Eastgate Metroplex

[sgrizzle]

Drove by their today. A lot of road work is being done on 21st and Eastgate (formerly Eastland Mall) now has new signage and the exterior is being remodeled. Coca-Cola's office (formerly Mervyn's, I think) have been completely remodeled.

Here's to hoping it keeps going..

[Kashmir]

Sheds silent tears over Mervyns...[]  I grew up going to that mall and had 2 jobs there over the course of college.  But at least it won't be a lifeless dead use of space.

[TheArtist]

That area has always had a hard time of it. I remember the last oil boom when it was thought that Tulsa may grow in that direction like it was starting to grow south. Then the bust happened and Tulsa almost turned into a ghost town. I remember my parents driving by the Eastland Mall, and looking at that huge unfinished building just sitting there, basically just a bunch of steel beams. I didnt think it would ever actually become a mall. It sat there for ages before someone decided to take a chance and start construction again. Good to see it evolving into something used. Businesses other than retail are probably going to be the best use for that site for quite a while.

[T Badd]

The new Coca-Cola office moved into the former JC Penney location on the West end of the mall. They did quite a bit of renovation for those offices, as well as for the new Head Start school that has built out new classrooms and even a nice playground on the South side.

Dillard's finally moved out a few weeks ago and all signage has been removed.

The new EastGate Metroplex signage at the entrance looks quite nice, even if the renovated main entrance bores me to tears. I'm optimistic that things will turn around for this facility, thanks to some creative repurposing by the new owners.

[sgrizzle]

http://www.journalrecord.com/article.cfm?recID=82763

quote:
Eastland Partners pays $1.8 million for Dillard's location
October 17, 2007
TULSA – A fine steel gray powder permeated the renovated entryway at what once had been Tulsa's Eastland Mall. It pooled like desert sands in the waves of the protective plastic sheeting, clung to the bricks and tile, and formed murky clouds in the centerpiece two-story fountain.
Such was the all-prevailing sign of construction that grips the one-time shopping center being remade as the Eastgate Metroplex office environment. A casual inspection uncovered workers busy in the central corridors, inside former outlets, painting exterior signs, even trimming trees.
"We are on track for how we anticipated it would be," said Director of Development Gerry Chauvin for developer Eastland Partners LLC. "But the truth is, we had two deals in place much sooner than expected. That raised expectations we would be moving faster than we had hoped – including yours truly."
With their first year on the $50-million-plus renovation project nearing completion, Chauvin said the mixed-use project remains only 15-percent occupied, its reconstruction about 20-percent finished. But the developers will soon complete two key steps to advance their vision.
• As Eastland DP LLC, Tulsa County Courthouse records indicate the developers paid $1.8 million to Dillard's Inc. for the chain's former mall location, a 250,000-square-foot, three-story extension that Chauvin expects to transform into a Class A office tower.
• Another arm of Eastland Partners LLC expects to close on the 106,000-square-foot, two-story Mervyn's location within a month.
These deals will finally give Eastland Partners control of the 1 million-square-foot mall and its 150,000-square-foot basement, expanding its ability to meet user needs even as its first two tenants settle in.
Coca-Cola Enterprises will hold a grand opening Oct. 30 for its 62,000-square-foot customer service center at Eastland's west end. Chauvin expects that facility to ramp up to its projected 300 employment by the year's end. The Community Action Program of Tulsa County moved into its 28,000-square-foot Early Childhood Development Center last week at the mall's southeastern edge, near the former food court and Mickey's bowling alley and billiards.
Those operations give Eastgate a resident work force of about 350.
"It's weak," admitted Chauvin. "But we are on track for how we anticipated it would be when we started."
With one year down, working from plans by architects Kinslow, Keith & Todd of Tulsa, Chauvin expects primary contractor Hopper Construction Techniques of Tulsa to complete work on the renovations over the next two and a half to four years. He sets the same time frame for getting the complex to a stable leasing foundation of 75- to 80-percent occupancy.
But the work completed pleases Chauvin, from the restored fountain and the new stonework adorning the main corridors to the new roofing, wiring and entryways. With the old chillers replaced, on Nov. 17 the developers will use helicopters to install 19 rooftop air conditioners and heating units, marking another step in the projects development.
Clearing out the many abandoned storefronts also has given Chauvin the opportunity to give away many old tables, chairs, cabinets and other fixtures it otherwise would junk.
He is in negotiations with two potential restaurants to enter the facility. To protect their business base and not cannibalize their market, he doesn't intend to add more until other potential offices move in.
"Our goal is to finalize a restaurant operator by the first of the year," said Chauvin. "With our momentum building and the pending deals and exposure, we feel we are right on track."

[cannon_fodder]

*Dibs on the filings cabinets!

This looks like a good project.  Probably the best use for the failed retail enterprise.  I hope it goes as well as he thinks it is!

[carltonplace]

East Gate owners buy Dillards with plans to convert to office space with windows etc.

Article

Redevelopment of the former Eastland Mall into the mixed-use Eastgate Metroplex hit another milestone this week, with Eastland Partners LLC purchasing the space formerly occupied by Dillards.

Dillards Inc. sold the approximately 253,000-square-foot space to Eastland Partners for $1.8 million, said Gerry Chauvin, director of development for Eastgate Metroplex. Dillards closed its department store there last month.

Chauvin said Eastland Partners will soon renovate the former anchor tenant into an office building as part of its efforts to transform the mall into a business center with retail components. Total costs for the renovation could reach $45 million.

"It'll become a Class A office building with new windows and entrances," Chauvin said.

The final plans for the vacated space will be determined by the number of renters, he said. Eastland Partners would prefer a single tenant but would divide the space should multiple smaller lessees request it.

[T Badd]

The architect visualizations at www.eastgatemetroplex.com look quite nice.

I went into the mall yesterday with my son to take a look around. They have literally stripped almost everything out of the mall. Every single flat surface has spackle patches. It looks like the entire interior is getting a new paint job. All of the food court spaces have been ripped out and the place generally looks like a warzone.  However, they have repaired the fountain/waterfall, and had it running. It looks very nice once again.

For the past month or so, there's been 100+ cars next to the new Coca-Cola office. I believe they're doing training for the new people. There was a gaggle of 20-somethings cutting up outside the West smoke area, and I don't think they wandered over from the apts.

They got the new Eastgate Metroplex signage installed above the former main entrance yesterday. As you can see in the artists renditions, this entrance is intentionally minimalized to no longer be the main focus. Eventually, the remodeled buildings on either side will make the entrance look even less significant.

[TheArtist]

Thats going to be a nice looking office complex when its all done. The Dillards section looks very different. Hopefully this will be the beginning of new growth in that area.

[danno]

Yeah I'm still sad that Eastland Mall is no more, even though it has been in sad shape for the past 10 years. I remember when it very first opened, my mom took me to see "An American Tail" at the movie theatre there, and I spent quite a bit of time there up through my mid adolescence. Hope they get some good use out of that building! I wonder if they will keep the tents?

[mr.jaynes]

quote:Originally posted by danno

Yeah I'm still sad that Eastland Mall is no more, even though it has been in sad shape for the past 10 years. I remember when it very first opened, my mom took me to see "An American Tail" at the movie theatre there, and I spent quite a bit of time there up through my mid adolescence. Hope they get some good use out of that building! I wonder if they will keep the tents?

Have not yet seen what Eastland Mall has supposedly evolved into, but being an Eastsider, I do have memories of a great mall to hang out at.

Even remember how they got Martin Mull to do their commercials....

[skyking]

Does anyone remember the name of the store across from Mickey's that had almost everything in the world? I suppose it would be called a variety store. i used to buy knives and swords and stuff. Thewy even had furniture, motorcycles and tools. Would like to know the name so i can see if they reopened somewhere else in Tulsa.

[TulsaSooner]

Sam's?

[]

[dbacks fan]

quote:Originally posted by skyking

Does anyone remember the name of the store across from Mickey's that had almost everything in the world? I suppose it would be called a variety store. i used to buy knives and swords and stuff. Thewy even had furniture, motorcycles and tools. Would like to know the name so i can see if they reopened somewhere else in Tulsa.

Service Merchandise? (Although I don't remember them selling motorcycles...)

[PonderInc]

Well, I'm certainly glad that Eastland Mall is not just sitting around vacant.  And I guess I'm glad the structures will be "recycled." Still, it seems like a missed opportunity for some terrific infill development that would really maximize the space.  (Planting trees doesn't change the fact that it's still just a giant mall in the middle of an enormous parking lot.)

In Lakewood (Denver), there was a huge, defunct mall that sat empty for a while (A 200-300 acre mall built in the 1970's).  They tore down the mall, and redeveloped/transformed it into a dense, urban space.  

http://www.belmarcolorado.com/sub/live/residential.php



Sure it's all shiny and new and somewhat self-conscious in its urbanism.  It lacks the charm of older city-scapes, and it leans towards high-end tenants and national chains...  But it's definitely a better use of the space.  It went from asphat ocean to walkable, urban space.

You can't ever replace the truly historic urban fabric of our older neighborhoods, but this is a nice shot at reclaiming some of the benefits of walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods for the next generation.  And a heck of a lot better than 250 acres of useless concrete.  

Food for thought.