Standing from afar or even just across the street, it was difficult to see and appreciate the level of detail that there was in the brick, stone and iron work that was a part of the elegant design and craftsmanship of the old Ford Motor Company plants. The closer you got, however, the articulation of the masonry and metal began to reveal itself and you could really begin to appreciate this industrial age architecture for what it was. Continue reading
Filed under Background
Downtown
Those of you of a certain vintage might remember that there was a #1 hit song by this name. It was sung by Petula Clark and she was the first UK female artist to have a US number 1 hit. It was so popular that it soared the charts worldwide after it was released in November of 1964. In the last lines of the song she sings “things will be great when you’re downtown; everything’s waiting for you.”
While the overall message of the song romanticizes about downtown life, the last of the lyrics seemed to be in line with suppressed desires of the Oklahoma City University School of Law. Continue reading
Filed under Background, Design
Every now and then there is an experience so singular that it demands interrupting the flow of the current story to share. A recent experience presented one of those moments. It was a trip to Grand Rapids and a surprise visit to a project designed by one who is considered to be the greatest American architect of all time. The project is the Meyer May House. Continue reading
Under the tenure of Dean Lawrence Hellman, the Oklahoma City School of Law was beginning to feel the effects of growth within constraints. Life was good when the School of Law was all under one roof in 1979. But when it outgrew the space in the Goldstar building, the law school expanded into a new facility, the Sarkeys Law Center. The new classrooms, administrative space and moot and trial courtrooms were fresh, new and ready for the new classes of students that could no longer fit in the space left behind in Goldstar. Continue reading
Filed under Background, Design
Our client is the Oklahoma City University School of Law. Our working relationship goes back some 12 years and is intertwined with the history of the School of Law itself. The School of Law has been integral to the University from nearly its very beginning. To understand the history of the law school is to also reflect on the history of OCU. Continue reading
Filed under Background, Design
We are off to a new adventure in design. Unlike the Chickasaw Visitor Center, we don’t always have a new empty site to begin our project. Sometimes you start with something old. In this case, it was something build in 1909. Our project is linked to Oklahoma High School built in what is now midtown Oklahoma City. The building was designed by architects Layton, Hawk and Smith. The architecture was in the Collegian Gothic style and the exterior envelope was limestone clad with a tower facing Robinson Street. Continue reading
Filed under Background
Corrine and I walk from the Bedré Cafe to the Chickasaw Visitor Center. We talk about how the intersection could be textured with pavers to create an awareness for vehicular traffic of the pedestrian traffic and that this is a special zone of circulation. We talk about the old church up the street and how it could become a community playhouse or an ole opry mini-Branson venue.
As we approach the north entrance of the Chickasaw Visitor Center, we meet up with Cynthia Hines, the Supervisor of the Visitor Center on the sidewalk. Continue reading
Corrine, Operations Manager of the ARTesian Gallery and Studios, and I walk across the intersection of Muskogee and First towards Bedré Cafe. As we walk she shares her visions of what could be; “On summer nights, I would love to see food trucks down here on a Thursday night and give the people a reason to come out. Just to step out of the ordinary, bring a bit of OKC here. Corrine then reflects back to the ARTesian, “we also have discussed a 2 and 3 day masters level art class that people have expressed an interest in; like Mike Larson, Margaret Wheeler. They have a great calling internationally; people know that. 3 or 4 people [could come for class] and stay at the [Artesian] hotel; do art 5-6 hours per day, go the park. There is a lot of potential.”
We step into Bedré Cafe. Continue reading
Filed under Background, Guests
I am making a trip to the Visitor Center to check in with the project manager for the Chickasaw Nation to see how the project close-out is coming along and to see the facility in operation first hand. While I’m there, I take the opportunity to check in with other Chickasaw projects and Chickasaw acquaintances. I call ahead to see if I can get a special tour of the ARTesian Gallery and Studios. This project was a part of a trio of projects that celebrated a joint ribbon cutting dedication which included the Chickasaw Visitor Center. Corrine Gallup/Operations Manager for the ARTesian agrees to meet me when I arrive. Continue reading
This marks the second anniversary of the FSB Blog that launched two years ago in January of 2012. By all standards we have beaten the track record of the majority of blog launches that have not sustained this timeframe and many others that have not been able to maintain an unbroken string of a new post every week.
Thanks to all of you whether you are followers, fellow bloggers, Continue reading
Filed under Background, Design, Guests
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Design Matters 