Vote On Future Of Old OKC Jail Put On Hold; Developer Wants To Save It

What to do with the old Oklahoma City police jail downtown, will have to wait at least two more weeks. 

The building at Shartel and Colcord has been abandoned for years. A vote on whether to demolish the building to make room for parking for the new police headquarters and new municipal court, has been postponed for months. 

At issue is the old jail's historical significance. 

On Monday, July 16 the developer trying to renovate the property said she believes the building can be saved for $8 million. And that she would secure it through a mix of private funding and historical tax credits.

“I think a café, barber shop, dray clearers, a shoe shop, maybe a sundry store. There is nothing like that in that part of town,” said developer Marva Ellard.

Office space is also included.

OKC City Council gave Ellard, who’s been talking to city leaders about the project for the past year, two weeks to come up with a realistic timeline on the project before council members vote on the fate of the old jail, old police station and old municipal court.