BRICKTOWN BRIDGE
Church set to redevelop former Bricktown Joker’s comedy club
The last home of Joker’s Comedy Club, vacant since it closed in 2001, is set to be redeveloped as a coffee shop and event center to be operated with a nonprofit associated with Bridge Church.
The two-story warehouse at 229 E Sheridan Ave. spans 14,000 square feet and was built in 1951, long after the historic era of the warehouse district had ended. Joker’s, which pioneered the local comedy club scene, spent the last few of its 18 years at 229 E Sheridan before it closed in 2000.
Bridge Church, meanwhile, started in Mustang 50 years ago and has had an Oklahoma City congregation worshipping at the Will Rogers Theater. The warehouse was bought last month by Bridge Venue Inc. for $1.45 million.
“We want to be a part of the community in Bricktown,” said Rodney Wardwell, a pastor at Bridge Church and director of the new nonprofit Bridge Venue Inc.
“We love this area. We want to be a part of its revitalization. Our Oklahoma City campus has been portable for the past two years and we’ve been looking for a place to call home. “
The structuring of the nonprofit was guided by observations of an initially awkward start for OKC Community Church along Uptown and how it unintentionally jeopardized plans for the opening of the neighboring Savings & Loan Bar due to zoning regulations on minimum distances between churches and bars.
Avoiding conflict
Wardwell said he met with nearby business owners in Bricktown and designed the operation to avoid any conflicts with the entertainment district. The building will not be a church, he said, but rather a multipurpose event center that will include
a coffee shop and office space.
“Our heart is to be a part of the community and have it be a blessing to the community,” Wardwell said. “We created the nonprofit with the idea this will be more than where our church meets. We did homework on what some of the legal zoning issues are and we don’t want to inhibit anything going on in Bricktown past, present or future.”
Jill DeLozier, vice president at Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., praised Bridge for making such efforts and said it will be a good addition to a district that is evolving with the addition of housing and a streetcar.
“It’s a creative solution,” DeLozier said.
“I am thankful this organization wants to be in Bricktown. It is thriving and turning into a mixeduse district. And this is big news because Bricktown has been seen as only a place for fine dining and clubs. That has changed. It is evolving into an area that serves all of a community’s needs.”
Wardwell said the next step is to meet with city planners and show renderings to the Bricktown Urban Design Committee.
The committee previously approved a complete change in the facade that was proposed by a previous owner.
Wardwell said likely changes will include adding windows, more entrances and possibly a coffee shop patio.
He said the event space will seat about 250.
“It’s a smart move on their part,” DeLozier said. “It’s a much needed part of the puzzle to make it a full neighborhood.”