Updates on Abundant Life Bldg (Tulsa Club moved to its own thread)

[AquaMan]

Have you ever met Sager? He's not Jesse James. Insightful, clever guy with a pragmatic attitude. Typical businessman mentality.  I think a lot of stuff blamed on him is more legend than reality.

Though I agree, the reality is that the Tulsa Club building will probably be finished before Sager's lofts.

[Conan71]

Have you ever met Sager? He's not Jesse James. Insightful, clever guy with a pragmatic attitude. Typical businessman mentality.  I think a lot of stuff blamed on him is more legend than reality.

Though I agree, the reality is that the Tulsa Club building will probably be finished before Sager's lofts.

I've known Sager for over 20 years. He's stiffed a lot of people over the years, that's fact not legend.  I know from personal experience when he owned Karmichaels back in the early 1990's.  He doesn't have a typical businessman mentality.  Typical businessmen are planners and know how to create and operate within a budget to stay out of trouble and to complete projects in a timely manner. His finances tend to be pretty binary as he's not a good planner and frequently his ideas and funding for those ideas are scattershot at best.

I will say that he's sought after within the IDL when it comes to getting help for permitting and subcontractors.  He's also a very good promoter of the Blue Dome.  Nice guy, but I'd never get into a business deal with him ever again unless it was COD.

[AquaMan]

Typical businessman does not equate to good businessman.

I have heard the same things you mentioned said about quite a few well known, successful business people around town. But, you have direct experience with him and I yield to that.

[carltonplace]

I heard some good news about the plans for the Tulsa Club over the weekend. The project manager has experience with restoring old properties. He told me that some of the club members had saved many of the fixtures from the building and have them in storage. The plan is to bring it back as close to original as possible.

[Townsend]

I heard some good news about the plans for the Tulsa Club over the weekend. The project manager has experience with restoring old properties. He told me that some of the club members had saved many of the fixtures from the building and have them in storage. The plan is to bring it back as close to original as possible.

That's wonderful.

[TheArtist]

  I had noticed in some of the interior photos I had seen that there were some chunks of some of the original, ornate, art deco moulding lying around on the floorWould love to get a few pieces of that for the Tulsa Art Deco Museum if anyone has any connections.  I could also use the pieces to reconstruct larger sections they could make plaster molds off of.  Would be happy to do it for free.

 Some of the moulding they used may have been from companies like "Decorators Supply Company" out of Chicago.  I have one of the old catalogs and they still have many of the original molds that they used back then.  

Check out the Historic Catalog 124 pdf (first one on that page) and go to page 248 & 9 for instance.
http://www.decoratorssupply.com/store/Main.aspx?html=historic-catalogs  or the Art Deco Nouveau pdf below that... 
some of the items may not be listed as "art deco" but as "modernistic" 

[Townsend]

FB post from Tulsa Club:

We are currently planning to develop the first floor as commercial space. Floors 2-8 as leased apartments. The ballroom and mezzanine on 9 and 10 as event space / restaurant, and a penthouse apartment on 11. The architecture and financing processes are just starting so this could change. The construction portion of the renovation should cost around $13 million and will take less than two years once construction begins. Our web site will be http://www.tulsaclub.com/ Thank you for your interest and support. - Josh

[BKDotCom]

I walked by yesterday and noticed a glimmer of progress.  They've replaced some of the boarded up 1st floor windows with boarded up windows painted to look like art-deco stained glass.   There were also a couple of AEP trucks out front.. dunno if they were doing anything related to the bldg though.

[TheArtist]

I walked by yesterday and noticed a glimmer of progress.  They've replaced some of the boarded up 1st floor windows with boarded up windows painted to look like art-deco stained glass.   There were also a couple of AEP trucks out front.. dunno if they were doing anything related to the bldg though.

I did those.  

The owner asked me if I could cover up the old plywood with something that looked nicer while they begin working on the interior and before any new glass doors and windows can go in.  We came up with a simple, geometric "jazz age" metallic silver, gold and black, Art Deco design.  I still have to do the panels for the east side of the building.  We also found the old logo on some half burnt papers and I scanned that in and totally recreated a fresh digital image for him to use.  Should have the logo printed up and placed on those panels here soon as well.  From what I gather he is still getting engineers and such to come out and give him quotes and info and then architects will look at everything and also crunch the numbers and see what can be done.  I am really hoping they can save the grand dining room with its balconies and private small dining areas, the kitchen, etc. but again, may be that the finances will only work if there can be x-number of units and those floors may need to be converted into loft spaces.  I will use every ounce of persuasion I have to make sure that dining room is saved.  Went in the other day and you could tell that if that dining room were refurbished and done right it would truly be the nicest dining spot in the city bar none. Only thing coming close would be the Mayo's Crystal Ballroom.  On one wall you could see underneath some of the sheetrock that had been put up over the columns between the windows, and see a little of the stunning Art Deco peacock design underneath (why on earth would anyone cover something like that up in the first place?).  The heads and body up near the top and then trailing down perhaps 30 feet, the peacock tail done in highly stylized Art Deco splendor.   Imho, if there is anything that is to be saved of the interior, it has GOT to be that room.

[davideinstein]

I've seen a lot of action over there this week from JJ's. A lot of the workers come in early for a sandwich. Can't wait for this to have liveliness.

[SXSW]

That would be a major win if this gets renovated as proposed.  I am cautiously optimistic.

[AngieB]

I did those.  

The owner asked me if I could cover up the old plywood with something that looked nicer while they begin working on the interior and before any new glass doors and windows can go in.  We came up with a simple, geometric "jazz age" metallic silver, gold and black, Art Deco design.  I still have to do the panels for the east side of the building.  We also found the old logo on some half burnt papers and I scanned that in and totally recreated a fresh digital image for him to use.  Should have the logo printed up and placed on those panels here soon as well.  From what I gather he is still getting engineers and such to come out and give him quotes and info and then architects will look at everything and also crunch the numbers and see what can be done.  I am really hoping they can save the grand dining room with its balconies and private small dining areas, the kitchen, etc. but again, may be that the finances will only work if there can be x-number of units and those floors may need to be converted into loft spaces.  I will use every ounce of persuasion I have to make sure that dining room is saved.  Went in the other day and you could tell that if that dining room were refurbished and done right it would truly be the nicest dining spot in the city bar none. Only thing coming close would be the Mayo's Crystal Ballroom.  On one wall you could see underneath some of the sheetrock that had been put up over the columns between the windows, and see a little of the stunning Art Deco peacock design underneath (why on earth would anyone cover something like that up in the first place?).  The heads and body up near the top and then trailing down perhaps 30 feet, the peacock tail done in highly stylized Art Deco splendor.   Imho, if there is anything that is to be saved of the interior, it has GOT to be that room.

William - I sent you a private message but it doesn't show that I actually sent it.    Can you check and let me know what you think? Thanks!

[BKDotCom]

Obligatory Tulsa World article:
"Tulsa Club owner Josh Barrett vows to remake historic building"
http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Tulsa_Club_owner_Josh_Barrett_vows_to_remake_historic/20130918_11_A1_ULNSha925027

[sgrizzle]

Josh Barrett came to the TulsaNow board meeting yesterday. Great guy.

[Townsend]

While I look forward to progress on the Tulsa Club building I'm still curious about the Abundant Life Building.

As I drive by it every day I've noticed more pieces have fallen off of it and the trees on the roof are getting bigger.

I really wish I had something positive to post about the site/building but I don't.

Anyone hear anything about the old Oral Roberts ministry building?

Thanks