Publish Date:
06/26/2013
Saving Gold
An Edmond engineering firm buys the Gold Dome,
preserving the iconic OKC building from demolition.
O n e o f O k l a h o m a C i t y ’s m o s t
recognizable and talked-about
buildings is safe once more.
The Gold Dome, which once housed
a b a n k a t N . W. 2 3 r d S t r e e t a n d
Classen Boulevard, will become
the new headquarters for a national
environmental consulting and
engineering firm. TEEMCO, which
is based in Edmond and has 65
employees, purchased the building
from developer David Box for an
undisclosed sum.
“TEEMCO believes the Route 66
i c o n i c c o r n e r o f N . W. 2 3 r d a n d
Classen Boulevard should be
preserved for future generations to
appreciate,” company spokesman
Arrow Cunningham said at a news
conference last Friday. “Revitalizing
the Gold Dome fits into our core
belief that man is here to be the
caretaker of the environment, and
TEEMCO Foundation’s mission to
restore and revitalize significant
areas.”
He acknowledged that the geodesic
Gold Dome “symbolizes home for
so many people in Oklahoma City.”
Specific renovation details will be
announced during a groundbreaking
party scheduled for next month, but
Cunningham said the firm will tr y
to restore the dome to its original
condition. It was built in 1959 and
designed by Robert B. Roloff.
Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer
congratulated Box and TEEMCO on
their partnership before offering a
bit of humor.
“People will always know where to
find you,” she said. “They won’t need
to ask your address.”
Salyer also said she was one of
many picketers 10 years ago when
a previous Gold Dome owner sought
to have it demolished.
“I believe you have found the right
use,” she told TEEMCO officials. “I
am so heartened this was able to
come together.”
The so-named Uptown 23rd Street
district, she noted, is in the midst
of a renaissance. The area has
drawn a flurry of upscale restaurants
and trendy bars, while The Rise, a
mixed-use development of retail and
restaurants, remains in the planning
stages for 23rd and Walker Avenue.
Box announced he plans to develop
property east of the Gold Dome.
“The building holds a great deal
of significance to many people in
Oklahoma City,” he said. “I’m excited
to work alongside TEEMCO to refresh
this area, and preserve the Gold
Dome.”
Box purchased the Gold Dome for
$800,000 at a foreclosure auction
in September 2012 after its former
o w n e r, D r. I r e n e L a m , s t o p p e d
making payments to the bank. At
that time, Box said he did not have
any plans for the building.
In March, he acknowledged his
options were limited: Sell the
property or tear it down.
Later, Box said he was losing as
much as $10,000 a month on his
investment after the last of the
tenants cleared out by the end of
2012. In addition, improvements to
the aluminum roof would cost an
estimated $2.5 million.
Source:
Farley, T. (2013, June 26). Saving Gold.
OKGazette.com > Metro OKC’s Arts &
Entertainment Authority. Retrieved June
4, 2014, from http://www.okgazette.com/
oklahoma/article-18601-saving-gold.html
TEEMCO Press Portfolio
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