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Then and Now: The Buick Building |
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Written by Steve Lackmeyer
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Saturday, 16 May 2009 23:51 |
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Dennis Church, forgive me, but this was another case of the "now" getting outdated. This restored landmark is yet another example of the preservationists Automobile Alley is blessed to have as full-time advocates and property owners. The Buick Building, built in 1911 at 504 N Broadway, was bought by architect Rand Elliott and his wife, Jeanette, in 1999. They spent $500,000 restoring the facade and then let waited several years for the "right tenant." That right tenant ended up being the Red Prime Steakhouse which is run by Keith and Heather Paul.
Elliott's restoration was recognized with a 2008 Citation of Merit by the Oklahoma Historical Society's State Historic Preservation Office. 
In 2008Â Max Nichols, a veteran Oklahoma City journalist, had this recollection about the old dealership: "For more than a decade, starting about 1920, my father, Dale L. Nichols, worked as book keeper in the Buick Building on Broadway in Oklahoma City, near NW 4 and next to the Oklahoma Publishing Co. Constructed in 1911, the two-story Buick Building was part of what became known as Automobile Alley. Dad once told me that the building housed a showroom on the first floor and a parts department on the second floor, where he worked. He felt so secure in his job in 1927 that he built an apartment building that still stands at 831 East Drive. On Oct. 5, 1929, he married my mother, Margaret Hau, but three weeks later the Wall Street stock market crashed. Dad told us he lost his job in 1932, when Buick moved part of its operation to Dallas, but the apartment building kept our family going." |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 09 May 2009 03:10 |
OKC Then & Now 