Patrons of several local businesses protested Thursday on Classen Circle in Oklahoma City.
The protest came after Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Store asked the city to rezone a portion of the property to build a new restaurant. Construction plans include demolishing the Donnay Building, built in 1954 and home to the HiLo Club, The Drunken Fry and Charlie’s Records.
Musician Marilyn Tate lives in the area. She played her first show at the HiLo Club 21 years ago.
“This is just a part of the neighborhood, a part of the fabric that makes this area so unique, that has made this area honestly,” Tate said.
Robyn Arn is with the Okie Mod Squad, a group that works to preserve modern architecture.
“It’s a unique building, it is in bad shape, but it is lovable in its oddness, and that’s what we want to keep about Oklahoma City,” Arn said. “We don’t want everything to just look the same as every other town.”
The Oklahoma City planning committee is set to hear the proposal August 24. Thousands of people have signed an online petition hoping to keep the restaurant from developing the area.
