Developers say historic Moton Hospital renovation on track; entrepreneur hub to house Microsoft, Black Tech Street

Tulsa Economic Development partners told the Tulsa Development Authority they are on schedule to convert the historic Moton Hospital in North Tulsa into an entrepreneur hub expected to reach occupancy in January 2026.

The update Thursday came from Rose Washington, representing TEDC, and Greg Shaw of Beantown, who described the project's phasing, construction challenges and the building's planned uses. "We would be complete within 18 months of the launch of construction," Washington said, describing the project timeline. The partners said they are in phase 3, working on the exterior and the grand staircase, with interior work scheduled to begin in August and occupancy targeted for January 2026.

Washington said TEDC is the developer; KKT Architects is the design team and NAPOLTS is handling construction management. Shaw said Beantown is overseeing day-to-day construction coordination. The partners described unexpected conditions revealed during work: a second basement addition, nine feet of water in the basement that had to be removed, and other hidden conditions that required a phased bidding approach.

The building will host multiple partners. Black Tech Street will run an AI lab on-site in partnership with Microsoft; Washington said Black Tech Street received about $10.5 million from a $51 million Tech Hubs award led by Tulsa Innovation Lab. Microsoft will occupy much of the top floor under terms that require a secured, restricted workspace, Washington said. The site also will include a drive-through coffee shop, small-business resource partners and space for classes and workshops.

Construction work described by Shaw includes rebuilding the front stair, installing a new tower that contains the elevator and emergency egress, masonry repairs on exterior arches and window replacement. "The elevator is actually our critical path," Shaw said, adding that steel deliveries and shaft work are scheduled to begin imminently. The team expects to enclose the building and bring utilities on site so interior finishes can proceed by June.

Project budget and remaining funding: Washington said the current projected total is about $9.4 million, up from an earlier estimate of about $8.3 million that did not include furniture, fixtures and equipment. She said a newly leased triangle parcel west of the building will be converted to parking under a $1-per-year lease from the city but that building a parking lot and related street work has added roughly $540,000 in costs. Washington said the project is roughly $1 million over budget overall; without the added parking work the overrun would be about $560,000. She said TEDC has asked Partner Tulsa and the mayor's office to help close the gap.

Washington and Shaw described ongoing coordination with city and legal staff on vacating the adjacent dead-end street and on public utilities serving the new lot; Shaw said those matters are in lawyers' hands and will affect the timing of completing the parking work. They also noted Tulsa County provided TEDC $1 million in ARPA funds to support the project.

The partners stressed the project's community focus. Washington called the site a continuation of local history, recounting the building's origins as a makeshift hospital in 1921 and the later 1932 Moton Hospital structure. She said the hub will deliver business-assistance services to entrepreneurs across the city, with programming sized for small classes of about 10 to 15 participants.

Shaw and Washington answered commissioners' questions about parking, access and durability of modular elements. Washington said some floor plans remain subject to change at Microsoft's request, and she cautioned that additional donor or partner support may be needed to close the remaining funding gap.

The redevelopment effort began in early 2023, Washington said, and the project has been carried out in multiple construction phases to allow work to start before a single guaranteed maximum price was set. Project partners said the phased approach was necessary because the building revealed unknown conditions only after work began.

If the city and partner agencies finalize the street vacation and parking-lot work, the team said it expects to complete exterior work this year, begin interior finishes by June and reach occupancy in January 2026. The presenters did not request formal action from the authority during the update.