(PROJECT) AH HA / Mathews Warehouse

[DowntownDan]

Looking out my window this morning, all the trucks from the site across the street where the park will be are gone.  They were there last friday.  Looks like the lease is finally up and they are finally moved out.  What's the timeline now on the project?  Are they on the same track or is one scheduled to begin before the other?

[SXSW]

Looking out my window this morning, all the trucks from the site across the street where the park will be are gone.  They were there last friday.  Looks like the lease is finally up and they are finally moved out.  What's the timeline now on the project?  Are they on the same track or is one scheduled to begin before the other?

I remember reading the first step is moving the trucks and then they will tear down the buildings and scrape the site.  After that is completed they will begin work on the geothermal wells underneath the new park.  Those wells will feed the HVAC system for the Matthews Warehouse/Arts Center.  Hopefully we'll see some real progress on both the park and the arts center by the end of the year once those geothermal wells are finished.  Those are a key part of the entire project.

[sgrizzle]

I remember reading the first step is moving the trucks and then they will tear down the buildings and scrape the site.  After that is completed they will begin work on the geothermal wells underneath the new park.  Those wells will feed the HVAC system for the Matthews Warehouse/Arts Center.  Hopefully we'll see some real progress on both the park and the arts center by the end of the year once those geothermal wells are finished.  Those are a key part of the entire project.

All true except I believe they are keeping the loading dock now. Just going to rehab it. There is also an issue with a portion of their grant funding for the geothermal project, but it is only a small part.

[SXSW]

Some cool new images I found.  Anyone know if the geothermal project is complete and when they will start construction? 

Brady Street elevation


Boston Ave elevation


Section cut

[sgrizzle]

Some cool new images I found.  Anyone know if the geothermal project is complete and when they will start construction? 

Geothermal isn't really started yet. Last time I drove by they were still doing demo on the site.

[SXSW]

An update from the TW this morning.  Construction beginning in 2 weeks! 

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110109_272_A15_CUTLIN914280

[TheTed]

I'll be thrilled when they finally stop people from parking on their block-long driveway along Brady, completely blocking the sidewalk. It's gotta be the most parked-on sidewalk downtown. Office workers park their 9-5, bargoers park there in the evenings, baseball/concertgoers park there.

[carltonplace]

Now with a ground up development in what is currently a parking lot just south of the Matthews Warehouse

Copied from the Tulsa World Story ref'd above

At one point in the process of transforming this city block into an art-oriented destination, the west end of the property was to become a visual arts center operated by the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa.

The Arts and Humanities Council still plans to build a visual arts center. Ken Busby, the council's executive director, said ground will be broken in May on the new site, just south of the Mathews Warehouse on what is now a parking lot at the corner of Archer Street and Boston Avenue

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110109_272_A15_CUTLIN914280

[sgrizzle]

I wonder why the decision to do new construction and leave the west half of the building unoccupied

[godboko71]

I wonder why the decision to do new construction and leave the west half of the building unoccupied

Busby said he was approached by the Kaiser Foundation about the Mathews Warehouse space in the fall of 2010.

"The foundation had an opportunity to do additional arts development in the Brady District, and to take advantage of historic tax credits," Busby said.

However, the limitations on what could be done to the warehouse's structure because of these tax credits, Busby said, meant the council "would not be able to do the sort of programming that we wanted to do, and that we had promised our donors we would do in this new center."

"So we decided to create our own facility."

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110109_272_A15_CUTLIN914280

[ZYX]

An update from the TW this morning.  Construction beginning in 2 weeks! 

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110109_272_A15_CUTLIN914280

Shouldn't construction begin tomorrow, the first day of the workweek after 15 days?

[ZYX]

Does anyone know if construction has started?

[TurismoDreamin]

New update: they will be breaking ground on the project this afternoon!
http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=272&articleid=20110307_11_0_hrimgs54200

[ZYX]

Intersting, so it took them a little longer than expected to get started. I really hope they release some new renderings soon.

[Townsend]

New update: they will be breaking ground on the project this afternoon!
http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=272&articleid=20110307_11_0_hrimgs54200

As of this posting, all the reader comments are positive.  I've never seen that before.