A developer wants to convert the historic Gold Dome building in Oklahoma City into a music concert site, but he’ll have to do it without historic tax credits or grants from the state’s Route 66 commission.
Instead, Mike Brown, president of Tulsa-based Kismet Koncerts, will seek $3 million in local tax increment financing to renovate the site, reported The Oklahoman newspaper.
The National Park Service, tasked with reviewing historic tax credit applications, rejected helping in the $10 million preservation of the dome due to Brown’s plans to remove a wall on the dome’s second floor with concert suites.
“This is something that needs to be saved,” Brown said. “For a project like this, we need help for us to be able to spend the capital and cash and take the risk to go forward. We were denied because there were a few things inside the building they felt were historically significant that with what we had to do to the building we didn’t agree with.”
Brown said two applications for Route 66 grants were also rejected even though it is a widely recognized landmark on the historic highway.
Brown said he would pursue other avenues to preserve most of the dome. He told the newspaper the teller windows on the former bank would be preserved, as would the gold ceiling inside.
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, while pleading to help Brown find other ways to keep the Gold Dome, wondered whether strict historic preservation requirements might lead to the loss of such a site.
“To the guy on the street, it’s the dome,” Holt said. “They don’t care about anything else. Is the dome still there? But you don’t want to be that cavalier about the interior. But if you draw that line in the sand so militantly that it gets torn down because you couldn’t get the resources provided because you’re hung up on the tile or a wall, that’s not a good outcome either.”
The Gold Dome was built as a Citizens State Bank in 1958 and as the fifth geodesic dome in the world.
In 2003, it faced demolition until local preservationists protested.
Irene Lam bought it and turned it into a retail complex. It was listed as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places about 20 years ago.
In 2012, the building fell into foreclosure and has been closed ever since.
(Image of the Gold Dome by We travel the world via Flickr)
The narrow restrictions accompanying a designation on the National Register can easily become the kiss of death for many old landmarks. I understand the need for guidelines, but if they are to avoid becoming the obstacles that cause demolition they need to be administered with a light touch.
Well said Linda. Developers don’t seem to be knocking each over to rush forward with ideas on redeveloping this property. I’ve not seen his plans, but if this gentleman has experience with running this sort of venue, if there’s room / need in the market for such a facility, and if he presents a solid plan, I’d say let him have a crack at it.