Tulsa Commercial Real Estate Experts Reviving Downtown Tulsa – An In-Depth Look Into What Has Made New York's SoHo District Successful

Tulsa Commercial Real Estate Experts:
 

Reviving Downtown Tulsa – An In-Depth Look Into What Has Made New York’s SoHo District Successful

by U.S. SBA Entrepreneur of the Year & Cofounder of Fears & Clark Tulsa Commercial Real Estate Group – Clay Clark

As we work to revive downtown Tulsa, I believe that is important to study cities, and neighhorboods whose urban renewal projects have proven to be successful so that they can be used as an example from which we can pull ideas. And their really is no better example of an urban renewal than that of New York City’s SoHo District.

The SoHo District is a actually a neighbor that is located in New York City’s Manhattan borough. Unlike other American city’s New York City is broken up into boroughs. From the 1840 to the 1850s this area was home to some of the toughest and roughest New Yorkers. Filled with bars and brothels, this part of down was tough. This community catered to a nearly all male customer base. This area’s streets were constantly filled with foot traffic, the wrong kind of foot traffic, but none the less the foot traffic was always apparent in this area. From Saturday night to Monday morning, men filled the streets of this area seeking excess, alcohol and prostitutes. Overtime as the city began expanding more and more into the “uptown” area this part of town became more violent and more rough. Eventually this area of town became so bad that it actually became known as “Hell’s Hundred Acres” because of its repulsiveness, violence and filth. This area became an industrial dead zone and wasteland filled with sweatshops, and poverty.

In the time around the middle of the 20th century, various artists of all kinds began to occupy the empty industrial areas left by the factories that long since vacated the buildings. These artists were seeking large dwelling spaces that could serve as their home and their large studios. Large empty spaces were ideal for their needs and the vacant industrial buildings provided plenty of it to meet their needs. These areas became known as “loft” spaces. Today many people throughout the United States enjoy “loft living,” but very few realize the close-knit connection, between the arts, SoHo and the concept of “loft living.”

By 1968 a full-fledge SoHo art movement had begun. Because more and more artists kept flooding the vacant SoHo industrial district with their art and their studios various organizations were formed to legalize their “loft living” concept that was already well underway. Essentially, thousands of people were already living in the “lofts,” but they were doing so “illegally.” Looking to explain to government officials which area of town they were seeking to rezone, the artists began referring to this area as “south of houston street.” Because they were artists, they naturally began massaging the phrase “south of houston street” until the phrase “SoHo” became popular. Later the group seeking to legalize the “loft living” concept became known as the SoHo Artists Association, thus formalizing the name “SoHo.”

Since 1968, the neighborhood has become more and more integrated with the artistic community and more and more detached with its “dirty” and “slum-like” beginnings. As the neighborhood’s association with the arts has become stronger, it naturally started to become a favorite shopping destination of New York City’s elite. One of a kind art was always on display. SoHo artists were always creating beautiful artists masterpieces and thus they were always selling their. A perfect marriage between the arts and capitalism was formed.

Today the “SoHo District” serves as a perfect example of the type of inner city regeneration and rejuvenation that Tulsa needs. With the new found success and momentum being created by the Brady District and the Blue Dome Districts, parts of downtown Tulsa look to be headed into a “SoHo-like” direction. Tulsa’s rich performing arts community is beginning to return the vibrancy to downtown Tulsa. Tulsa’s old and historic warehouses, and art-deco skyscrapers are now being turned into beautiful “loft-living” areas. They only problem is that Tulsa’s “loft-living” conversion process is very different from that of SoHo.

The SoHo conversion process, was built naturally by opportunitistic artists who were seeking large open studio space and who were unable to find it else where in New York City’s existing crammed and expensive living areas. New York’s artists turned to the vacant buildings, because they were literally sitting vacant. Because they were previously vacant the were cheap. In fact in many cases they were probably free or close to free because they were probably living in these areas at first without permission of the land owner or the city. Artists needs for expanded room fueled this renewal. In Tulsa today government officials, and professional city planners are the ones pushing the redevelopment of Tulsa’s empty warehouses and historic buildings.

The lofts in SoHo provided artists with cheap and open space. The lofts in Tulsa provide Tulsans with small and expensive space. The lofts of the SoHo district served as the studios for numerous New York City artists. They lofts going into downtown Tulsa are going to be lived in by the city’s most wealthy individuals, because their price tags are high. And they are expensive for numerous reasons.

Why are Tulsa’s downtown lofts so expensive?

Downtown Tulsa’s lofts are expensive because the building codes being enforced in downtown Tulsa make low-cost warehouse and industrial space conversion nearly impossible. Installing sprinklers, systematically handling and disposing of the asbestos is an expensive must. In many cases the remodeling of these downtown buildings is proving to be more expensive than simply just tearing these old buildings down and building new construction from the ground up. The lofts in the “SoHo” district were large, open and cheap. The lofts in Tulsa are small, open and expensive. The lofts in the “SoHo” district were not very efficient at all. The lofts in Tulsa are designed to among the most efficient living places in the world. Now in terms of the foot traffic generated by the “SoHo Disctrict” as stated earlier this was nearly all organic. People walked down from “Upper Manhattan” down to “SoHo” to buy the unique one-of-a-kind art found only in the “SoHo” district. Because their were so many artists living in the lofts, unique artwork abounded in this part of town. Naturally art studios began to pop up on the street level spaces to showcase the art to prospective buyers. No single person mandated the creation or showcasing of art. No government entity encouraged artists to begin using their street level space for this. The reinvention of the “SoHo” district came out of necessity. So can Tulsa’s downtown revival grow out of a non-organic government mandate and a city’s comprehensive plan? I believe it can, but as you have scene here, “Soho’s” redevelopment came out of capitalisms never ending drum beat and artists need to find large open spaces to do their artwork.

　

　

For more information about downtown Tulsa, leasing space in downtown Tulsa, Tulsa commercial real estate, commercial real estate in Tulsa, Tulsa office buildings, Tulsa commercial real estate, Tulsa real estae – contact Fears & Clark Realty Group today – 918-481-2080.

posted Friday, October 1st, 2010
posted under: Blog, Real Estate 101, Uncategorized tags: , , , , , , , ,