Oklahoma City’s historic Classen Circle complex to businesses, which just weeks ago faced the wrecking ball to make way for a Braum’s store, seems to have landed a new owner who pledges to fix up the property.
The Oklahoman newspaper reports:
Local real estate investor Josh Thomas said he entered into a purchase contract for the landmark on Wednesday and is dedicated to restoring the mixed-use, mid-20th century building and not tearing it down. […]
Thomas said he has already reached out to the tenants, including the owner of the Hi-Lo Club, one of the city’s earliest venues for the city’s LGBT community. Hayes said they are meeting with artists and gathering historic photographs as they weigh redevelopment of the property.
“We’re still in the first inning of this,” Thomas said. “We want to keep the current tenants and roll with it. We do not want to tear the building down. As long as there are no cataclysmic events that come up during inspections, we’re moving forward.”
Thomas said the planned improvements should not create an escalation in rent that will run out the existing tenants. He said initial improvements will involve repainting, new signage and repaving of the parking lots.
KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City reported Thomas has 30 days to check for any needed repairs and then can proceed with the purchase.
The site, also known as the Donnay Building, is home to the Classen Grill, the Drunken Fry, Charlie’s Records and the Hi-Lo Club.
Braum’s requested a rezoning this summer so the restaurant chain could raze the site and build one of its stores there.
News of the request was met by protests, boycott threats against Braum’s and resistance from Oklahoma City councilor Ed Shadid. A Change.org petition opposing the rezoning was signed by more than 13,000 people. Dozens of people opposing the proposal attended a public meeting before the rezoning request, which city officials declined to advance.
Last month, the site’s owner vowed to raze the buildings anyway after Braum’s ultimately withdrew its rezoning request. But it’s now clear the controversy over destroying a historic site made Classen Circle too radioactive for any person who wanted to redevelop it. Oklahoma City preservationists deserve a lot of credit for saving the property.
The Donnay Building was constructed in 1948. According to Jim Ross’ “Oklahoma Route 66” book, Classen Circle sat on a 1950s alignment of Route 66. Current-day Oklahoma Highway 66, overlaid onto Interstate 44, also sits nearby.
(Image of Classen Circle in Oklahoma City by Matthew Rutledge via Flickr)
So was the threat to destroy all the buildings on the entire site a ploy to get a saving angel to come forward? Maybe we will never know.