BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — Sold artifacts, a bevy of lawsuits, and empty halls.
The defining qualities of the Price Tower’s last few months.
- FOLLOWING THE STORY >>> 2 News Oklahoma's Brodie Myers covered another legal case involving the tower
“I think if there was an investor, and I think if it was handed back to the city that could properly maintain it – you put the proper people in place, that could maintain it, it could be done,” longtime Bartlesville resident Allison Pruett said.
That investor could have been John Snyder, owner of Tulsa's Mayo Hotel, but the artifacts drove a wedge into the sale.
Both sides, the current owners and Snyder, could not come to an agreement.
2 News contacted attorneys for both parties, but neither responded. Recent court filings tell most of the story.
Attorneys representing the Blanchard family, the tower’s current owner, said negotiations started in early May 2024.
Neither side could agree to contract language involving the artifacts.
In an email sent to Blanchard's attorney, Snyder listed the artifacts sold.
He said his team was calculating the risk cost of the missing artifacts, planning to escrow an amount to be paid upon the artifacts return. Negotiations then fizzled.
“It’s really nice, it’s beautiful. It’s a piece of history that not a lot of people know about, the artist behind it is incredible,” Bartlesville resident Olivia Allan told 2 News.
Now it's Oklahomans making history in their efforts to preserve history.
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