Braum’s withdrawal leaves site with uncertain future
The withdrawal of Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Stores’ zoning request to build a new store on a triangle-shaped block near Interstate 44 and Western Avenue in northwest Oklahoma City removes what had been an immediate threat to the Donnay Building’s future.
But nothing’s certain. And while Bob Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, said the decades-old building has historical significance, he isn’t taking the stance it should be saved at any cost.
Blackburn said Friday he just hopes there can be a community conversation about the building’s importance.
“Some things need to be torn down,” he said Friday. “But it would be beneficial to talk. It is important to know what you are doing, before it’s done.”
Blackburn said the Donnay Building is an example of midcentury architecture that features long horizontal lines, cantilevered glass fronts and the use of glass building blocks in its construction.
Blackburn also said there weren’t many buildings put up like that locally during the 1950s because of tough economic times.
“That midcentury period isn’t very well represented in Oklahoma City,” Blackburn said.
He said the Donnay Building also is historically significant because it was built next to Classen Circle, which Oklahoma City built in the early 1950s to connect new superhighways such as Turner Turnpike and the Northeast Highway to the Northwest Expressway and the city’s street grid.
The European-style connection enabled motorists to travel from the turnpike and Northeast Highway to their in-town destinations, or, to other cities using U.S. 66 and other highways.
The interchange was so unique, the Oklahoma City police department put together a 30-minute program aired on WKY-TV to explain to motorists how to use the interchange, he observed.
“The Classen Circle, to me, is probably the best example of how changing transportation patterns across the nation and the state during the 1950s reshaped Oklahoma City’s landscape,” Blackburn said.
“The circle, of course, no longer exists in its original form. The buildings (the Donnay and a few others, such as the building where Horn Seed operated) are the connection that remains.”
What’s ahead
It wasn’t clear Friday on whether the effort to build a new Braum’s store on the block has ended.
In a September meeting, planning commissioners couldn’t muster enough support to send a recommendation to the City Council on whether or not the zoning request should be approved.
Additionally, David Kennedy, an attorney representing landowner Red Oak Properties, told commissioners his client intended to tear down the Donnay, regardless, in its efforts to redevelop the land.
Kennedy did not respond Friday morning to an emailed request seeking updated information about the owner’s plans for the site. When called Friday, he wasn’t available to comment, an assistant said.
Meanwhile, David Box, the attorney who represented Braum’s in the rezoning request, declined to comment Friday.
J.J. Chambless, principal planner in Oklahoma City’s Development Services Department, confirmed the zoning request’s withdrawal.
The news relieved the council member who represents that area of Oklahoma City. In a social media post, Councilman Ed Shadid thanked Braum’s for its decision. He also praised opponents for participating in the process.
“This is what brings us together as a community and makes our city great,” Shadid wrote.
Lynne Rostochil, an opponent of the plan who led a grassroots movement to save the building, echoed Shadid’s remarks.
“Now,” she added, “I hope that Red Oak Properties will realize how important this quirky structure is to the community and either fix it up or sell it to someone who will preserve it.”
The request sought to change the zoning for several parcels on a corner of the block from residential to commercial. The remainder of the block already is zoned for commercial use.
The block is bordered on its northwest frontage by Northwest Expressway, which in that area is a major on and off ramp for I-44, and what’s left of the original Classen Circle — one-way access roads on each side of expressway that give motorists access to commercial properties on either side of the highway, including the Donnay Building and other properties on its block.
Military Avenue borders the block’s east side, while NW 50 borders its south side.