NORMAN — Watch Video
Temporary bracing inside the six-story Financial Center in downtown Norman should be complete this month, paving the way for owners to begin permanent repairs to the 45,000 square foot office building.
Those repairs and an overall building renovation should be completed and tenants able to move back in by December of 2009, some of the building's owners said Saturday.
Steel rods and bracing are being installed on each floor tying the floors to the building's frame. Engineers determined early this year that the concrete building constructed in the early 1970s has insufficient lateral support and could potentially collapse in extremely strong winds.
The building's multiple owners voluntarily evacuated the 18 tenants in early February and began repairs. They considered demolishing the building.
"The demolition costs would have been as much as repairing the building," Jim Adair, one of the building's owners, said during a walk-through tour Saturday.
Instead, owners, working with LWPB Architecture and KFC Engineering and Precision Builders plan to install a rectangular steel frame with diagonal bracing within the building, tying the building's support system together.
Project foreman Joe Rice said the building becomes more stable and can withstand higher winds each time they complete a floor's bracing. They hope to finish the second floor this coming week.
Joel Barbour, also an owner, said structural engineer Larry Curtis' work on stabilizing the building was started immediately after problems were discovered.
"The first priority and the first concern of the owners of this building has always been the safety of the occupants and the welfare of the community," said Jim Agar, whose family is also part owner of the building.
"When it's completed, the architects and engineers say this will be one of the most structurally sound buildings in the city," said Agar. "We're spending our money to do the right thing for this community."
The permanent diagonal braces within the floors will force some reconfiguration of existing office layouts. Adair said he appreciated other property owners stepping up and helping relocate building tenants on short notice. All were moved within about 10 days.
He is confident a significant number of the tenants will come back to the Financial Center when it reopens.
One that may not be back is the Vista Restaurant. Attorney Sam Talley, whose family has the sixth floor and the restaurant, said he doesn't know if the popular restaurant will re-open. About 30 jobs were lost when the restaurant closed.
Talley's law office is nearby on Main Street and he feels the impact when city crews close two lanes of Main Street and Peters Avenue on high-wind days. It also closes the doors to some adjacent businesses.
"Every time I see the street closed I get sick to my stomach," Talley said. "But I know that everything's being done that can be done. People need to know that."
Agar said the local owners are longtime Norman families who remain bullish on the city. He sees the building's problems as a metaphor for the nation's economy.
"The right people are doing the right thing. That's the lesson here. By this time next year I'm looking forward to seeing how this building looks."
Andy Rieger
366-3543
editor@normantranscript.com
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VIDEO: Bracing near complete in wind-threatened building
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