Residential | Historic Renovation
Size: 99,000 SF
Completed: 2010
The initial idea for an upscale retail experience as an amenity for the neighboring 111-acre Chesapeake Energy campus was conceived by CHK CEO, Aubrey McClendon, and designed by noted Oklahoma architect, Rand Elliott. It was well into a friend- and partnership that produced 175 projects, most of which are in OKC, including the entire Chesapeake campus and the highly touted OKC Boathouse District.
At Classen Curve, Rand Elliott Architects sought to capture the best of walkable shopping centers in a new and fresh way. “The Curve” is so named because of the bend in the street it fronts and the consequent curve of the site itself – which is also long and narrow. Rather that facing outward to the street, the concept is an interior-facing “Main Street” of storefronts — mostly small-scale tenants with cachet. It’s a kind of village unto itself and the antithesis of a mall.
The Architectural Vision: “Window Shopping”
“An urbane new destination … a protected environment that slows down time.”
— ARCHITECTURAL RECORD, October 2012 “New Life for the American City” feature on OKC, Cleveland & Pittsburgh
So the celebrated center is a return to the pleasures of downtown “window shopping.” The experience is further enhanced by courtyard spaces with trees, sunshades and outdoor seating.
A water-retention pond became an elegant fountain. The handsome, charcoal-colored (manganese) brick exterior set off a wave of admiring local imitators. The corner windows — “shop windows” — are for retail display, with steel and glass that serves as a light, airy background for merchandise or messages. The wrap-around windows are an attraction, yet they don’t reveal all to passing street traffic. The surprise stirs curiosity that draws people in, where they find storefronts and can park to explore and enjoy one-of-a-kind retail and dining options at an inviting “human” scale.
Because Classen Curve was designed for boutique retail tenants rather than big box stores, the shops complement each other. “The Curve” — so named because of the bend in the city street it follows — is designed to draw a diverse array of shoppers with high quality in mind as seen in its tenants (four of which are also the work of Rand Elliott Architects, below):
Balliet’s, founding anchor, designer women’s fashion + spa
Uptown Kids, a children’s boutique
Café 501, an upscale bakery/restaurant
Republic Gastropub, a beer-themed, culinary sports bar
In 2010-11, Rand Elliott Architects earned seven national design awards for Classen Curve and four of its founding tenants. ARCHITECTURAL RECORD, the profession’s magazine, covered it in October 2012 with “Ahead of the Curve.”
INTERIOR DESIGN “BEST OF YEAR” Award, Casual Dining
Café 501
HOSPITALITY DESIGN “GRAND PRIZE GOLD KEY AWARD”
Café 501
INTERIOR DESIGN “BEST OF YEAR” Award, Retail Category
Balliets
INTERIOR DESIGN “BEST OF YEAR” Award, Retail Category
Uptown Kids
HOSPITALITY DESIGN “GOLD KEY AWARD,” Casual Dining Category
Republic Gastropub
ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING A/L Award, 2011
Republic Gastropub
INTERIOR DESIGN “BEST OF YEAR” Merit Award, Hospitality Category
2010
Republic Gastropub
… and one statewide award.
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
Oklahoma
The center’s second decade has seen change, yet the concept remains strong, with next-gen tenants representing lifestyle and “aspirational” national brands such as Sur la Table, Athleta, Lululemon, Warby Parker and Sephora. Local also prevails in B.C. Clark Jewelers, Green Goodies Bakery and Red Coyote.
Citing REA projects Classen Curve, Pops Route 66 and Kirkpatrick Oil Hennessey:
“Elliott has a way with turning nothing-sounding commissions into something.”
— ARCHITECTURAL RECORD, October 2012
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