Palace Clothing Building/Old Arby's

[swake]

The Tulsa World reports that construction on the Palace Building starts today.

Also construction is starting on the new TW building, a building they are calling The Podium Building.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/eedition/page-a/page_88f13446-854b-5135-859f-8066a54eb97e.html

[Hoss]

The Tulsa World reports that construction on the Palace Building starts today.

Also construction is starting on the new TW building, a building they are calling The Podium Building.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/eedition/page-a/page_88f13446-854b-5135-859f-8066a54eb97e.html

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[Tulsasaurus Rex]

Work begins on Tulsa World buildings

Monday is an exciting day for the Tulsa World.

The media company is beginning work on a more than $15 million project to renovate the historic Palace Building at Fourth and Main streets and begin construction of an additional structure, the Podium Building, on an adjacent parking lot.

The Palace Building, first opened in 1913 but vacant since 2012, will be turned into a mixed-use structure with retail development at the ground level and 58 apartments on higher floors. One-fifth of the apartments will be dedicated to low-income tenants.

The Podium Building will provide covered parking and storage space for newsprint and ink.

The resulting economic boost, improvement to downtown and rescue of a historic structure would have been economically impossible without tax incentives. The Tulsa City Council, Tulsa school board, Tulsa City-County Library Commission, Tulsa County Commissioners, Tulsa City-County Board of Health, Tulsa Technology Center and Tulsa Community College agreed to property tax abatements to make the plan possible.

In the end, taxpayers won't lose a penny as a result of those agreements. Indeed, all of those entities will profit from the decision.

Under the terms of the agreement, the taxing entities agree to accept property tax payments based on the building's current value for seven years, a steady source of revenue. At the end of that period, the building goes on the tax rolls at full value, a big jump in revenue. Without the abatements, there would be no improvements. So, the tax incentives are a wise investment for schools, libraries, health programs and public works that will pay dividends for years and years.

We wish to publicly thank the taxing entities that signed off on the plan.

Here is the bottom line: A historic building is saved; downtown will continue to grow and prosper with more retail and residential space; and surrounding buildings will increase in value and have a better chance at development. It's a good business decision for the Tulsa World Media Co. that makes everyone a winner.

[cannon_fodder]

Renovations are reportedly almost done.

Tulsa World had an article a few days ago:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/realestate/palace-building-moving-toward-completion-of-million-historical-renovation/article_d064fbd3-810b-550a-868c-aa035d527089.html

The nine-story Palace Building will contain 52 one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom units, including 18 apartments that will be discounted for dwellers who meet certain salary, debt and occupancy qualifications. Directly west of the structure is a new $3 million, two-story newsprint storage facility that became operational in the fall.
A total of 5,500 square feet on the Palace Building's first floor will be reserved for commercial opportunities, Masterson said. The project's design is by KKT Architects.

They have begun advertising the apartments as the Palace Apartments:
http://tulsapalace.com/

The website includes layouts that show a lot of one bedroom apartments. The two bedroom apartments are like modern college dorms, 2 bedrooms each with its own bathroom, a common living room and kitchen in the middle. The apartments seem to be customized to fit the space, so basically no two on a floor are alike and even every floor appears to be different.   500 to 860 square feet. 52 one bedroom, 8 two bedroom. 5000 sq feet of retail on the ground level.  

Features listed include rooftop deck with an outdoor kitchen, community room, granite counters, storage, parking across the street in the main mall garage (a walkway or tunnel would be nice, but would add lots of expense) for $116 per month (first car, second car half price).  

I couldn't find pricing, but it seems to be aimed at the gap we have been seeing lately.

[edit] Pricing is listed here:
https://www.apartments.com/palace-building-apartments-tulsa-ok/50sd6hq/

Studio   1 Bathroom   $790 - 840      510 - 542 Sq Ft   Studio   Mar 1      
1 Bedroom   1 Bathroom   $851 - 1,199      549 - 800 Sq Ft   1 Bedroom   Mar 1      
2 Bedrooms   2 Bathrooms   $1,057 - 1,166      813 - 885 Sq Ft   2 Bedroom   Mar 1      

Also they apparently allow pets with a $300 deposit
[/edit]

[Bamboo World]

They have begun advertising the apartments as the Palace Apartments:
http://tulsapalace.com/

...The apartments seem to be customized to fit the space, so basically no two on a floor are alike and even every floor appears to be different...
 

Thanks for posting the link, cannon_fodder.

The apartment layouts are customized to fit the space, the structural columns, and the exterior windows.  There might be some small variations, but Floors 3-7 appear to be very similar.  Floors 8 and 9 appear to be very similar, also.  Apartments A and B seem to be similiar on Floors 3-9.  

Inserting a new interior stair was a wise decision, replacing the old exterior fire escape (which has been removed from the west side of the building), and allowing good use of the window locations at the northwest and southwest corners of the building (if the windows have not been blocked, as the floor plans indicate).

I haven't checked it out yet, but the floor plans show that the windows on the north bedrooms of Apts #3G - #7G have been blocked.  Same for the kitchens in Apts #8E, #8F, #9E, and #9F.  I hope it's a graphical error on the website floor plans and the windows haven't been covered over on the interior.

The Palace Building is taller than the Tulsa World structure to the north.  On the 8th and 9th floors, there are some north-facing windows, above the roof level of the Tulsa World building.  That's why the layouts for 8th and 9th floors of the Palace Apartments have central corridors.  Floors 2-7 have corridors along the north wall.

The floor plan for Apt #2H seems a bit odd, with no window in the living/dining area.  I would have flipped the layout for #2H around, I think, placing the bedroom in the northwest (or northeast) corner of the unit and the living/dining/kitchen spaces to the south (or west) of the bedroom.

In my opinion, except for Apt #2H mentioned above, the D units on Floors 2-7 are the least desirable, due to the position of the entry door and long circulation path through the apartment to get to the south-facing windows.  In that regard, the C units are somewhat better with their entry door locations, and the E units are better yet, with entryway alcoves.

Overall, the A units would be the best for views, I think.  Apts #8A and #9A have windows facing north, east, and south.

[Townsend]

TW posted that Taco Bueno and Burger King are going to be in the Palace building.

[BKDotCom]

TW posted that Taco Bueno and Burger King are going to be in the Palace building.

Said post:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/downtown/taco-bueno-burger-king-coming-to-palace-building-at-th/article_d672996d-a8d0-57db-ac74-7dda06c3a736.html

Downtown is getting two new restaurants in the same location.

Local franchisee Rick Verity signed a lease Friday to develop a Taco Bueno and Burger King on the ground floor of The Palace apartments, 324 S. Main St., he said. The restaurants will occupy about a  5,000-square-foot space in a building refurbished this year by the Tulsa World and BH Media.

The eateries are expected to open in about four months, Verity said. He is CEO of Broken Arrow-based Pamax Management, which owns and operates 26 Burger Kings, and managing director of Quality Brand Management, which owns and operates seven Taco Buenos.

"I think it's absolutely fabulous what's happening with downtown and more and more people moving downtown," Verity said Friday in a telephone interview. "Just walking down there, you get a totally different vibe about what's happening.

"I love the apartments located above where we're located. I think they are going to attract our customers. All they have to do is walk downstairs."

The dual-restaurant concept will feature independent operations, full-serve menus and a common seating area, he said.

[swake]

TW posted that Taco Bueno and Burger King are going to be in the Palace building.

Wow, when was the last time a new Burger King opened?

[MostSeriousness]

I went to school with one of the franchisee's kids. Glad to see he's sticking around Tulsa.

I think they'll be great for downtown, especially if they are open in evenings. A good mix of fast food, cheap options, and of course availability in the heart of downtown/first floor of an apartment.

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

It is neat that it will be like a food court with common seating area. I foresee food-court type venues getting more common and steady in the future (like food truck parks, Fuel 66, the boxyard, Mother Road Market, etc). Those types of places have already been very common and successful in other larger cities.

1 tenant in a building or space by itself takes quite a large investment. By splitting up areas, sharing seating and sharing space, you can bring in a larger crowds so that everyone can find something they like. Although I'm not sure a lot of couples are split between taco bueno and burger king very often!

One of the keys to urban density is getting creative and using every nook and cranny in more diverse ways. Don't just have a bar: bring in food trucks, big decorative patio with another stage, outdoor games, etc. This type of thinking is really building up downtown Tulsa. Austin has this mastered with boxes, trailers and carts all over the place in any blank yard or corner full of shops and food places.

[BKDotCom]

Someone's actually created a petition to stop this development
https://www.reddit.com/r/tulsa/comments/6vr9e9/i_created_a_petition_to_stop_the_development_of/
has 61 "signatures"

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Taco Bueno and Burger King to open downtown locations May 21
Downtown Tulsa's newest eateries soon will make their debuts.

A combo Taco Bueno and Burger King restaurant is scheduled to open at 10 a.m. May 21 on the first floor of the Palace Apartments, 324 S. Main St., said developer Rick Verity, CEO of Broken Arrow-based Switchgrass Holdings LLC.

"It's absolutely gorgeous," he said by phone Friday.



"When you think about where it is, it has to look that way. Who the heck wants to go out to lunch and feel like you are eating at a fast-food joint? Not me."

The roughly 5,000-square-foot space features Art Deco design and a laser-graphic depiction of the iconic Boston Avenue United Methodist Church on the north wall. It has a lounge area and common seating for about 140 people, Verity said.

Regular hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Burger King, which will serve breakfast, and from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Taco Bueno, with both restaurants open Monday through Saturday. The hours and days could be extended for special downtown events, Verity said.

The nine-story Palace Apartments, which houses 60 residential units, opened in March 2017 and is the culmination of a roughly $13 million rehabilitation of the 1913 Palace Building by BH Media, which owns the Tulsa World.

Switchgrass owns and operates 27 Burger Kings. Verity also is managing director of Quality Brand Management, which owns and operates 12 Taco Buenos.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/realestate/taco-bueno-and-burger-king-to-open-downtown-locations-may/article_4a472183-e48b-5292-94bd-b26d8a8fa516.html

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

That looks like a nice new food court. I especially like the black and gold Art Deco wall art. Overall a nice place for fast food. The Taco Bueno looks especially nice.

[Cats Cats Cats]

I know it would be a stress test. But you would think you would like all the Mayfest business if you opened a week earlier.

[Weatherdemon]

Bueno/BK closing temporarily.


https://tulsaworld.com/business/local/burger-king-taco-bueno-downtown-eatery-announces-temporary-closing/article_5a26030e-5045-11eb-b2e0-139c0a0c92cf.html