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Cool and cranky

It's always a surprise to get a comment on an old post, usually a pleasant one. Over the last 24 hours, two old blog entries have received comments. The first, from Lisa S. of Joshua, Texas, was posted to my July 2008 entry about a visit to the pictographs at...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 21, 2010 11:19 PM

Rocky Frisco on downtown development; Chamber to run downtown marketing?

From Rocky Frisco's Tulsa Metro Chamber questionnaire. Nail, meet hammerhead. The more the city government has tried to "develop" the downtown, the worse it has become. I firmly believe that if had been allowed to develop naturally, without all the wild ideas for "development," it would still be an exciting,...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 7, 2009 6:00 PM

MedBlogged interview

I had the honor of being the first interviewee on The Chris Medlock Show podcast. Chris and I talked about my column on the history and future of Downtown Tulsa Unlimited and other downtown development issues. Visit Chris Medlock's MedBlogged to download the current podcast and catch up on earlier...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 16, 2009 12:42 AM

Downtown Tulsa Unlamented

An edited version of this column was published in the May 14 - 20, 2009, issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly. The published version is available on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Posted October 25, 2022. Cityscope By Michael D. Bates Downtown Tulsa Unlamented The departing head of Downtown Tulsa Unlimited...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 13, 2009 8:45 PM

IDA looks at downtown Tulsa; City seeks bids for downtown services

Last fall, Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor asked the International Downtown Association to send a team to study our downtown, and in particular to look at the city's arrangement with Tul-Center, Inc., the arm of Downtown Tulsa Unlimited (DTU) that has handled downtown services since the current business improvement district was...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 10, 2009 8:45 PM

DTUBAR: 1981 plan for Brady District

In preparation for an upcoming column, I spent some time last night photographing the Downtown Tulsa Unlimited vertical file at Central Library. Vertical files are newspaper clippings organized by topic, and they're often the best way to get a sense of the evolution of some aspect of the city over...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 7, 2009 12:19 PM

Jim Norton leaving Downtown Tulsa Unlimited?

I just received an e-mail saying that Jim Norton, president of Downtown Tulsa Unlimited, is leaving for a job in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. If I recall correctly, Norton is originally from the Tarheel State. He has been head of DTU for almost 20 years. My source says his last...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 9, 2009 5:35 PM

Stadium trust on tonight's Council agenda

I've been seeing e-mail traffic urging people to show up at tonight's City Council meeting in support of the Tulsa Stadium Trust. I understand that Bank of Oklahoma and other downtown employers are trying to pack the council chambers tonight. Those who show up should remember that the vote isn't...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 11, 2008 12:13 PM

Property owners owe Tulsans downtown preservation

An edited version of this piece was published in the August 23, 2006, issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly. The edited, published version of the piece is online in the Internet Archive. Posted on the web September 17, 2013. Property owners owe Tulsans downtown preservation By Michael D. Bates A memo...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 23, 2006 8:05 PM