“The best location in town” will soon be operating again.
The old Independent Order of Odd Fellows building located at 126 E. Dewey Ave, has sat vacant for years, despite being prime real estate for anyone who wanted to cash in on the move that so many are making to downtown Sapulpa.
Finally, after a tumultuous couple of weeks of bidding and back-and-forth, we have a solid idea of the direction the building will be taking in the future.
Chad Potter, the proprietor of the famed Station 13 on Charles Page Blvd in Tulsa, is the new owner of the IOOF building and has some exciting plans for the old gem.
The three-story building, built in 1909 and was first occupied by E.E. Cowman’s pharmacy. When Cowman built his own building down the street across from the Courthouse, he was asked if he’d be moving his drugstore to the new building. “Why would I?” Was his reply. “It’s the best location in town!”
In addition to the non-political, non-sectarian international fraternity known as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Cowman’s Drug, the building also howed not only numerous other drug stores through the years, but jewelry stores, loan offices, antique stores and a number of restaurants. Boomerang opened in 2008 and lasted a few years before vacating. The building had sat empty ever since, until last week.
Chad Potter has already made a name for himself has he works to restore a number of properties, most of which he says “are pretty boring.”
One that’s not boring is Station No. 13, on Charles Page Boulevard in Tulsa, which was completed in 1933 by renowned Tulsa art deco architect Albert Joseph Love. The Tulsa Firemen that worked at Station 13 served the people of west Tulsa until the station closed in 1964 to make way for a new and bigger station around the corner.
Photo from station13tulsa.com
Station No. 13 was purchased by Chad and Jackie Potter a few years ago and revamped it into an event center, while retaining its historical significances to the community. The venue now sits on the National Register of Historic Places.
Potter is using the same philosophy of historical preservation as he renovates the IOOF building.
In a meeting with Sapupa Times, Potter said he was planning a set of lofts for the third floor and a co-working space called “Sidehustle” for the rooms on the second floor, and that he hopes to return a restaurant—or even two to the first floor.
Wait, what? Two restaurants?
Potter explains that The Tavern and The Bull in the Alley in the Tulsa Arts District (formerly the Brady District) in downtown Tulsa have a similar concept. Though they’re two distinct restaurants, they share a kitchen. The idea is to create one restaurant in the main floor of the IOOF building, and a second restaurant in the retail space around the corner on Park Street. “There’s only a wall that separates them,” he said. “If we can’t do that, we’ll just do additional seating for the main restaurant.”
Potter already has a crew working on the cleanup of the building, and says he hopes to get it up and running “as soon as possible.”
