansion will bring it out to Third Street, establishing a natural connection between the two buildings, Ricks said.

Matrix architect Subha Sridharan said the front of the addition will sit at an angle facing east to capture views of the BOK Center and the downtown skyline through the glass wall, which will taper from 40 feet to 30 feet tall.

"One of the things we heard time and time again is how this facility lacked a strong identity and a strong entrance," she said. "This was an opportunity to provide those necessary elements."

The project's architectural team essentially had to start over from scratch with the design in mid-2007, when city officials made big changes to the convention center's improvement plans, triggering a yearlong delay.

Instead of tearing out the existing 8,992-seat arena, the decision was made to keep it intact for potential basketball tournaments and smaller events and expand the facility to the north.

The addition, consuming a surface parking lot, will include the state's largest ballroom, with more than 30,000 square feet, and extra meeting space.

[Oil Capital]

Overall, I think this is a decent project.  But the writer of this article needs to familiarize himself with downtown Tulsa.  It is hard to imagine how anyone will get a view of the Tulsa skyline through a glass wall looking north-northeast from this location, there will be very little view of the BOK Center, I'm afraid.  Also, it is NOT "across the street" from the BOK Center.  More like across the street and down two blocks.  

Why do they keep telling us this will make the convention center closer to the BOK Center???  The new addition will be almost exactly the same distance from the BOK Center as the current building.

[TheArtist]

I know, I was reading that article and kept being puzzled by what the writer was saying. I kept wondering if perhaps I had my directions wrong or something.

[blindnil]

I've seen a model for that addition at a chamber function. It sits kind of cockyed so that it looks down Third Street toward the arena and the skyscrapers down the street.

[Oil Capital]

quote:Originally posted by blindnil

I've seen a model for that addition at a chamber function. It sits kind of cockyed so that it looks down Third Street toward the arena and the skyscrapers down the street.

Yeah . . . the view of the skyline is nevertheless going to be VERY limited.  (and that does nothing to explain the nonsense about being "across the street" from the BOK Center, when it clearly is not.

[bacjz00]

The thing I keep coming back to in my head is that none of these new facilities are anywhere near a retail or restaurant area.  The existing Convention Center site and BOK Center are smack dab in the middle of government sector hell.  

At least the new ballpark will be located near the Blue Dome and Brady districts.  

Just wish there could have been a little more foresight.

[Oil Capital]

quote:Originally posted by bacjz00

The thing I keep coming back to in my head is that none of these new facilities are anywhere near a retail or restaurant area.  The existing Convention Center site and BOK Center are smack dab in the middle of government sector hell.  

At least the new ballpark will be located near the Blue Dome and Brady districts.  

Just wish there could have been a little more foresight.

Completely agreed.  And this new "front door" for the convention center does not help any... in fact, it goes further in the wrong direction.

[AVERAGE JOE]

quote:Originally posted by blindnil

I've seen a model for that addition at a chamber function. It sits kind of cockyed so that it looks down Third Street toward the arena and the skyscrapers down the street.

Did the model show how this addition interacts with the new ramps on the west side of the parking garage? Curious how the traffic gets out. Through the garage on the ground level and out the existing curb cuts on 3rd maybe?

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by AVERAGE JOE

quote:Originally posted by blindnil

I've seen a model for that addition at a chamber function. It sits kind of cockyed so that it looks down Third Street toward the arena and the skyscrapers down the street.

Did the model show how this addition interacts with the new ramps on the west side of the parking garage? Curious how the traffic gets out. Through the garage on the ground level and out the existing curb cuts on 3rd maybe?

I think the plan is for the east ramp to be up and the west ramp to be down. I believe they plan on removing the old circular ramp which will imiprove the view  between the convention center and BOK center. They may also change it to an exit.

[Townsend]

quote:Originally posted by Oil Capital

 (and that does nothing to explain the nonsense about being "across the street" from the BOK Center, when it clearly is not.

Maybe they meant it was across several streets.

[perspicuity85]

quote:Originally posted by bacjz00

The thing I keep coming back to in my head is that none of these new facilities are anywhere near a retail or restaurant area.  The existing Convention Center site and BOK Center are smack dab in the middle of government sector hell.  

At least the new ballpark will be located near the Blue Dome and Brady districts.  

Just wish there could have been a little more foresight.

I really think the city should re-think their courtship of hotel developers.  It makes no sense to attempt to recruit one specific industry for the old city hall site.     Perhaps the city should be open to restaurant/retail development in addition to a hotel.  It just makes more sense to me to allow the market to determine the best use for the site (besides a parking lot).  Personally, I think it would make more sense to develop a mixed-use site that included an upper-middle hotel brand, such as Holiday Inn (not Holiday Inn Express), Hyatt Place, or Hilton Garden Inn. These hotels are generally between 4 and 8 stories, and wouldn't take up the entire site, leaving room for adjacent retail/restaurant development.  If you count the Crowne Plaza, Doubletree, and Ambassador, Downtown already has 3 upscale hotels.