(PROJECT) Hartford Building for TU/OU Medical School

[carltonplace]

Yep, my mom worked for Cities Service at the time (it was going to be their new building before it became the OneOK building).  Was sad watching in the papers as the building slowly shrunk every couple months or so once the oil bust hit.  Also, did you know that at about the same time the Cities Service building was starting there was a proposal for an even taller building downtown.  I remember the front page article had a rendering of what downtown would look like with all the new buildings that were being built and were proposed.  Looked spectacular.  The Cities Service building towered over the BOK, then that other building towered over that.  Looked as if its sharp spire could easily have reached 100-120stories tall.  The articles title said something like "Tulsa, The Emerald City".  I believe it was a Sunday paper and I think it might have been in the Tulsa Tribune.  Would love to see that image and the article again.   Talk about sucky timing.  Tulsa's skyline could have been jawdropping if the oil bust had just held off a few years.

My neighborhood in uptown was to be razed for one of these proposed towers to be built at 15th and Denver where the QT is. So happy that didn't happen.

[Townsend]

Yep, my mom worked for Cities Service at the time (it was going to be their new building before it became the OneOK building).  Was sad watching in the papers as the building slowly shrunk every couple months or so once the oil bust hit.  Also, did you know that at about the same time the Cities Service building was starting there was a proposal for an even taller building downtown.  I remember the front page article had a rendering of what downtown would look like with all the new buildings that were being built and were proposed.  Looked spectacular.  The Cities Service building towered over the BOK, then that other building towered over that.  Looked as if its sharp spire could easily have reached 100-120stories tall.  The articles title said something like "Tulsa, The Emerald City".  I believe it was a Sunday paper and I think it might have been in the Tulsa Tribune.  Would love to see that image and the article again.   Talk about sucky timing.  Tulsa's skyline could have been jawdropping if the oil bust had just held off a few years.

I'll try to find a link to it but I read a story in the TW a few years back about 8 buildings downtown over 40 stories that were cancelled at the same time.

[rdj]

I'll try to find a link to it but I read a story in the TW a few years back about 8 buildings downtown over 40 stories that were cancelled at the same time.

I believe they ran that story around the time the Devon tower was announced.

[Townsend]

I believe they ran that story around the time the Devon tower was announced.

Corroborated.  I'll Gaspar my post then.

[Hoss]

Corroborated.  I'll Gaspar my post then.

Snort... 

[LandArchPoke]

I wish TU/OU and OSU would all work together... If they did build this in the East Village Area it would really give a boost to it, I think it could be much more beneficial to all of Northeast Oklahoma and Tulsa if these schools would work together and have a long term vision and do something like the Medical District that has been built in Oklahoma City or the one in Houston (just on a smaller scale obviously). We've lacked the ability to have all these bio research areas because we haven't had the school and now we will. So lets not spread this out all over Tulsa like we do everything else and get some synergy going, because these school have the potential 10-20 years from now to change our economy.

[SXSW]

I wish TU/OU and OSU would all work together... If they did build this in the East Village Area it would really give a boost to it, I think it could be much more beneficial to all of Northeast Oklahoma and Tulsa if these schools would work together and have a long term vision and do something like the Medical District that has been built in Oklahoma City or the one in Houston (just on a smaller scale obviously). We've lacked the ability to have all these bio research areas because we haven't had the school and now we will. So lets not spread this out all over Tulsa like we do everything else and get some synergy going, because these school have the potential 10-20 years from now to change our economy.

Completely agree.  Joint venture with OSU Medical Center in that area.  That area could build up as a legitimate medical campus like OUHSC.

For once cluster all the medical programs in one place. 

[LandArchPoke]

I'm not sure what is currently on that piece of land? Google Maps says the Labor Department and Juvenile Parole (could we not get these maybe moved to One Tech Center since there is still lease able space there). This piece of property would be ideal for the OU/TU Medical School with the ability for them and OSU Medical School to expand and create Medical District. Also with the future rail connections to the west bank you could put a rail station on the tracks that bound the west side of this property and have more medical research areas on the west bank and expand the area of where OSU already has buildings in this area.

[jacobi]

I'm not sure what is currently on that piece of land? Google Maps says the Labor Department and Juvenile Parole (could we not get these maybe moved to One Tech Center since there is still lease able space there). This piece of property would be ideal for the OU/TU Medical School with the ability for them and OSU Medical School to expand and create Medical District. Also with the future rail connections to the west bank you could put a rail station on the tracks that bound the west side of this property and have more medical research areas on the west bank and expand the area of where OSU already has buildings in this area.

and that little triangle of land immediately to the west could be high rise student housing (plus rail stop).  It would change everything.  (ok not everything, just alot!)

[railfan955]

LandArchPoke,
  That's the Department of Human Services. ( State office building).

[SXSW]

The state office building plus the land to the east of OSU Med could all be redeveloped in the future.  That would generate a need for student housing that could be developed on the surface lots east of Denver south of 7th, just a few blocks from the medical campus.

[Weatherdemon]

The above poster is correct WD.  Class A office space downtown is more than 90% occupied.  Cimarex wanted more space and will have to build... which will free up ~10 floors of space while adding to inventory.  But so long as ONG, BOK, Williams, and a ton of other offices keep adding to the downtown workforce it wil be obsorbed quickly.  more and more companies are adding downtown offices - large (northwest mutual) and small (Farmers corporate counsel). Remember that space that is not "nice office space in move in condition" doesn't count for occupancy.

Not that we have a need for 105 stories of new office space without some new super tenant.  If you made it mixed use and had the concept of basically building your own city you might be able to pull it off.  But that would be on the developer to work with the city anda  TON of entreprenuers to see that come together

While cool, I'd rather see a continuation of construction on 4, 6, and 15 story buildings that we are seeing.

Thanks for that info. I didn't realize there was that little space available with the empty buldings and lease signs I see.

[LandArchPoke]

LandArchPoke,
  That's the Department of Human Services. ( State office building).

Thanks, I would be curious to know how much space they occupy in those buildings? And if there was still enough space to transfer this office space over to the new City Hall. This take cares of the space they have been unsuccessful in leasing out and gives us the opportunity to actually building synergy with the medical schools.

The state office building plus the land to the east of OSU Med could all be redeveloped in the future.  That would generate a need for student housing that could be developed on the surface lots east of Denver south of 7th, just a few blocks from the medical campus.

Just think how much this would change the downtown area to finally get more students downtown and students that provide a much need research benefit. From my understanding, isn't the George Kaiser Family Foundation behind the TU/OU School of Medicine here? Any way to get them this idea, granted it would be more complicated to move on this idea then the hartford building area but this would be some much more benefical to the city to have a medical and research district in one area instead of spreading it all over the city like we do everything else!

[rdj]

I've heard talk of OU building a medical school related facility on the western edge of the UCAT land.  The Crowley plan called for a Boulder Ave mass transit route that would terminate into this area.

[jacobi]

I've heard talk of OU building a medical school related facility on the western edge of the UCAT land.  The Crowley plan called for a Boulder Ave mass transit route that would terminate into this area.

WHere?  All the area to the west is owned by OSU and Langston (formerly UCAT).  It's interesting that you meniton this because that land came up on the agenda at the last TDA meeting.