Modern social club anchors 12-story development
Published By: The Journal Record – January 9, 2025
Written By: Jeff Elkins
OKLAHOMA CITY – The latest addition to the downtown skyline, a 12-story building in downtown Oklahoma City, combines a modern social club with retail, executive workspace and an upscale hotel.
A mixed-use vision by businessman Bond Payne and entrepreneur Renzi Stone has come to life at the northeast corner of NW 5th and Robinson Avenue.
The Citizen is a first-of-its-kind concept in Oklahoma City that blends work, leisure and community connection together. The 160,000-square-foot mid-rise building has expansive views of the city all around, including an overlook of the Oklahoma City National Memorial across the street.
One of the first things visitors will notice upon entering the building is Cadence, a kinetic art piece created by American artist Reuben Margolin, hanging from the 20-foot ceiling on the ground floor. The sculpture is about 11 feet in diameter and runs on a single electric motor that pulls on the strings to create a fluid waveform.
The $65 million project is anchored by Citizen House, a members-only three-story modern social club that features upscale dining, as well as Citizen House Executive Workplace and Citizen House Hotel. The first floor also includes about 4,000 square feet of retail space available for lease.
The hotel, workplace and club were designed by Michaelis Boyd, a world-renowned architecture and design firm based in London and New York. The building itself was designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and constructed by Lingo Construction Services.
A 16-room boutique hotel is expected to open on the second floor by the end of Q1. The bespoke suites will offer a distinct and “uniquely personal” hospitality experience, according to the Citizen House website. Jean-Francois Scordia, general manager of Citizen House, said non-members will be able to rent hotel rooms.
Floor three is the executive workplace. It features rentable offices, conference rooms, dedicated desks, communal workspaces and hot spots. The third floor has 21 offices with daily and monthly fees for members.
A private social club with highly-curated membership spans the entire 13,000-square-foot fourth floor of Citizen House. It’s focused on community engagement, business networking and cultural events. Scordia said the club was designed to provide a different experience every time.
To promote social interaction and living in the moment, phone calls on cell phones are prohibited, but emails and texts are allowed. If one must make a call, they can use the dedicated sound-proof booth. Members can capture memories in the selfie booth and sing along to their favorite songs in the karaoke room.
After enjoying a meal prepared by Executive Chef Miguel Acosta, whose career includes stops at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Miami, Santa Barbara and Puerto Rico, members can help themselves to a selection of candies from France, South Korea, England, Turkey and other countries.
Scordia said lunch and dinner is served five days a week, and they intend to add brunch in the future. Several mixologist-led bars and lounges focus on personalized and exceptional service, he said.
Membership to Citizen House is by application only. Each applicant is thoroughly reviewed by a membership committee. Applications are available on the Citizen House website.
“They look at your social media feed and what you do,” Scordia told the Journal Record Wednesday. “We’re creating the membership carefully. We want a lot of different industries. Some clubs have one industry. We have the arts, movies, oil and gas, lawyers, pharmaceuticals, doctors and everything else, so everybody has a different conversation.”
Another effort to emphasize diversity is found in Citizen House programming. They recently created a conversation series, hosting guests like the Prime Minister of Australia and international cigar and whiskey experts.
Scordia said their next planned guest is a three-time Grammy Award-winning artist who has worked with Eric Clapton.
A parking garage next to The Citizen connects to the ground floor and the fourth floor club level for easy access.
Developed by Polis OKC, the Citizen is considered a sister project to another one of their projects, The Heritage, which comprises more than 100,000 square feet of Class A office space with a blend of modern and classic interiors. The Heritage was once home to The Journal Record.
Payne said The Citizen expands on the success of The Heritage and presents a “unique opportunity to re-think how people will work and socialize in the future.”
The genesis of the name Citizen, Stone said, came from the importance of community engagement.
“Citizenship is making a place better beyond your own self-interest. Our hope is we are a melting pot for citizens to do just that. If successful, our entire community will benefit,” Stone said.