I’ve seen in a couple blogs in recent days that the Metro Diner, at 3001 E. 11th St., aka Route 66, in Tulsa, is set to close Sept. 29. The University of Tulsa wants the land it’s on to build a new entrance.
So I called Metro Diner owner Jim Rowenhorst to confirm. This is what he said:
“I’m not sure when I’m going to close, but it’s going to be soon. TU’s taking us over.”
The Metro’s plight is detailed in an earlier post here. Today, Rowenhorst said that no relocation is imminent. “We haven’t found anything that’s suitable or reasonably priced (for a new location),” he said.
When asked about the lease he’s in the middle of, Rowenhorst snorted, “TU doesn’t care about that.”
Eventually, Rowenhorst said, the diner’s contents will be auctioned. The restaurant is not historic, as it was built in the 1980s. But some of the memorabilia is.
Seems to me he’d have ground for legal action. Assuming that the building’s owner sold the land to TU, the lease is still valid, and TU would have to honor the lease or buy him out.
If the land was acquired by Tulsa Development Authority using eminent domain, the owner of the land should sue, as such a taking would violate the Oklahoma Constitution, which strictly prohibits the use of eminent domain for private benefit. There are public interest legal organizations that could provide support for such a suit.
It’s my recollection that eminent domain wasn’t used with the land owner. He sold out for a reported $800,000.
Even if he had a case, getting the Metro’s owner to do *anything* has been an uphill battle. The Oklahoma Route 66 Association — of which he’s been a longstanding member — has told him it’s ready to assist him with letter-writing campaigns or anything else to fight TU whenever he gives the word. But he never calls.
I figure that he’s either discouraged, or he’s just going to take his eminent domain money and go.
I personally find it incredibly naive of TU’s leadership to think that some fancy-schmancy landscaping at the entrance is going to have any measurable impact on enrollment. What kind of student lets the landscaping around the driveway influence his decision about where to go to college?
I did not base my college choice on pretty flowers, the football team’s record, or any other such frivolity. I packed up my obscenely high test scores and Mensa-caliber IQ and took them to the university that offered me the best program in my chosen field and the best scholarship deal.
I’m sure there’s a homecoming attendant somewhere who will base her college decision on the appearance of the hedge next to the driveway, because she’s just going to college to get her Mrs. anyway, and she wants pretty surroundings for those romantic, moonlit walks with the football captain.
Meanwhile, the real students (the ones who actually enjoy successful careers after college and make their alma maters look good) will continue to attend universities that offer solid programs at reasonable prices, and TU will discover too late that it has wasted its money on style, when an investment in substance would have served it — and the Mother Road — much better.
As for the loss of the Metro itself: The building is nice, but it isn’t historic, and Tally’s has better food, so the net loss here is purely cosmetic.
Maybe Ollie’s could buy the Metro’s marquee and have it modified a bit. I’d love to have a little neon here in Red Fork again.
The “Metro Owner” won’t get any money in this deal. I’m with Michael on this. If Jim has a lease then the purchaser of the land has to abide by the lease.
Aside from the lease situation Jim’s biggest problem in locating, from what I remember of a conversation with him last fall was that he couldn’t find an appropriate building in which to move that could be zoned with enough parking. As usual the older buildings which need tenants are not up to code when put to a new use. (Shades of sprinklers downtown.) He seems to have some ideas but lacks the energy to fight city hall to make something work. I have to admit I don’t blame him.
Even as a TU grad I hate to see them tear down their side of 11th Street. But then I hated to see the Library Restaurant go only to be replaced by, what, QT or Arby’s?
(sigh)
If I were Jim, I’d tell TU to take a hike until my lease was up. Perhaps in that time, a suitable location could be found for the Metro.
Meanwhile, I’se still a-thinkin’ …
A friend and I were discussing this issue yesterday, and we found ourselves in sharp disagreement. He feels the area on 11th Street near TU is blighted and needs to be removed to give TU a better image, and the Metro has to go because it would look out of place as a commercial entity in the midst of a landscaped entryway.
I told him I didn’t think it had to be an either-or proposition; the Metro building has great Deco lines and looks appropriate to Tulsa. A good architect/designer could reconcile the two styles and create an attractive entrance flanked by a vibrant commercial district catering to college students. Such an entrance could blend Deco and more traditional styles, perhaps incorporating architectural neon on buildings close to the entrance while using neon as backlighting on the entrance itself, thus allowing for a smooth transition from the retro flash of 66 to the more stately, dignified look of the campus.
Surely TU’s student body includes at least a few would-be artists, architects, or designers who are up for a challenge. Why not hold a contest and let the students themselves design entryways incorporating specific elements, with specific requirements — then choose the final design from among the students’ own ideas?
Such a move would be educational, would allow TU to showcase its students’ talents, and would appease those of us who find it outrageously selfish and short-sighted of the university to tear down one of the most famous Route 66 landmarks in Tulsa.