Bringing new life to a school building

Monday night, the Oklahoma City Public Schools board approved a recommendation by the Oklahoma City Redevelopment Authority that Carpathia LLC be named conditional redeveloper for the former Oklahoma City Public Schools administrative building at 900 N. Klein Ave. into a hotel with retail, restaurants, offices and a micro-brewery, expected to open in 2022.

The Theodore, a name reflecting the history of the 1920s-era building, which was originally Roosevelt Junior High School, will blend historic architectural details with modern amenities. The boutique hotel will have just over 100 guest rooms and at least three food and beverage concepts, including a microbrewery likely built in the old boiler area where vintage mechanical equipment is still visible. The developers envision the grand auditorium being used for film screenings, concerts, community performances and events and plan to make the indoor pool into a health club and fitness facility open to the public.

Carpathia LLC is a partnership of experienced Oklahoma developers who own and operate 17 historic properties and 20 restaurants, mostly in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, such as Fassler Hall, Dust Bowl Lanes and McNellie’s.

The redevelopment will breathe new life into this historic building in an area within walking distance of the Plaza District, Midtown and west downtown. Kudos to the Oklahoma City Public Schools board for being innovative in partnering with us to seek out redevelopment proposals that will add value to space no longer needed by the district and for ensuring that this project adheres to best practices for redeveloping historic schools.

Read the full article at The Journal Record