Bartlesville, Okla. — A National Historic Landmark in Bartlesville is under new ownership.
The President of Brickhugger, LLC says they plan to do with the Price Tower something similar to what they did with the Mayo Hotel in Downtown Tulsa.
“I hope that whatever they plan, I know that they’re keeping sustainability in mind. They’re keeping longevity in mind. And so all of that, those clues that they have given are reassuring,” said Maria Gus, the Executive Director of Visit Bartlesville.
Earlier this month, Gus presented their annual report in a city council meeting which showed a drop in attraction attendance.
“The Price Tower had somewhere between 20 and 30,000 visitors per year,” said Gus in her presentation.
She says that since the Price Tower closed its doors last year, the attraction hasn’t reported any visits.
Copper Tree Inc., the previous owners of the Price Tower, told NewsChannel 8 they closed their doors due to financial hardships.
The same month they closed their doors, McFarlin Building, LLC, owned by Brickhugger, LLC filed a lawsuit against Copper Tree Inc.
McFarlin Building claimed Copper Tree did not honor their contract to sell them the building.
Then, in January, amidst the legal battle, Copper Tree filed for bankruptcy and the Price Tower was auctioned off.
We reached out to Cynthia Blanchard the previous owner of the Price Tower for comment and she responded with a statement SAYING in part, “Copper Tree fought to preserve and protect Price Tower under extraordinarily challenging conditions and we sincerely hope its future will be one of integrity and stewardship.”
“I’m very optimistic that they’ll be good stewards to the building with their track record of other buildings in the area and I just want somebody to take good care of it because I think it’s a jewel that a lot of people can enjoy,” said Jurine Elkins, a Bartlesville resident who tells us she’s excited for the new ownership of this historic building that she got engaged and married in.
We also spoke with City Councilor Larry East, who says he’s excited about the McFarlin Group’s plans for restoring and renovating the building.
“It’s an iconic historical structure that means a lot to Bartlesville and is a popular tourist attraction for our town. I don’t know the timeline for the restoration, but I’m excited and look forward to seeing the results,” said East.
Macy Snyder-Amatucci, the President of Brickhugger says they plan to open the Price Tower in two years when they finish construction and it will have hotel and residential units and museum space.
