City Of Broken Arrow Wins Bid To Buy Grain Elevator Downtown

The City of Broken Arrow learned on Monday that it won a bid to buy the grain elevator that has been in its downtown for more than 60 years.

The city bid a quarter of a million dollars in an online auction to get the elevator, and the city council will have to approve it at its May meeting.

The city manager says the city wants to preserve it and use it to expand the Rose District's farmer's market. However, first, the city still needs to buy the property the elevator is on because it's owned by the railroad.

The grain elevator in Broken Arrow's downtown was built in 1962 to store wheat, soybeans, and grain.

Now, it's become a cherished sight for many.

"It’s a landmark of downtown Broken Arrow. It’s like the history of Broken Arrow, cause it's part of the town," Cynthia Schuller said.

Schuller moved to Broken Arrow in 1979, and she says the only Broken Arrow she knows is one with a grain elevator. She came to take pictures with it because she heard it was going to be torn down. News on 6 told her the city bought it, and now she has some ideas for it.

"Maybe add something to it, greenery, landscaping or something. It’s kind of just a mill and all this gravel. It needs something," said Schuller.

Michael Spurgeon is Broken Arrow's City manager. He agrees with Cynthia and says the city has even bigger plans.

"Possibly some additional parking or an expansion of the vendors that come every Saturday from April through October plus there may be some opportunities for aesthetics, landscaping, beautification in the area outside of the Rose District Plaza," Spurgeon said.

Spurgeon says the City is now trying to buy or lease the property where the elevator is located.

"We're very comfortable that we'll be able to close on the grain tower in the next few months. I would prefer the sale of the property from the railroad to the city and then we'll have both parts of it," said Spurgeon. 

The elevator used to be owned by Hansen-Mueller, a commodity trading business, and out of the two bidders, chose the City of Broken Arrow,

Spurgeon hopes the city can buy the land from the railroad by the end of the year.

Cynthia says she would like to see the elevator repainted.