Projects seen as potential catalysts to redeveloping Oklahoma City's downtown fringe

Plans presented publicly for the first time Thursday at the Downtown Design Review Committee show a new court building to be built on a surface parking lot the city owns at the northeast corner of Couch Drive and Shartel Avenue.

A new police headquarters, meanwhile, will be built on a city-owned surface parking lot on the southeast corner of Colcord Drive and Shartel Avenue. New parking will be built between the two new buildings, where the current police headquarters and court are located.

Deputy Police Chief Tom Jester told the committee the $50 million project is overdue, with the 40-year-old complex being outdated for current needs, crammed for space and suffering ongoing troubles with old mechanical systems.

“It will be designed in a way that it will be more usable,” Jester said, “but we also want it to be inviting to the public and architecturally pleasing.”

Scott Dedmon, project architect and principal with ADG Inc., told the committee the design attempts to address security needs, stay within the project's budget and reflect the history of the surrounding area, historically known as the “Civic Center.”

The Civic Center, when built in 1937, was essentially the city's first MAPS project, consisting of the Oklahoma County Courthouse, original police headquarters, the Municipal Auditorium (now the Civic Center Music Hall) and City Hall, all designed in the Art Deco style of the era.

“These buildings are unique from other buildings you see downtown,” Dedmon said. “They are surrounded by green space and feature a lot of public space.”

Likewise, Dedmon said, the new court and police headquarters also feature a larger setback from the street than typical for downtown construction, which also addresses security concerns.

The budget did not allow for the use of limestone as was used on the original Civic Center buildings. But Dedmon said the use of calcium silicate masonry is similar in appearance to limestone and was most recently used in construction of the St. Anthony Hospital office building in MidTown.