Old Downtown Homeland/Safeway Building

[swake]

There's a construction fence up around it. Does anyone know what is going on there? This is the building at 11th and Denver that was the temporary downtown library while the central library was being renovated.

[MostSeriousness]

A non-profit is relocating and taking it over.

Emergency Infant Services is the new owner of the former Homeland building downtown.

The property, at 1110 S. Denver Ave., most recently housed the Librarium, the temporary location of the Tulsa City-County Library's downtown facility from September 2013 until last month while Central Library was being renovated.

Emergency Infant Services closed on the property Sept. 16 and plans to relocate its downtown operation to the building, said Tom Taylor, executive director.

"It's the perfect location for us," Taylor said. "We took a leap of faith, got the loan and just love the space."

The address has a bus stop in front and ample parking compared to the agency's current location at 222 S. Houston Ave. The increased ease of access will benefit clients and volunteers, Taylor said.

The nonprofit is in the initial phases of a capital campaign to fund the renovation and relocation project, and a public announcement with detailed plans is expected to coincide with the agency's 40th anniversary next year, Taylor said.

Emergency Infant Services provides temporary assistance to children 5 and younger in the Tulsa area. It provides basic needs including food, formula, clothing and diapers to more than 17,000 infants and toddlers each year.

The agency has seen incredible growth the past several years.

When it moved into its current location in 2008, it served 2,000 children.

In 2013 the agency opened a joint location with the Parent Child Center of Tulsa in east Tulsa. Emergency Infant Services also has satellite locations in north and south Tulsa.

According to public records, the nonprofit purchased the former Homeland grocery property and vacant parcels to the side and behind the building from Twenty First Properties LLC.

The agency took out a $3 million mortgage to fund the purchase, according to records.

The nonprofit owns its current location and plans to sell the property once it moves, Taylor said.

[SXSW]

Glad to see it getting repurposed.  I was hoping a pharmacy or small grocery would move back in there though to serve south downtown and the Riverview neighborhood.

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

A non-profit is relocating and taking it over.

That's great it's being repurposed. It certainly won't do any favors for that particular locale of downtown and certainly doesn't help walkability or urbanization, but most of south downtown seems like a lost cause at this point so might as well celebrate any amount of attention it gets. Better to repurpose than bulldoze as evidenced by all the empty lots around there.

[DTowner]

That's great it's being repurposed. It certainly won't do any favors for that particular locale of downtown and certainly doesn't help walkability or urbanization, but most of south downtown seems like a lost cause at this point so might as well celebrate any amount of attention it gets. Better to repurpose than bulldoze as evidenced by all the empty lots around there.

I agree this is a real missed opportunity.  EIS is a great organization, but I would really prefer such a major entry point to downtown have something a lot more imaginative and dynamic that would encourage development around it.

With the center of downtown shifting to the north and east within the IDL, this spot really could have been something of a counter balance.