Archive for the ‘Downtown Oklahoma City’ Category

Rand Elliott is weird

Monday, October 19th, 2009

This is kind of old news, but I recently stumbled across this video at NewsOK.  It’s about some weird “Tubinomic” skyscraper that local Architect Rand Elliot designed and now wants to build in downtown Oklahoma City.

I’m not too sure about this project.  Yeah, it’s kind of cool, but I think it’s a little bit too different.  Of course, it was designed by Rand Elliot.  There’s a reason he came in #76 on our list of the Top 100 Oklahoma Embarrassments. Here’s what we had to say way back then.

This Frank Lloyd Wright wannabe is littering the Oklahoma architecture scene with atrociously out of place buildings. My wife would tell you that he designs buildings to look good in photographs. They do. Of course, buildings exist outside of magazines and typically are counted on to be functional. While the Chesapeake Boathouse is actually kind of neat, he is also responsible for that weird broken glass stuff at Kirkpatrick Bank in Edmond and most reprehensibly the funky, rave-like underground tunnels in downtown OKC.

First of all, let me say that blurb above — and Rand’s placement on our list — was the result of Clark Matthews.  Secondly, let me say that I totally want to do drugs with Rand Elliot.

Seriously, if the glasses, hair cut and bizarre buildings he designs didn’t give it away, Rand Elliot is one weird dude.  Hell, he’s almost as weird as Wayne Coyne.  It would be fun to get him totally stoned and hear him tell stories about robots, aliens and how the lights in the Underground were inspired by a little orange tablet and the Wizard of Oz.  It would also be fun to see if he had any good stories about Ackerman-McQueen.  The people at Ackerman McQueen are weirdos!

p.s.- I called the people at Ackerman McQueen weirdos in hopes that their president will a Visual Image and leave an awkward message in the comments section.  But seriously, they are weirdos.

Welcome to Thunderdome (a.k.a. The Harkins Parking Lot)

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

harkins-theater-on-riverwalk

(Editor’s Note from Patrick:  You may notice that this post is written by a guy named Royce.  This “Royce” is Royce Young from DailyThunder.  Starting today, he is going to bless everyone with a weekly column at The Lost Ogle.  In return for this token of awesomeness, Clark Matthews’ inquisitive and insightful “Peace, Love and Thunderstanding” is now moving to DailyThunder.  You can read this week’s PL&T by clicking here.

In all honesty, this situation is kind of bitter sweet.  We’re losing a popular feature from our site (bitter), but replacing it with a weekly column from one of our state’s most talented bloggers (sweet).  Hopefully, everyone will like it.  If you’re skeptical, consider this fact: Jim Traber dislikes Royce Young almost as much as he dislikes The Lost Ogle.  Considering Royce doesn’t own any type of cardboard cutouts of Jim Traber, that’s saying something.

Anyway, enjoy the new feature.  And as Bob Barry Jr. would say, “Hooters!”

I really like going to movies downtown. The atmosphere is cool, the Cine Capri is awesome and by still using my student ID even though I graduated last December, I get tickets cheaper than anywhere else, sans Tinseltown. (I’ll pay an extra two bucks to avoid a bomb threat.) It’s all very wonderful.

But one aspect of the Harkins experience is not very wonderful.

(more…)

Devon Energy likes big skyscrapers

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

Earlier this morning, Devon Energy released the mock ups for the new skyscraper that they plan to build in Downtown Oklahoma City. The whole thing has given Oklahoman downtown business writer Steve Lackmeyer a raging hard on. From one of his many posts written about the Skyscraper at OKCcentral.com.

Curtains just pulled from models. Crowd applause. Oohs and ahs. People are pretty happy right now.

Pickard: “We are endeavoring to build a beacon.”

Facts:

925 feet tall

54 floors

1.9 million square feet of space

“it’s one of the most substantive projects Mr. Hines and Pickard and Chilton have ever been involved in.”

I think it’s pretty cool that we are going to have a 925ft addition to our downtown skyline. My only complaint – besides the fact that we’ll have to some day design a new header graphic for this website– is that the building may be too big. Seriously, it sticks out like Kevin Ogle in a room full of Al Eschbachs. On second thought, maybe that’s not too bad of a thing.

Anyway, I guess big, phallic skyscrapers being built in our Downtown is just another step we have taken towards becoming a big league city. Something tells me that if our city didn’t do the right thing about 15 years ago and pass the MAPS tax, and get things like Bricktown and the NBA, companies like Devon wouldn’t be constructing new buildings in Downtown. I guess one penny really can go a long way, just like good looks and being born into money.