Buildings Near Completion in Brady
By EMILY RAMSEY
Managing Editor
WORK, LIVE, PLAY: Above is a rendering of the renovated Universal Ford Building in the Brady Arts District. The building will hold 36 Degrees North (36°N), an entrepreneurial hub; a brewpub by local restaurateur Paul Sorrentino in partnership with Prairie Artisan Ales; and 23 apartments.
In just a few months, two more buildings in the Brady Arts District will be filled and brimming with activity.
In May, entrepreneurial hub 36 Degrees North (36°N) was announced as one tenant in the Universal Ford Building, which is currently under renovation at Cameron and Main streets.
The other first-floor tenant will be a brewpub by local restaurateur Paul Sorrentino in partnership with Prairie Artisan Ales. The restaurant will brew Prairie beer in-house and serve it, says Aaron Miller, program officer for George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF).
The building’s second floor will hold 23 apartments, with 12 apartments to be occupied in early 2016 by artist fellows from around the country who have been accepted into GKFF’s Tulsa Artist Fellowship.
“The remaining apartments will be occupied by people involved in programs that GKFF supports,” Miller says.
The addition of an entrepreneurial hub, which will include coworking space and offices, and working artists to the Brady District will further add to area stakeholders’ hopes to see the district as a place to work, live and play.
“The Brady Arts District has mostly been an entertainment district, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., for a long time. This project is another step in making this area a 24-hour district,” says Miller.
The stage for 36°N began to be set in March 2014, when the Tulsa Regional Chamber held a pop-up coworking day in the long-vacant building, which was built in 1917 and was originally home to a Ford and Model T store.
A month later, the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation published a report on the current status of Tulsa’s entrepreneurial community, called Assessing Tulsa’s Entrepreneurial Landscape.
“The study focused on the strengths and weaknesses of Tulsa’s entrepreneurial community and what areas need to be addressed,” says Dustin Curzon, 36°N executive director.
Two weaknesses that the report found were the lack of “a clear , . . . physical space for entrepreneurs and an inability (for entrepreneurs) to connect with mentors and advisors,” which it stated were “holding back the growth and development of the community.”
“They saw that the resources for entrepreneurs are available in the community, but entrepreneurs were having a hard time finding them,” Curzon says, who can relate to the entrepreneurial struggles. Curzon owns Narrable, a software tech company, which he started in 2011.
“As an entrepreneur, I was working out of my home for a year and a half,” he says. “It’s a lonely experience, and I didn’t know what resources were available to me.”
Once the idea for a physical, centralized entrepreneurial location that would bring area resources under one roof was born, then GKFF got involved for two reasons, continues Curzon. They saw this project as a way to further the revitalization of the Brady District and to attract and retain additional high-caliber talent to the area.
“Today, it’s the entrepreneurial community that attracts young people to a city,” he says.
The 11,500-square-foot space will feature coworking space, designated private offices and desks available for rental, event space and conference rooms, and offices for 36°N partners, including Oklahoma State University.
As a member of 36°N, individuals will have access to workshops, speakers, and mentorship opportunities with business executives, entrepreneurs and investors. “These individuals have committed to being in the space for so many hours per month, and members can schedule to meet with them,” says Curzon. “These are people that most of us would have a hard time getting a meeting with otherwise.”
Curzon expects to see 500 events held in the space in 2016. Some events will be open to the public while others will only be available to members.
A monthly membership costs $149 per month; although, an early enrollment rate of $99 per month is currently being offered.
Individuals can also purchase a one-day pass to use the space’s coworking area.
“If entrepreneurs don’t have a network to help them, they’re not going to find all the resources,” says Curzon. “If you’re here, you’re going to find the right people.”
Moreover, the “right people” may come in many different, unexpected forms, which is why project founders have intentionally allowed for a broad membership base.
“We want the retailer sitting next to the tech guy sitting next to the food truck owner. They all can learn from each other,” Curzon says.
GKFF’s other project on the block is the Fox Hotel building at the corner of Main and Brady streets. This includes the renovation of the Main Street Tavern, which is nearing completion, and Antoinette’s Bakery, which faces west on Main Street and opened inOctober.
On the east side of the building, off the alleyway, will be a new-concept lounge and private dining space by Eliot Nelson and McNellie’s Group. The building will also have eight upstairs apartments.
Both buildings are expected to be completed in early 2016.
Updated 10-26-2015
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