The "this has nothing to do with Tulsa" mega-post

[BKDotCom]

Ikea's major reorganization: Smaller stores and 7,500 job cuts:  https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/21/business/ikea-layoffs/index.html

The cuts will hit administrative and support jobs. Ikea said that fewer than 75 jobs will be eliminated in the United States.

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City's Historic Stockyards City










Stockyards City (National Stockyard Exchange): https://www.adventureroad.com/destinations/stockyards-city-national-stockyard-exchange/

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City's Historic Paseo Arts District












Great Food is an Art:  http://www.picassosonpaseo.com/            

[Laramie]

 
David Holt is the current Mayor of Oklahoma City; he is the author of "Big League City,'  a fascinating story behind that transformative moment when "The Thunder" came to Oklahoma City, elevating it to a "big league city."





NBA Sports

NBA approves Sonics' move to Oklahoma City
Originally published April 18, 2008 at 12:00 am Updated April 19, 2008 at 3:02 am

The NBA Board of Governors voted overwhelmingly today to approve the Sonics' move from Seattle to Oklahoma City. Sonics owner Clay Bennett is trying to get out of the lease to play at KeyArena through 2010 and move the team before next season. The City of Seattle has filed a lawsuit to keep the Sonics...



 
Chesapeake Energy Arena NBA basketball seating capacity: 18,203 Terrace Suites – 48 (32 north, 16 south), Private Suites – 29 Bunker Suites - 7 (event level), 8 (entry level)

How the Sonics became the Thunder: A timeline  http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/16/sports/la-sp-0617-sonics-thunder-timeline-20120617

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Boathouse District

Oklahoma City Boathouse District 'A Tribute to Aubrey McClendon":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvWY4-mtkIc

Tulsa World Sports Extra:

Boathouse District park promises to make Oklahoma City a destination for river sports:  https://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/othersports/boathouse-district-park-promises-to-make-oklahoma-city-a-destination/article_e6661fa1-cf58-5af6-89ae-b0f769d4c474.html

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Arts District



OKC Museum of Art [Uncovering Oklahoma]:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXyGA3iwALA



Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall 201 North Walker Avenue,  Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Upcoming events: https://www.okcciviccenter.com/


Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts



Arts Council of Oklahoma City:  https://www.artscouncilokc.com/

[Laramie]

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announces that officials have selected Tinker Air Force Base to provide maintenance for the B-21 Raider once the bomber comes on line in the mid-2020s Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman.     

Tuesday, November 27, 2018 | by The Oklahoman Editorial Board

AN announcement that Tinker Air Force Base will maintain the B-21 Raider once the bomber comes on line is good news for the base and another validation of central Oklahoma's longtime support of the base.

Tinker celebrated its 75th anniversary last year, a true milestone considering there was no guarantee it would get to 50 or 60. During the early 1990s, Tinker faced the threat of closure, or at least significant downsizing, as result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission process, which weighed the viability of all U.S. bases.

The state's congressional delegation lobbied hard for Tinker, and so did the community. A nonprofit group led by a former Tinker commander even asked metro-area cities to assist financially in the preservation effort, based on how many of their residents worked at Tinker. In Midwest City, council members set up a fund that allowed residents to "overpay their water bill and designate the extra mount be given to the task force," a September 1994 story in The Daily Oklahoman noted.

Those efforts succeeded, allowing Tinker to prosper. Today, roughly 31,000 workers and their families are tied to Tinker, which has a $1.6 billion payroll. Lt. Gen. Lee Levy, former commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker, would frequently note that the center is a $16 billion-a-year operation that would rank No. 116 if it were a Fortune 500 company.

Just two years ago, officials broke ground on a 158-acre KC-46 Sustainment Campus, on the site of what was once the BNSF Railway yard. That purchase, the result of an effort involving the Air Force, the city of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County, will generate about 1,300 good-paying jobs maintaining the KC-46A Pegasus once that tanker begins flying.

Tinker is an important site with a strong record, something Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson noted earlier this month in naming the base to maintain the B-21 Raider.

"We made that decision because Tinker Air Force Base has the people and the experience and has shown its ability to provide sustainment to some of our most important aircraft," Wilson said.

The B-21, a long-range stealth bomber, is expected to be delivered midway through the next decade, and is meant to replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers. Wilson says she expects this project to translate into roughly the same number of jobs as the KC-46A mission.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, perhaps the Senate's most hawkish member and a staunch defender of all of Oklahoma's military installation, says adding the B-21 to Tinker's maintenance roster "puts Oklahoma at the forefront of the next generation of military aircraft and solidifies Tinker's rightful place as the nation's premier air logistics facility."

Where the military is concerned, nothing is guaranteed. But Tinker is on solid footing, and news like that delivered by Wilson only underscores that.

Leaving a comment - Thank you for joining our conversation on Oklahoman.com. We allow comments on our stories using the Facebook commenting platform. It is our intention to facilitate a conversation around news and information on Oklahoman.com. However, we reserve the right to evaluate each article and use discretion regarding commenting. For more details, see the Oklahoman.com commenting policy.

If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman's Opinion section, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.

[Laramie]

Lingo Construction is set to anchor the four-story, glass-and-steel Monarch Building being built at 1133 N Robinson in Midtown. [Photo by Dave Morris, The Oklahoman

"Moving to the Monarch is a great way to communicate who we are for the next 10 years," Lingo said. "It's not that we don't want to remodel and do old buildings, but we have grown and we are doing larger new steel and glass buildings that we may not be as well known for."

The move is only a couple of blocks. Lingo said his decision was hastened by a purchase offer for 123 NW 8, a deal that is nearing completion. When Monarch is completed next year, Lingo Construction will be the anchor tenant with 25 of his 100 employees occupying 9,800 square feet on the first floor.

The Monarch Building at 1133 N Robinson Ave. starts with a two-story white steel and glass facade with a two-story "glass box" above that is set back to give pedestrians the feel of walking down a street lined with two-story buildings. [Rendering by Fitzsimmons Architects]

Historic change: https://www.oklahoman.com/construction-company-transforms-its-image-with-monarch-building/article/5616129

The partners, Bob Howard, Mickey Clagg and Chris Fleming, own dozens of residential, retail and office properties in Midtown with major developments including the Twelve Twelve Building, the Guardian Garage, Fassler Hall, Plaza Court, the Packard Building and the Buick Building.

Construction of "Monarch," 1133 N Robinson Ave., is expected to start next month with completion by April 2019. Clagg and Fleming say the address has the advantage of being a half block from an OKC Streetcar stop and is within walking distance of an array of restaurants and shops.

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Skyline; via courtesy of OKCTalk 09/04/2018

Oklahoma City Skyline; via courtesy of OKCTalk 11/27/2018

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City's downtown housing boom.


Boulevard Place, Oklahoma City (video presentation):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7_chaevAAc


Construction wraps up on the $70 million West Village in Oklahoma City

The development includes 345 residences, 9,000 square feet of commercial space and 805 structured parking spaces. Another 66 curbside parking spaces are included throughout this development.

[carltonplace]

Man, they get all the nice tax revenues.

[SXSW]

Not the biggest fan of the architecture but the fact they were able to build all of the West Village as a single development is impressive, and will definitely enhance that area.  I stayed at the Museum21c Hotel when I was down there for a wedding and really liked it along with the Jones Assembly restaurant/bar.  That whole area was a desolate wasteland a few years ago.  I hope our Santa Fe Square project is similar but with nicer-looking residential buildings.

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City's transformation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVc4pgBGO28

[Laramie]

Winstar World Casino & Resort (World's Largest Casino):

117 miles south of Oklahoma City; 72 miles north of Dallas



1395 rooms on main casino complex (395 in Resort Tower, 500 in Pool Tower North, 500 in Pool Tower South)

 

Winstar World Casino:  https://www.winstarworldcasino.com/winstar-world-casino-hotel/

Winstar World Casino (Youtube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VArJ02VozSo

Five biggest casinos in the United States (Youtube):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAFYKyl_HWI

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Zoo: https://www.okczoo.org/


Pic via City Sentinel

Oklahoma City Zoo

The Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; check for holiday exceptions
Address: 2101 NE 50th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Area: 119 acres


Sanctuary Asia opening on September 30th (Friends of Zoo Newsletter); pic via Timberlake Construction.

Otters playing at the Oklahoma City Zoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWyQ_FzWM6I

Zoo Fun at Oklahoma City Zoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2GzbvCDYSQ

Oklahoma city zoo best ELEPHANTs exhibit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuz7sAFWCPU

Oklahoma City Zoo Sea Lion Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMPyMOHB8B0

Oklahoma City Zoo and Philadelphia Zoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZJgeo97C9U