A popular coworking space in Tulsa will soon be moving locations following an expensive construction project.
36 Degrees North announced late September a name change and the rehabilitation of a downtown building for its coworking and entrepreneurship services.
The non-profit will now be called “Gradient” and consolidate its existing three locations into one space along Cheyenne Avenue.
“Financially, it made a lot of sense,” said 36 Degrees North CEO Devon Laney. “We loved the location. It was in—I don’t want to say a disregarded part of downtown, but certainly in a part of downtown that maybe had been overlooked for a while.”
“We thought that it could become a catalyst for development of the area around it,” Laney said.
Laney says the project will cost around $40 million. It will be supported by tax credits, loans and private donations.
City officials made a big push to attract remote workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Tulsa Remote program bringing many young people in.
Laney said programs like that and more have made Tulsa very business-friendly.
“I think there’s been a significant increase in the last five years in how Tulsa is both perceived nationally but also in the activity that backs that up,” he said.
The new downtown coworking hub is set to open in January 2025.
Last year, Tulsa was named a “Tech Hub” by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which city leaders hope will attract tech ventures.
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Edited by Michael Marcotte.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
