LOUISVILLE, Ky.—21c Museum Hotels has opened its sixth property, located at 900 W Main Street in downtown Oklahoma City, Okla. The property is an adaptive reuse of the Oklahoma City Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant; a contemporary interpretation of the building’s industrial heritage. 21c Oklahoma City offers 14,000 square feet of contemporary art exhibition space open free of charge to the public, a 135-room boutique hotel and Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge.
“When we opened the first 21c in Louisville ten years ago, we wanted to help revitalize a once-vibrant area on West Main Street in Louisville,” said Steve Wilson, founder and CEO of 21c Museum Hotels. “We saw a similar opportunity here in OKC, on the western edge of downtown and, to be a cultural catalyst and agent of forward-thinking change on Main Street, in an area with a rich, storied past.”
21c Oklahoma City presents rotating solo and group exhibitions, site-specific installations and a full roster of cultural programming curated by Museum Director and Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites. The history of the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant provides the inspiration for 21c’s collection of four site-specific artworks in Oklahoma City.
The design team, led by New York-based Design Architect Deborah Berke Partners and Executive Architect Hornbeek Blatt Architects of Edmond, Okla., sought to create a contemporary interpretation of the building’s industrial heritage – integrating elements of the automotive legacy and assembly plant heritage throughout. The design takes full advantage of the scale of the building with spaces that are open, light-filled and sculpturally expressive.
Built in 1916 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, many of the Albert Kahn-designed building’s original features have been restored, repaired or recreated including expansive casement windows, the former Model T showroom’s original terrazzo floor, freight elevator doors, historic storefront, entry canopy and marquee, decorative brick and terra cotta, exterior sconce,s and the Fred Jones Manufacturing signage.
The history of the building is expressed in the details. The public restrooms feature a custom vanity made from industrial and mechanical fittings and integrated artwork. The exterior dining area and canopy is emblematic of the historic train shed that once received deliveries of car kits. Plumbing fittings and other details reflect the automotive history of the building. 21c Oklahoma City is Deborah Berke Partner’s sixth collaboration with the 21c Museum Hotels team.
The property’s museum space doubles as meeting and event space, and can accommodate a wide variety of events from board retreats and intimate cocktail parties to a reception-style wedding for 500. The unique circular Main Gallery, and adjoining Gallery 1 is a nimble event space, with velvet drapery, movable partitions and a private full-service bar. The Main Gallery is home to Spinning Wheel of Life, an artwork by Gunilla Klingberg commissioned for the space, featuring ubiquitous urban signage and symbols in die cut metal embedded into the floor in a repeating kaleidoscopic pattern. The meeting galleries and event spaces feature state of the art audio visual technology.
21c Oklahoma City’s guestrooms are open and loft-like. A variety of guestroom types feature high ceilings, custom contemporary furnishings, contemporary art by artist and 21c founder Laura Lee Brown and abundant natural light. Guest rooms average 500 square feet. The hotel offers 23 suites, including the 21c suite and luxury loft suites.
The building’s original penthouse apartment has been reimagined into the expansive 21c Suite, offering two bedrooms, four bathrooms (two full baths and two powder rooms), and nearly 3,000 square feet of living space featuring custom designed contemporary furniture. Sliding wall panels conceal large televisions in the living room and dining room, making it possible to quickly transform the space from a game-time hangout to cocktail party. The expansive NanaWallÒ system all but disappears, extending the living and dining space seamlessly onto a terrace with more than 2,500 square feet of outdoor living space offering an expansive view of the Oklahoma City skyline. The building’s original water tower, a marker of the building’s past, towers overhead.
The property is home to Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge, bringing big, bold New American cuisine to Oklahoma City. Executive Chef Jason Campbell’s widespread influences are on display in a menu built around an in-house stone hearth pizza oven, rotisserie and smoker. The menu changes frequently, informed by the seasons and available local produce.
