The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Steve Lackmeyer column

Oct. 19--Chuck Ainsworth is enjoying the comments he's hearing from acquaintances observing work that has started on a decades-old Flatiron building at NE 6 Street and Harrison Avenue.

And to those who have yet to see the building filled with sunlight for the first time in three decades, he advises "drive by and take a look at the before, because the after will be even more sensational."

The building was boarded up for 27 years and previously controlled by the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority before Ainsworth was designated to redevelop it into the headquarters for Physicians Liability Insurance Co.

Over the past couple of weeks, Lingo Construction has removed bricks and boards from the windows and doors, yanked off the roof, and created what may be one of downtown's most visually stunning building renovations.

"It's like a lot of construction -- you see a lot of changes at first and then things slow down," Ainsworth said. "Right now, the most dramatic thing is the way the building looks. Some people say it looks like a piece of art right now."

PLICO is hoping to move into the renovated building by September 2015. Architect Rand Elliott is overseeing the $3.5 million redesign of the 13,000-square-foot building and the addition of a transparent third floor.

"We're adding a floor because of the space needs PLICO has and what they see for the future," Ainsworth said. "We are trying to do that in a sensitive manner, but at the same time we recognize this is a very prominent site for people coming into the city. So we're trying to do something that is iconic but also a preview of what you will see coming into the rest of the city."

Ainsworth said plans are well underway for a new adjoining building for the east half of the block and hopes to submit designs "soon" to the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority. Ainsworth said he is already in talks with prospective tenants, but added the construction will be a test of the city's office market.

"Construction prices are high," Ainsworth said. "Tenants in Oklahoma City have enjoyed fairly favorable rental rates for a while, but we're running out of space. It says something about all the success we're having bringing people back into the city. But construction costs are high, and rental rates will reflect that."

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