Mansion House Renovations

[dsjeffries]

I'm a bit out of the loop these days. Too bad they're not going to renovating the University Club. I think that could be a beautiful, sleek, modern building with the right updates, and more importantly, color choices. It's time the building gives up the color of this forum.

Tulsa World Article



One of Tulsa's high-rise apartments is shaking off the feel of the 1970s with a $5 million renovation.

Mansion House, a 183-unit, 11-story building geared toward residents 55 and older on Carson Avenue near Riverside Drive, is in the middle of getting a revamped first floor, new exterior facade, new amenities, energy-efficient touches and more.

The new look comes thanks to Palatine Capital Partners, a New York-based redevelopment firm that focuses on complex apartment projects. It bought a minority stake in both Mansion House and the adjacent, circular University Club Apartments in 2008 and assumed management duties.

University Mansion Limited Partnership, a New York entity, has owned Mansion House since shortly after it was constructed in 1968, and also owns University Club.

Alex Hurst, managing partner of Palatine Capital Partners, said the time had come to reposition the property for a new generation of older people.

"We thought that Mansion House and University Club were iconic buildings in a city with tremendous potential," he said. "We saw big opportunities to improve them and be rewarded for those improvements."

The first phase of the improvements should wrap up by February, with a second phase focusing on redoing the common areas of the residential floors beginning immediately after.

Palatine didn't just start imposing its own vision of what should change. Shortly after the group became the property manager, employees started surveying the tenants to see what they would like, said Brooke Klink, asset manager for Palatine.

"The answers we got surprised us," she said.

Specifically, the residents wanted more opportunities to socialize and stay active, she said. That's why the building's cafe and salon were removed and replaced by a large social room with a kitchen, theater area and numerous planned activities, a fitness center with modern equipment geared toward seniors and a yoga room for group exercise.

The first floor is rounded out by new furniture, a coffee bar - one of the highest requests on the survey, Klink said - and a business center with Wi-Fi.

"People think of seniors as not being tech-savvy, but we get a lot of our new residents online," she said.

The outside area, which has not been used much when the former cafe closes after lunch, will get new trails, butterfly gardens, patio space and covered areas to give residents easier opportunities to get outside, Klink said.

On the outside, the aluminum panels have come down and are being replaced by new exterior stairwells as well as a new paint.

Individual rooms are being renovated as people move. In addition to new lighting and more energy-efficient windows, the kitchens are being opened up by taking out separating walls and putting in a bar for more counter space, Klink said.

"Kitchens were a lot smaller back in the '70s," she said.

Mansion House is 90 percent occupied, with rents ranging from $550 to $875 per month.

There are currently no plans to renovate University Club.

[DTowner]

I hope they reassess renovating the University Tower.  I don't know about the apartments, but the lobby is very tired and needs serious updating.

[Townsend]

I hope they reassess renovating the University Tower.  I don't know about the apartments, but the lobby is very tired and needs serious updating.

The apartments do too.

[carltonplace]

Individual rooms are being renovated as people move.

"move" is a nice way of putting how the apartments become available. I see people "moving" by ambulance several times a day.

[railfan955]

  I used to work at the cafe inside Mansion House apartments & can tell you that the building needed some remodeling, including new elevators, especially freight elevators.