Innovator of the Year Profile: TAPARCHITECTURE

4/6/07

Published on The Journal Record Website, April 6, 2007

Developers of Brownstones at Maywood Park say the project is revitalizing the lifestyle opportunities for Oklahomans.

The Brownstones at Maywood Park, based on a concept formulated by a group of University of Oklahoma architecture students, will be a community of 127 high-end row homes in downtown Oklahoma City.

Hans Butzer is the designer of the development, which will include urban row homes similar to ones in Boston or New York, but with an Oklahoma twist. The Brownstones will be built in a neighborhood setting that includes walking trails to Bricktown, a park and retail space.

“This has to be one of the most attractive places for downtown living yet it has been inexplicably off the radar screen for decades,” said Butzer, a principal of design with TAParchitecture, also an associate professor of architecture and urban design at OU.

"Where else in Oklahoma City can you walk to work, to an exceptional art museum, to a world-class riverfront rowing facility, to the best Triple-A ballpark in the country, to a range of quality eating establishments, and make a short walk home from a nightcap on the town and put the keys into the doors of a beautifully proportioned home that you own?”

The homes, ranging in size from 2,400 square feet to 3,700 square feet, are between 2 ½ and 3 ½ stories depending on the model. The first phase of construction includes 15 of the homes and is set to be completed by the middle of the summer, with the remaining phases of the development to be constructed over the next three to four years.

The Brownstones are innovative in every facet of design and function. Utilizing the most advanced green building techniques, the sustainable structures will last for generations

“Construction-wise, we are meeting the demands of a market seeking a quality niveau of home construction never offered in the history of the state, using sensible, sustainable materials to create legacy homes,” Butzer said.

The homes cost between $590,000 and $710,000 and are being marketed to professional couples and singles of all ages.

“We expect to see the homes catalyze neighborhood retail uses and for commercial growth to follow homeowners who are also business owners or corporate leaders,” said Anthony McDermid, a principal at TAParchitecture and partner of The Triangle Development.

The first phase of the Brownstones has spurred several other projects in the downtown area as well as another project in the Triangle, according to officials at TAParchitecture.

Since this project was first imagined over three years ago, other developers have jumped on board to grow the downtown housing need. Triangle Development partners include McDermid, Ron and Jason Bradshaw, Pat and Patrick Garrett and Bert Belanger.
Projected revenue for 2007 is $9 million.