Former Grocery Store An Urban Home

The BOK Center and the new downtown ball park are big redevelopment projects that get lots said about them.  There are smaller projects being started and finished all the time.  The News On 6's Rick Wells re-visits one of those he first reported on two years ago.

About 100 years ago, it was a neighborhood grocery store.  The painted sign is still on the brick.  Grocery shoppers from a century ago would be stunned to see the structure now.

"I saw this as an urban living space unlike anything in Tulsa," said Brian Freese.

Brian Freese is the architect who did the design work on the project.  The building's owner is Jeff Bell. 

Now, the building is renovated, complete with polished concrete floors, lots of windows and open space.

"Every single window in the building brings light into the entire space," said Brian Freese.

The one exception to the open space is an egg-shaped enclosure.  That area houses the master bath and closet and a small powder room.  Freese says it's like a piece of sculpture in the middle of the room.

"The curved walls actually guide the light around it," said Brian Freese.

If you like open living there's a lot to like.

There is also a roof deck.  A stairwell leads from the ground to the roof and also serves to stabilize the building.

"A wonderful example of how an old and nearly falling down building can be revived and can bring new use and new value to a neighborhood, a downtown and a city," said Brian Freese.

The dream to revive the old building and live in it went unfulfilled.  Jeff Bell got transferred to Houston before he could move in.  Now, it's waiting to make someone else's urban living dream come true.

Brian Freese, the architect, is so proud of how the project turned out he might enter it in some architectural design competitions.

The owner of the loft can be contacted via e-mail at:  tulsaloft@gmail.com