Oklahoma City alderman seeks more protections for historic properties, including Gold Dome

An Oklahoma City councilman said he wants to identify and protect historic structures, including the Gold Dome on Route 66, after a landmark church was abruptly demolished last week.

The distinctive, egg-shaped First Christian Church was torn down less than an hour after it was given a demolition permit, surprising many that included those who wanted to preserve the property and others who were assured weeks ago that only asbestos remediation was occurring.

The Oklahoman newspaper reports that Ward 2 Alderman James Cooper turned his attention to preserving the vacant Gold Dome:

Both First Christian Church and the Gold Dome, originally home to Citizens Bank, were built in the 1950s at a time when daring new designs were being introduced to the city by modernist architects. First Christian with its egg-shaped design was heralded as the “church of tomorrow” while the gold geodesic dome was declared “the bank of tomorrow.”

Dome owner Johnathan Russell has spent the past seven years trying to find the right tenant and came close with a tentative deal that would have turned it into a Natural Grocers. Another effort to turn it into a music venue remains a possibility, Russell said, but other ideas also are being contemplated.

Russell said Tuesday he has bought out his partners and has sole control of the dome, which stands at the crossroads of Uptown and the Asian District at NW 23 and Classen Boulevard.

“Demolition is not on the table,” Russell said. “We’re going to exhaust every other avenue first. My goal is to have that building standing there.”

Russell and Mayor David Holt added that the Gold Dome, which is within a design district, can’t be torn down without a lengthy review process.

The Gold Dome was built as a Citizens State Bank in 1958 as the fifth geodesic dome in the world.

In 2003, it faced demolition until local preservationists protested. Irene Lam bought it and turned it into a retail complex. It was listed as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2012, the building fell into foreclosure. Russell then bought the Gold Dome after Edmond, Oklahoma-based TEEMCO abandoned plans to buy and renovate the property in the wake of an oil-price collapse.

The Gold Dome sits at Northwest 23rd Street and North Classen Boulevard, both sections of Route 66.

(Image of the Gold Dome in Oklahoma City by We travel the world via Flickr)

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