Space immediately North of The Tavern (Brady District)

[TulsaRufnex]

Anyone know what is going on there?  Note, this appears to be different the GKFF work on the SE corner of Cameron St. & Main Street.

Last night's Channel 6 news... Speakeasy... brewery... bakery... apartments...


Downtown Continues To Grow With Brady District Development
http://www.newson6.com/clip/11080419/downtown-continues-to-grow-with-brady-district-development

Go get 'em, Elliot!!!  

***On a side note, got my first taste of a $10 brew from Prairie Ales... Apple Brandy Barrel Noir... for a connoisseur of Coors, Pabst, Old Style, and Bud light like myself, my first impression was that it tasted a little flat... then... "biff, bam, boom, zowie!"  

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Last night's Channel 6 news... Speakeasy... brewery... bakery... apartments...


Downtown Continues To Grow With Brady District Development
http://www.newson6.com/clip/11080419/downtown-continues-to-grow-with-brady-district-development

Go get 'em, Elliot!!!  

***On a side note, got my first taste of a $10 brew from Prairie Ales... Apple Brandy Barrel Noir... for a connoisseur of Coors, Pabst, Old Style, and Bud light like myself, my first impression was that it tasted a little flat... then... "biff, bam, boom, zowie!"  

That's great news! When I was at Prairie brewery a couple months ago, the guy who runs Willow Family Ales mentioned the brewpub at that location. 

"The alley way just off of Brady and Boston, behind the Tavern Restaurant, will be the only entrance to a soon to open brewery, which will be developed by Elliot Nelson."

That is an interesting idea. I wonder how that will go, maybe less foot traffic but more like a stowed-away gem.

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

I bought a growler of Marshall's Mosaic Pale Ale.  I liked it.  Good flavor and I couldn't tell it was only "3.2".  It's also NOT a 3.2 version of Arrowhead.  It's different.

I concur with all the posters talking about session beers with low alcohol but a lot of flavor. Other examples include many of the great English ales. If you go to London, they have multitudes of house ales and "Real Ales" around 2.9% which are outstanding. I enjoy great flavored well-made beer, regardless of the %Alc.

Marshall's Mosaic Pale Ale is delicious. Prairie Vous Frances (sold at brewery in bottles & at Siegi's) is maybe the best sour ale I've had in a long time and I've had dozens. Their others they have for growlers are all good. Out of 6 varieties of 3.2 (or  4.2% abv) I've tried from them, only 1 was ok and it was just a bad batch. All of them were far-and-away better than anything sold at QT and even better than most in liquor stores.

[HSams75]

Last night's Channel 6 news... Speakeasy... brewery... bakery... apartments...


Downtown Continues To Grow With Brady District Development
http://www.newson6.com/clip/11080419/downtown-continues-to-grow-with-brady-district-development

Go get 'em, Elliot!!!   

***On a side note, got my first taste of a $10 brew from Prairie Ales... Apple Brandy Barrel Noir... for a connoisseur of Coors, Pabst, Old Style, and Bud light like myself, my first impression was that it tasted a little flat... then... "biff, bam, boom, zowie!"   

I love absolutely everything about this.  Even the Apple Brandy Barrel Noir. 

I concur with all the posters talking about session beers with low alcohol but a lot of flavor. Other examples include many of the great English ales. If you go to London, they have multitudes of house ales and "Real Ales" around 2.9% which are outstanding. I enjoy great flavored well-made beer, regardless of the %Alc.

Marshall's Mosaic Pale Ale is delicious. Prairie Vous Frances (sold at brewery in bottles & at Siegi's) is maybe the best sour ale I've had in a long time and I've had dozens. Their others they have for growlers are all good. Out of 6 varieties of 3.2 (or  4.2% abv) I've tried from them, only 1 was ok and it was just a bad batch. All of them were far-and-away better than anything sold at QT and even better than most in liquor stores.

There are definitely some great session beers out there.  Both Choc's and Westbrook's Goses are some of my favorites (Choc really, really needs to put out that gose again - it's outstanding!). 

Glad to hear that about the Prairie Vous; I have yet to get out there for a bottle, so hopefully there will be some available at Saturday's tour.  I understand they're trying to get it into Whole Foods, too.  That Prairie Cross was pretty delish, really enjoyed that one. 

[rdj]

McNellie's Group is not doing a brewpub in this location.  Their brew pub is on Elgin across from OneOK Field.

Josh Royal of R Bar is doing the brewpub in this development.  McNellie's Group is expanding The Tavern and opening a cocktail bar/speakeasy with an alley entrance.

[TulsaRufnex]

Thanks for the clarification, rdj.
When hearing R Bar in the same story as Elliot Nelson, I got a little confused.

[carltonplace]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepage1/kaiser-foundation-assembles-restaurant-all-stars-for-brady-renovation/article_f2a00977-7d1e-52ae-9c1c-d26444350293.html#user-comment-area

From the Tulsa World


Elliot Nelson, head of the McNellie's Group, Josh Royal, owner of R Bar, and Molly Martin, owner of Antoinette Baking Co. are among the restaurateurs that will open new or expanded locations in a block of historic buildings being renovated by the George Kaiser Family Foundation.

Stanton Doyle, senior program officer with the foundation, said work has already begun on the $16 million conversion of the Fox Hotel and Universal Ford buildings on the east side of Main Street between Brady and Cameron streets.

When finished, the buildings will feature 31 new apartments that will be rented out to participants in Teach for America and the foundation's new Tulsa Artists Fellowship, 5,000 square feet of office space for small start-up companies and shared workspaces as well as the three restaurants.

Doyle said the foundation, which had previously built 12 apartments for Teach for America above the Living Arts of Tulsa building and another eight above the building on the west side of Main between Brady and Cameron, said the foundation believes strongly in bringing more activity to the Brady district.

"We think it's important more people live downtown in the arts district, so we believe we need to activate the buildings to keep pushing toward the critical mass," he said.

Nelson will use the renovation to expand his existing Tavern on Brady restaurant, he said. The added 5,000 square feet will add more seating, private dining rooms, storage, an expanded kitchen and a new wine cellar that will augment the restaurant's wine offerings.

Additionally, Nelson will create a speakeasy lounge connected to the north with an entrance facing the alley between the buildings, he said.

"We'll build a piano into the bar, so it'll have a lounge feel," Nelson said.

The original Tavern space will also be renovated. Nelson said the restaurant will remain open during the renovation, which is scheduled to wrap up in November.

Martin's contribution will be an additional location of Antoinette Baking Co. in the Fox building, which has its original location at 3305 S. Peoria Ave. When finished in October, it will feature a similar bakery and pie nights as the first location, only with lunch specials, brunch, expanded bread baking and more.

"We'll be getting a liquor license, so we can offer adult beverages like spiked milkshakes," she said.

The new, 4,000 square-foot Antoinette location will face Main Street, with Nelson's speakeasy lounge behind it.

Royal, in collaboration with Pauly Sorrentino, plans to be principles with a new 5,000 square-foot restaurant and brewpub within the Universal Ford building, Doyle said.

The yet-to-be named brewpub will be opened in conjunction with Tulsa's Prairie Artisan Ales, which will brew new beer on-site. Though Prairie won't be the only group brewing there.

"On a regular basis, we're going to invite any Oklahoma brewer to brew with us," Sorrentino said. "We're not about competition, we want to embrace brewing."

Though current plans are to brew beer at 3.2 percent alcohol by weight, he said they're closely watching the progress of Senate Bill 424, which was introduced earlier this week by state Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa, and allow breweries to sell any beer they produce on premises, no matter the alcohol volume.

"We'll be ready to do whatever the law says by the time we open," he said.

Sorrentino, who has partnered with others on the Old School Bagel Cafe and the Boston Avenue Grill, said they'll reveal what kind of food they'll serve closer to the brewpub's fall opening.

Though three existing businesses to the east of the Tavern facing Brady are technically part of the Fox Hotel building, they won't be affected by construction. These businesses include Chrysalis Salon and Spa, Gitwit Creative and Tulsa Artists Coalition's TAC Gallery.

Doyle said the apartments will be on the smaller side, and range from 400 to 1,000 square feet. The apartments above the Fox building will house the studio apartments, with the larger ones above Universal Ford.

"We wanted smaller footprints to keep them affordable," he said.

Rents on the apartments are estimated to be $1.15 per square foot, though that price will include some utilities. All 31 apartments will share a laundry facility within Fox Hotel.

Some of the apartments are another feature of the Foundation's Tulsa Artist Fellowship Program, which will award five to 15 artists with merit-based grants of up to $40,000 per person which includes housing, work space and a stipend.

Teach for America is a non-profit based in New York, New York that seeks to encourage college students to teach.

Though much of the lower floors will be taken up by apartments, 11,500 square feet in the Universal Ford building behind the brewpub will become an entrepreneurial hub and resource center, in partnership with the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation.

[Conan71]

I would hate to think what Tulsa would look like today without Mr. Kaiser's generosity.  What a fantastic legacy for every Tulsan to enjoy.

[carltonplace]

I would hate to think what Tulsa would look like today without Mr. Kaiser's generosity.  What a fantastic legacy for every Tulsan to enjoy.

Agreed

[DowntownDan]

I really wish today's living options downtown existed when I was younger.  When I moved back to Tulsa, the only downtown living was the Rennaissance (meh), the Tribune Lofts, which weren't for rent, and the Philtower, which was full and above my price range anyway. 

[Conan71]

I really wish today's living options downtown existed when I was younger.  When I moved back to Tulsa, the only downtown living was the Rennaissance (meh), the Tribune Lofts, which weren't for rent, and the Philtower, which was full and above my price range anyway.  

Agreed.

I moved back from Kansas City in the Fall of 1987 and lived at Center Plaza (now Central Park Condos) for a year and a half or so.  Other than flop houses, that was about it.  It was still an apartment complex back then and had a very eclectic crowd living there.  YP's, retirees, middle age divorcees, creative types, and professionals.  The decline in downtown had pretty well bottomed-out by then and it was not in very high demand.  Still no idea what made me an "aspiring urbanite" at the age of 21, but I was simply drawn to it.  Other than concert nights, there really was nothing to do downtown at night.  Any bars were pretty sketchy.  They did have a bar in the basement of the north building, but it was not heavily utilized.

At least back then there was a full service grocery down there, the old Safeway/Homeland at 11th & Denver.  Hopefully, that is not too far away again.

[ZYX]

I've walked by this several times and wondered what it was. Glad to see that it'll bring more businesses and especially housing to Brady.

I go to the Cain's fairly often, and I typically park in the garage just across the railroad tracks on Main. The walk is great until the end of the block with this new development, and then there's a gap between the main part of the Brady District and the Cain's. I hope to see development spread north where there are currently metal warehouses and empty lots. Some new 2-5 story brick construction would be great.

[rdj]

I would hate to think what Tulsa would look like today without Mr. Kaiser's generosity.  What a fantastic legacy for every Tulsan to enjoy.

The Mrs refers to him as Tulsa's Patron Saint of the Jewish Faith.

[sgrizzle]

I really wish today's living options downtown existed when I was younger.  When I moved back to Tulsa, the only downtown living was the Rennaissance (meh), the Tribune Lofts, which weren't for rent, and the Philtower, which was full and above my price range anyway. 

You're pretty much describing right now. Downtown sits at or near 100% occupancy and rental rates of $1.50 psf and up putting basically every apartment at over $1,000/mo.

[hello]

"I really wish today's living options downtown existed when I was younger.  When I moved back to Tulsa, the only downtown living was the Rennaissance (meh), the Tribune Lofts, which weren't for rent, and the Philtower, which was full and above my price range anyway."

There is not much more today. Most are pretty pricey and are 100% full. I'm looking forward to more affordable apartments in the Brady that are open to everyone to rent.