TEEMCO, an environmental professional engineering firm based in Edmond, Okla., announced Monday it will purchase the historic Gold Dome in Oklahoma City, move its headquarters there and preserve the structure.
The impending purchase was reported by The Oklahoman newspaper in mid-June. TEEMCO made it official with a news release Monday.
While preserving the striking geodesic dome structure, TEEMCO CEO Greg Lorson also revealed some of the plans for the building:
“We intend to restore as many original elements to the building as possible while introducing some new complimentary elements to the lobby such as a water feature and high-tech feature. In the end, we want the building to represent a coming together of nature, physics, art, and technology. In this way the building will be functional art communicating the value of man’s positive impact on our environment.”
It will be renamed the TEEMCO Gold Dome. The TEEMCO Foundation will soon host a groundbreaking event for the Gold Dome. The Foundation exists to benefit people in need of health, education, and welfare support. The groundbreaking event will be a fundraiser to help Moore area tornado relief efforts and an Oklahoma woman in dire need of a kidney transplant.
The Gold Dome faced the wrecking ball at least twice. It was built as a Citizens State Bank building in 1958. In 2003, it faced demolition until Dr. Irene Lam bought it and turned it into a retail complex. Shortly thereafter, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But in 2012, the building went into foreclosure.
David Box purchased the Gold Dome in September and pledged to preserve it. However, Box filed for a demolition permit in March, saying that renovating the Gold Dome would be “prohibitively expensive.” Box’s proposal was given a chilly reception by the Oklahoma City Urban Design Committee, which indicated it would be reluctant to approve the demolition permit. Box backed down from his plan and put his acquisition up for sale.
The Gold Dome sits at Northwest 23rd Street and North Classen Boulevard, both sections of Route 66, near the Milk Bottle Grocery building.
(Image of the Gold Dome by QuesterMark, via Flickr)
For those of us who love both Route 66 (which represents the best of America’s past) and the work of Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller (who represents the best of what American ingenuity could be in the future), this is GREAT news! Thanks for reporting on this!
This is more exciting than all of the things going on along Route 66 in my home area of southwest Missouri the past couple of weeks. I’ve always been a fan of this building. I am somewhat aware of Teemco, and I feel this very special building finally has an owner that will ensure it remains viable for many years to come! This was great news to read tonight! Thank you for the update! I can’t wait to see their total plans revealed and the building refurbished!