Following a yearlong community-driven process, the Evans-Fintube Steering Committee has selected Team Alchemy as the Master Developer for the Evans-Fintube redevelopment project.
Team Alchemy is comprised of Franchell Abdalla with Be Good Development of Tulsa and JE Dunn/JE Dunn Capital Partners, among other local, state, and national architects, engineers, and preservation specialists. Alchemy will drive the transformation of the site in the historic Greenwood District, which includes the Oklahoma Iron Works building, into a mixed-use destination.
“Over the course of this process, hundreds of north Tulsa residents and proponents have vowed their desire for the redevelopment of the Evans-Fintube site to be one that generates wealth for Black Tulsa, honors and celebrates the history and legacy of Greenwood, and creates a place where residents can come together comparable to when Greenwood was a thriving community,” said Ashley Philippsen, co-chair of the Evans-Fintube Steering Committee. “Team Alchemy’s proposed historic renovation of the Oklahoma Iron Works Building will bring much-needed goods and services to the area, while creating makerspace, office, and incubator facilities to support the growth of the next generation of entrepreneurs and businesses that will rebuild Black Wall Street. We look forward to seeing the impact the transformation of this historic building in the coming years will have in increasing wealth, economic opportunity, and community cohesion in Greenwood and north Tulsa.”
The Evans-Fintube Steering Committee, a 15-person body composed primarily of Greenwood community leaders, chose Alchemy after three community meetings and an extensive proposal and interview process.
“Years from now, Tulsans are going to look back at the community-led process that went into creating a vision for this site and realize this created a new norm for developments all across our city,” Mayor Bynum said. “I want to thank the Evans-Fintube Steering Committee for spearheading this work on behalf of our community, and for everyone who showed up at the various community meetings who have helped create a shared vision for development and community ownership at this site. Much work lies ahead, but we are on an exciting path as we move forward.”
The first phase of Alchemy’s proposal is the adaptive reuse of the Oklahoma Iron Works building into a space celebrating the spirit of Greenwood’s entrepreneurship.
The former industrial building will be renovated to provide a hub for all types of entrepreneurs, with opportunities for:
“To building tables in rooms we were never meant to sit in, this is a victory for all of us! Be Good Development Partners and Team Alchemy is honored to lead this project in the spirit of Black Wall Street and we stand on the shoulders of those who came before,” Be Good Development Principal Franchell Abdalla said. “To the ancestors, named and unnamed. To the architects of the freedom colony of Greenwood. To the future - the work begins.”
The City of Tulsa and Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity will now move into negotiations with Alchemy to enter into a Development Agreement for Phase I of the project. Negotiations, which are expected to last through at least the end of 2022 and into 2023, will ultimately govern the size and type of buildings to be built, ownership and wealth-building opportunities for the community, opportunities for local businesses to work on the project, and financing terms.
Negotiations will focus on the proposed Phase I project as outlined above, and will provide for pathways to propose and construct additional phases at a later date.
The final project is subject to change based on this process, and only after the Development Agreement is approved can Alchemy move toward construction. Team Alchemy’s proposal includes a robust, ongoing community engagement plan that ensures continuous input and feedback from community members and stakeholders as the project is finalized and moves into construction.
“JE Dunn is humbled and honored to be a part of this development and opportunity,” said Michael Collins, a representative for JE Dunn & JE Dunn Capital Partners. “To be a part of the Evans-Fintube redevelopment is a generational project which we hope, with the community’s assistance, will be of economic and social wealth-building for the community."
For more information on the Evans-Fintube site and redevelopment process, is available online.
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