BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — After more than a year of court battles and uncertainty, the historic Price Tower in Bartlesville in sold to new, familiar (to many in the Tulsa area) owners.
In 2001, Macy Snyder-Amatucci’s family founded Brickhugger, LLC, after buying and gutting the rundown Mayo Hotel for one dollar.
“In many people’s minds, they were thinking we were crazy,” she said. “Why would you buy a building like that?”
The answer: a passion for architecture, design, history, and construction.
“Price Tower is just what we set out to do from the beginning,” she said.
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Brickhugger now owns and operates about 20 businesses, including the Y Lofts and Aloft Hotel in downtown Tulsa. Along with another investor, they bought the Price Tower under the McFarlin Building name.
With a $10 million investment, plans include a mix of hotel and apartments, a rooftop bar, and a bottom-floor restaurant.
Work is already underway to restore the building. The Price Tower is 19 floors and, currently, the elevator is broken.
“We have been walking up and down 19 floors of stairs,” she laughs. “It has been a while since I have done that.”
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Macy says, overall, the building is in good shape. Some exterior work needs to be done. They recently pumped water out of the flooded basement. While there will be some updates, this will not be an overhaul.
“It is exciting to take on this project and restore everything Frank Lloyd Wright set out to do with this building and bring it back to life for everyone to see,” she said.
Restoration is expected to take two years.
They also plan to continue having a museum inside the Price Tower. They are working with the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy to try and get some of the artifacts returned. Many valuables were sold to an art gallery in Dallas by the previous owners.
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