The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Talk About Tulsa => Development & New Businesses => Topic started by: cannon_fodder on March 13, 2013, 12:24:03 PM

Title: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: cannon_fodder on March 13, 2013, 12:24:03 PM
Need confirmation on this rumor...

I was told everyone is being evicted by Kanbar and 1st Place Tower will be abandoned once Kanbar leaves.  

[edited to add RUMOR tag to subject line as info didn't check out]
Title: Re: 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: carltonplace on March 13, 2013, 12:33:39 PM
wow, even the restaurants?
Title: Re: 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: zstyles on March 13, 2013, 12:42:33 PM
Well, I dont know about that BUT they did stop renting out the upper level of the building for special events and let all well most of the people associated with it go, the new property management company didn't have any interest in dealing with special events, they spent a pretty penny remodeling that floor also....
Title: Re: 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: sgrizzle on March 13, 2013, 01:41:17 PM
Quote from: cannon_fodder on March 13, 2013, 12:24:03 PM
Need confirmation on this rumor...

I was told everyone is being evicted by Kanbar and 1st Place Tower will be abandoned once Kanbar leaves. 

Kanbar is leaving?
Title: Re: 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: rdj on March 13, 2013, 01:43:56 PM
Kanbar's property management firm has maintained its office in First Place Tower.
Title: Re: 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: cannon_fodder on March 13, 2013, 01:44:31 PM
I called Kanbar leasing and was told they are leasing space still.    So conflicting information...

I'm calling it "just a rumor" at this point.  Changed the info line. Heard the rumor from what is usually a reliable source, but they are either wrong or ahead of the curve.  Seems like wrong to me.
Title: Re: 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: Townsend on March 13, 2013, 01:46:05 PM
Quote from: sgrizzle on March 13, 2013, 01:41:17 PM
Kanbar is leaving?

Maybe he's going to see how many of his buildings can be "Tulsa Club'd".
Title: Re: 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: sgrizzle on March 13, 2013, 01:50:49 PM
Quote from: Townsend on March 13, 2013, 01:46:05 PM
Maybe he's going to see how many of his buildings can be "Tulsa Club'd".


Set on fire?
Title: Re: 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: Townsend on March 13, 2013, 01:58:02 PM
Quote from: sgrizzle on March 13, 2013, 01:50:49 PM
Set on fire?

You know Sager's thought it.
Title: Re: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: cannon_fodder on March 13, 2013, 02:04:35 PM
For the record, I didn't start the fire.  No, I didn't light it.  But I tried to fight it.  With words of derision towards the owner, mostly.

Nothing to see here folks, move along now.   :P
Title: Re: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: sgrizzle on March 13, 2013, 02:10:18 PM
Quote from: cannon_fodder on March 13, 2013, 02:04:35 PM
For the record, I didn't start the fire.  No, I didn't light it.  But I tried to fight it.  With words of derision towards the owner, mostly.

Space Monkey, Mafia
Title: Re: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: zstyles on March 13, 2013, 02:14:21 PM
First place tower is one of their really nice buildings with lots of great large tenants, I can't see this even being a possibility...
Title: Re: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: Oil Capital on March 13, 2013, 02:34:20 PM
Quote from: zstyles on March 13, 2013, 02:14:21 PM
First place tower is one of their really nice buildings with lots of great large tenants, I can't see this even being a possibility...

Ditto.

On the other hand, from the August 29, 2012 Journal Record:  "Chase Bank will leave First Place Tower by the end of the year.  That threatens to leave Kanbar Properties' 40-story Tulsa flagship less than 25-percent occupied within a year. The largest First Place tenant, Cimarex Energy, is slated to move out in early 2013"

Still, evicting the remaining tenants and mothballing the building seems unlikely.
Title: Re: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: cannon_fodder on March 13, 2013, 03:06:15 PM
It happens infrequently.  If it costs more to run the building than you get and it looks to stay that way...

It happened to a huge tower in Dallas a couple years ago.
Title: Re: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: davideinstein on March 13, 2013, 04:13:16 PM
Absolutely pitiful. It would be nice for other businesses that want to come downtown, if the landlords were welcoming to having tenants occupy their building. We need growth and stability downtown, not ownership for the sake of ownership.
Title: Re: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: zstyles on March 13, 2013, 04:26:37 PM
I agree that Kanbar and the available space downtown "could get" creative to open more of their vacant space to small business and do pretty well, offering some start up space at discounted rates etc..I really don't know if Kanbar is regretting buying these or what the story is anymore...
Title: Re: [RUMOR] 1st Place Tower to be Abandoned
Post by: swake on March 13, 2013, 04:34:00 PM
I used to work in the building. It's been about seven years but the systems in the building needed overhauling even then. I'm not sure Kanbar has been putting that kind of money into his buildings so I doubt anything has been fixed. While the first floor is nice the upper floors needed some work.

The lower floors are the only ones that are any good for large employers, the floor plates are so small above 19 it doesn't make much sense. It would make cool condos and there's a tunnel from First Place over to the Main Street garage.

Below 20 it can be disconcerting the way the two buildings (it's really two buildings) are connected. The original building is 19 floors and doesn't move much. It's connected via a rubber gasket to the 41 floor tower which moves a lot. You can stand on 19, or any of the upper floors of the shorter building, with a foot in each building and it's more than a little freaky to feel the buildings move against each other. It's really freaky to hear and feel during a storm.