Although I was born here, live here, and – sadly – will likely die here, I don’t think it’s too controversial to say Oklahoma is kind of a lame place to visit.
Sure. We have some stuff to do, but we don’t have an ocean, we don’t have majestic mountains, and a lot of the stuff we do have – like lakes, scenery, and sunsets – you can find in other places.
If you need more proof that tourism isn’t really our thing, just look at how state leaders are currently hyping Oklahoma as a must-see destination for the upcoming Route 66 Centennial.
On one hand, sure – I guess it’s cool that we’re home to one of the longest remaining stretches of the Mother Road. History nerds like me really appreciate it.
On the other hand, should we really be hyping people to visit our state by getting on an old highway whose entire purpose is to take them somewhere else??? Something about that doesn’t seem wise. Like, I’m sure that’s good for Love’s, tribal casinos, and Pop’s, but building a tourism strategy around driving up and down an old road doesn’t exactly scream economic renaissance.
Well, unless it inspires Paul McCartney to take a second Route 66 road trip. Then it’s probably worth it.
Anyway, I bring all this up because…
A) I was in the mood to ramble, and…
B) I think it’s funny and ironic that just as Oklahoma is ramping up its Route 66 celebration – an event meant to showcase our towns, history, and roadside charm to passing tourists – some towns are busy tearing down the very history they’re supposed to be showing off!
In case you didn’t know – and I doubt you did – the Chandler City Council recently announced they are going to demolish the city’s historic St. Cloud Hotel – a 120-year-old building that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Here’s a pic from its Wikimedia page:
Sure. That thing could definitely use some TLC and – no offense to the dojo at Chandler Karate – probably some better tenants. But why do they want to tear it down? It looks salvageable, right?
Well, not according to the Chandler City Council.
They claim the owners let the building fall into disrepair and that it is now a “hazard to the health, safety, and welfare” of the general public. The owners tried to appeal the decision, but according to KFOR, they couldn’t afford a $400,000 bond.
Larry Donbraswell co-owns the building with John Givens. Both said they had plans to rebuild in time for this year’s centennial, but fell behind after a storm last spring.
“I had actually approached the city in February. I wanted to put the balcony on, and they were ecstatic, but the roof blew off on March 19th. They locked me out and refused to let me do anything on the building,” Givens said.
The pair hired an attorney to appeal the city’s decision.
In order for the appeal to be successful, a bond had to be paid worth the price of the building, which is approximately $400,000.
Givens did not pay the bond, which was due in December 2025.
That stinks, but if the co-owner was going to put a balcony on it, the building can’t be that bad… right? The city is obviously doing whatever it can to find a savior to resurrect the building, or – at the very least – keep it up through the end of the year, right? The last thing they’d want is for it to get bulldozed for an OnCue. That never feels right!
Well, apparently not.
Check out the kind of dickish answer the city manager gave KFOR:
“After hearing all the evidence during several public hearings, the Chandler City Council voted to demolish the St. Cloud Hotel building due to public safety concerns. The property owner also has had an opportunity to appeal the decision through the court system but has not been successful in that endeavor. It is very unfortunate when owners of historically significant properties allow them to deteriorate to the point that they pose a serious threat to public safety and welfare.”
I’m pretty good at reading between the lines, and I think it’s pretty obvious – especially when you read that last sentence – that there’s some bad blood between the owners and the city.
In fact, I’d say there’s enough bad blood that we need an independent review of the situation.
That’s why I call for a tribunal of Steve Lackmeyer, Steve Mason, and Admiral Richard C. Bricket – the captain of the Bricktown Water Taxi fleet – to thoroughly examine the St. Cloud Hotel to see if it’s salvageable.
If they can save it, save it. If they can't, tear it down. Just wait until after the damn centennial. That would be better for Chandler, better for Rt. 66 and – at least for a moment – make our state slightly less lame.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.
