Picturesque Milwaukee owner talks about preserving historic windows and doors
Norbert Rodriguez is the owner of Quaint Milwaukee, a Milwaukee-based company that specializes in the restoration, rather than replacement, of historic windows and doors.
Given the uncertain future of the Price Tower, a Tulsa-based family of entrepreneurs known for restoring historic buildings confirmed their interest in purchasing Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic structure in Bartlesville.
On June 6, 2024, Macy Snyder-Amatucci registered Price Tower Hotel and Residence LLC with the Oklahoma Secretary of State, but she stated that she was bound by a confidentiality agreement and could not provide any further information about her negotiations with the owners of Price Tower or her newly formed company.
“The Price Tower is worth saving and it should be saved,” she said.
Snyder-Amatucci, along with her father, John Snyder, led the restoration of the Mayo Hotel – a once-glamorous Art Deco landmark that fell into disrepair after the collapse of Tulsa’s oil economy. She stresses the importance of preserving historic buildings and says her company specializes in restoring historic buildings and making them sustainable.
“We love what we do and we love the Mayo,” she said. “When you tear something down and rebuild from scratch, you lose the history and the beauty.”
In March 2023, Copper Tree Inc. purchased the 19-story, 221-foot-tall Price Towerbuilt in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, by a local nonprofit for $10, the tower’s debt and the promise to develop the property. The new owners brought with them a bold plan to transform the tower into a so-called “Silicon Ranch,” consisting of a $10 million capital injection, NFTs, modernization and licensing agreements withHe hopes to preserve and manage the building.
After more than a year and a half under the new owners, many of the plans have not been realized. In addition, Copper Tree decided to sell museum pieces to keep the tower afloat and now faces closure on September 1st.
Snyder-Amatucci said she was aware of the recent publicity surrounding Price Tower but declined to comment further on the matter.
Cynthia Blanchard, owner of Copper Tree Inc., has consistently ignored multiple requests for comment on the Examiner-Enterprise’s reporting over the past four months. However, Blanchard recently told a Tulsa news station that the tower is officially for sale and she plans to make the process transparent to the public.
Blanchard also said she has received several private offers in the past, but none of them were successful. Blanchard did not say who those buyers were, nor whether Snyder-Amatucci made any of those offers.
