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

[Laramie]

 

OKC's Inasmuch Foundation has committed $2.5 million to Crystal Bridge Conservatory upgrades...



Crystal Bridge Conservatory



Beautiful sites of the Gardens & Arboretum






The Myriad Gardens (north) & central downtown Scissortail Park (south) are next door to each other.

August 20, 2020

Press release:

*********

Inasmuch Foundation makes lead gift to renovate Crystal Bridge at Myriad Botanical Gardens

Inasmuch Foundation has committed $2.5 million to the second phase of a capital campaign to renovate the Crystal Bridge Conservatory at Myriad Botanical Gardens. This phase features a complete renovation of the interior conservatory spaces to enhance visitor engagement with a more diverse plant collection, interactive educational exhibits, improved ADA accessibility, and a museum-quality gift shop.

The announcement was made today. The Visitor Center lobby of the Crystal Bridge was renovated as part of the first phase of the capital campaign and completed in 2018, made possible by a major gift from Devon Energy. Phase one also included renovation of lower-level classroom space for use by John Rex Middle School and a new horticulture classroom, funded by Inasmuch Foundation.

Since its opening in 1988, (pictured above) the Crystal Bridge Conservatory has remained largely unchanged. As the centerpiece of the Gardens, it is home to thousands of tropical and desert plants within 13,000 square feet, divided into two distinct climates: wet and dry. To see the history timeline visit here.

The forthcoming renovation will update aging infrastructure, allow for a more diverse plant collection with both permanent and rotating exhibits, as well as new and enhanced water elements, circulation paths and sitting areas. A terrace feature will overlook the conservatory and add much-needed educational programming and venue space. Improved accessibility, including an elevator, will enable people of all ages and physical abilities to fully enjoy the space.

"The Crystal Bridge at Myriad Botanical Gardens is such a recognizable structure in downtown Oklahoma City," said Bob Ross, chairman and CEO of Inasmuch Foundation. "Staff at the Gardens continually strive to create wonderful spaces and learning opportunities for Oklahoma City. When I learned of plans for reimagining the tropical plant conservatory to create a superb visitor experience, I knew Inasmuch Foundation would want to support this initiative. The second phase of the Crystal Bridge renovation capitalizes on the momentum of current downtown development."

Maureen Heffernan, CEO of Myriad Gardens Foundation and Scissortail Park Foundation, said she appreciates the visionary leadership demonstrated by the Inasmuch Foundation and its major giving support.

"This gift enables Myriad Botanical Gardens to significantly improve our Conservatory experience so it is as transformational as the outdoor renovation was completed in 2011. An updated and more engaging Conservatory will help attract visitors from all of the major downtown development near the Gardens including Scissortail Park and the Convention Center and Omni Hotel. This investment will further strengthen the Gardens' standing as one of the premier cultural attractions in Oklahoma City."
Adds Jim Tolbert, Chair Emeritus of Myriad Gardens Foundation, "The interior of the Crystal Bridge has not been renewed since its opening. This visionary gift from Inasmuch Foundation will allow a vast enhancement of both its educational and visitor experience."

[Laramie]

Competitive NBA small market cities

Utah Jazz &  Oklahoma City Thunder are two of the NBA's smallest markets left in the 2020 NBA playoffs.



NBA Jazz relocated from New Orleans to SLC in 1978-79.  SLC vs Denver...



NBA Supersonics relocated from Seattle to OKC in 2008-09.  OKC vs Houston...

[Laramie]

Midtown Development, Oklahoma City

The Boulevard, a new 2-story, 32,922 square foot mixed use retail, and office building will front both 11th and Dewey with parking behind.  The developer is the Midtown Renaissance group which owns much of the surrounding property, including Plaza Court to the south and most the buildings along Walker between NW 10th and 13th.

The new development aligns along the streetcar route in the St. Anthony's Hospital area near the historic Kaiser's Ice Cream restaurant.

Pics, courtesy of OKCTalk.com

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City's Convention Centers' Flexibility

     Oklahoma City has the access to two arenas, one inside the Cox Convention Center and the other just across the street (south).  Is this a game-changer.

    Cox Convention Center:
         Arena - 13,846 permanent seats for ice hockey, 14,005 basketball.
         100,000 sq.,ft., exhibition space
         A 25,000 sq. ft. ballroom
         21 meeting rooms

    New Oklahoma City Convention Center & Chesapeake Energy Arena:
         Arena - 15,152 ice hockey,18,203 basketball
         200,000 square feet of exhibit space
         30,000 sq.,ft., ballroom
         45,000 sq.,ft., of flexible meeting room space

A few more hotels in the downtown core will allow Oklahoma City invaluable space to simultaneously bid on larger conventions & trade shows throughout the year.

This is the edge OKC will have on many of its peer & competing cities; this alone is a concern for our sister city of Tulsa.

This is why you will see more effort to keep the Cox Convention Center & Arena because it could serve as an overflow venue; this puts OKC in contention to bid on more than one large meeting at a time.

Both convention centers are on the streetcar route.

[Laramie]

Tesla files building permit in Oklahoma City

Follow this developing thread on OKCTalk.com



OKCTalk.com: https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=45465&p=1135623#post1135623

[Tulsan]

Can this thread be moved or locked? It's basically spam for Laramie's favorite site and has nothing to do with Tulsa development/new business.

[AdamsHall]

Can this thread be moved or locked? It's basically spam for Laramie's favorite site and has nothing to do with Tulsa development/new business.

I'll take the other side of the argument.  I like seeing what is going on in OKC as I don't actively follow most of their developments.  I would vote to keep it open.

[rebound]

I'll take the other side of the argument.  I like seeing what is going on in OKC as I don't actively follow most of their developments.  I would vote to keep it open.

I just wish there was some way to turn off specific threads.  Not just this one, but there have been others that I really don't care about, and would like to eliminate from my "show unread posts" feed.  (I agree with Tulsan on this one as well.  While I'm not against hearing big news from OKC, Laramie tends to over-post on smaller stuff that is inconsequential to Tulsans.)

[Laramie]

Brighter Days await Oklahoma's future.

Tulsa and Oklahoma City will continue to benefit from companies like Amazon & Tesla because the State has also shown interest in supporting Oklahoma's two largest cities--our major cities in Oklahoma possess the economic engines to keep the state afloat until changes are made on the Federal level.

Hope to have more news on any developments that benefit Oklahoma during this unfortunate downturn we are experiencing as a result of the Pandemic and economic stalemate and decline of Oklahoma's 'energy sector.'  Yearning for the days that we can see some semblance of our pre-pandemic outlook where both of Oklahoma's top urban areas appeared to be on a roll.

Early signs of Tesla's building permit in OKC's Midtown is a small indication of where Tesla may be looking at properties in Oklahoma.  It was disappointing that Tesla didn't select Oklahoma where Tulsa would have been the hub of their operations.  Elon Musk will soon realize that Tulsa desirability is one he may have underestimated.

Both of our Urban & Metropolitan areas will benefit as we rebound.  When companies look at Oklahoma City; they also look at Tulsa where they will find an equally compelling picture of what Oklahoma has to offer and vice-versa.

The future of our state will depend on our Federal Government being able to lift up our country in a time of desperate need.  Right now, President Donald Trump is not the answer; he and Mitch McConnell will let the states go bankrupt where large privately operated firms will take advantage of what's left of the country if Trump is given four more years.  OUR WHOLE SYSTEM OF DEMOCRACY IS AT STAKE...

The Gather Place, a mammoth $465 million 'jewel  of parks' in our country poised to shape Tulsa's future.


Scissortail Park in downtown OKC where voters devoted $130 million to enhance OKC's quality of life.

[Tulsan]

Seriously can Laramie's personal OKC blog be moved to "The Burbs" or "Other Tulsa Discussion"? It doesn't belong on the Tulsa Development & New Businesses Board.

[LandArchPoke]

Seriously can Laramie's personal OKC blog be moved to "The Burbs" or "Other Tulsa Discussion"? It doesn't belong on the Tulsa Development & New Businesses Board.

Agreed, it's beyond annoying given half the posts are repetitive or have nothing to do with real estate development. Then it's always in GIANT BOLD LETTERS and giant pictures. If he just posted normal updates off and on it'd be nice to see but it's become spam at this point.

I'd ask it be moved to either of those as well and keep this part of the site just for Tulsa discussions.

[Laramie]

Seriously can Laramie's personal OKC blog be moved to "The Burbs" or "Other Tulsa Discussion"? It doesn't belong on the Tulsa Development & New Businesses Board.

Agreed, it's beyond annoying given half the posts are repetitive or have nothing to do with real estate development. Then it's always in GIANT BOLD LETTERS and giant pictures. If he just posted normal updates off and on it'd be nice to see but it's become spam at this point.

I'd ask it be moved to either of those as well and keep this part of the site just for Tulsa discussions.

Please forgive me if I've angered so many posters, some of you of which I have enjoyed your posts; clearly this was not my intent.  My sincere apologies; I'll no longer post on this thread...

[Tulsan]

Please forgive me if I've angered so many posters, some of you of which I have enjoyed your posts; clearly this was not my intent.  My sincere apologies; I'll no longer post on this thread...

I didn't mean to sound angry, maybe just slightly annoyed. I, like most, come here for Tulsa news and this forum has a low volume of posts ... so your (daily) updates are always at the top of the most recent, and I don't really care to have to filter through them.

You don't have to stop posting, but maybe do a weekly summary so you're not monopolizing the "Most Recent" part of this forum? If this website had a "Pete," like OKCTalk he would have locked this or moved it a long time ago. We don't have active admins so we have to self-regulate a bit. But we don't want a regular poster to stop altogether.

[Red Arrow]

Please forgive me if I've angered so many posters, some of you of which I have enjoyed your posts; clearly this was not my intent.  My sincere apologies; I'll no longer post on this thread...

I've worn progressive bifocal glasses for years but even I don't need 14 pt bold
I would actually like to hear how the electric powered, rides on steel rails with steel wheels streetcar is doing.

[LandArchPoke]

Please forgive me if I've angered so many posters, some of you of which I have enjoyed your posts; clearly this was not my intent.  My sincere apologies; I'll no longer post on this thread...

As Tulsan said and others... there's just a better way to do it that doesn't come off so much like spam. Maybe a weekly update or only post big annoucements. Half of your posts have nothing to do with real estate or they're the same topic over and over. The giant font and giant photos make the thread very difficult and annoying to read. If you could make posts easier to read that'd be helpful.

You also started an OKC topic smack in the middle of the main Tulsa development where it didn't belong in the first place.

You could easily start a new topic in The Burbs sections which has discussions about cities outside of Tulsa or even in the Other section for topics that don't fit anywhere else. Up to you if you want to take the advice others are saying or if you just want to go away. If it was me, I'd just start a new topic in another area of the forum and make the posts easier to read but that's just my advice. As others have said, they'd like to see updates about stuff in OKC - we're just asking for you to do it in the appropriate space and focus on relevant real estate topics (like for example you've had several posts about the Catholic church unrelated to the one being built and the post about Salt Lake City and OKC in the NBA above that has little relevance for this part of the forum).