Boondoggle capital

In Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, cowboy Will Parker returns home and gathers everybody around to tell about the wonders of the “modern world” in the show tune “Kansas City,” singing that, “They went and built a skyscraper seven stories high / About as high as a buildin’ orta grow.” The Territory times are long gone. Nowadays, Oklahoma City is being made fit to lead the modern world through the proposal of Legends Tower. Standing at 1907 feet in reference to Oklahoma’s statehood, the building would crown the accompanying Boardwalk at Bricktown in what California-based architecture firm AO calls “a catalyst for urban evolution.” Joined by the American Heartland Theme Park in Vinita, these recent mega projects suggest there could be much more on the Oklahoma horizon — if they can manage to make it off the ground. Oklahoma City is no stranger to change. Through a penny tax, the 1990s Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) program transfigured Oklahoma City’s downtown and Bricktown area into the OKC we know today, with projects such as Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, Bricktown Canal and Paycom Center. Yet never in the city’s wildest dreams was the lofty proposal of the tallest skyscraper in the United States. Originally proposed at 1750 feet tall, Legends would have only been second to the 1776-foot-tall One World Trade Center Freedom Tower in New York. Of course, Oklahoma’s own Tower of Babel would be dwarfed by the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, standing at 2717 feet tall. At the same time, Legends’ 1907 feet would still make it over twice the size of the Devon Tower, which stands at 844 feet tall and utterly transformed the Oklahoma City skyline back in 2012. Not only towering over the Devon, the Legends would stand tall (all 134 stories) over the proposed Boardwalk at Bricktown. Described by AO as “an exciting architectural tapestry of modern design,” this proposed mixed-use development accompanying the tower boasts nearly 5 million square feet of luxury residences, a Hyatt hotel, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, etc., along with a lagoon and three other towers: Dream, Emerald and Ruby. Surprisingly, there has been no major opposition to Oklahoma’s own boardwalk empire, which has already secured over a billion dollars in financing. Back in June 2024, the Oklahoma City Council actually supported the development by clearing former height restrictions.

For a change of scene, in the northeast corner of the state lies Vinita. Called the “Crossroads to Green Country,” the town sits right between Tulsa and Joplin, Missouri, along Interstate 44 with a population list over 5,000. Thus, nowhere could be called a better home to the American Heartland Theme Park & Resort, a more than $2.5 billion entertainment complex that calls itself “the heart and soul of family entertainment.” After all, its 1000 acres would boast a 125-acre theme park “the size of Disney’s Magic Kingdom Theme Park and Disneyland Park” that would feature “Americana-themed environment with a variety of entertaining rides, live shows, family attractions, waterways.”

Describing itself on American Heartland’s website as “on the verge of becoming the most powerful entity in family entertainment,” Mansion Entertainment Group sees the park as offering “a unique visitor experience rivaling the world’s top resort destinations.” The park “is expected to attract more than 4.9 million guests per year,” and while it may not possess the powerful IPs of other theme parks such as Disney or Universal Studios, it does have six themed areas: Liberty Village, Great Plains, Bayou Bay, Big Timber Falls, Stony Point Harbor and Electropolis. Preceding the theme park, however, is Three Ponies RV Park & Campground. As “the largest RV Park and campground in the region,” the sprawling campground would ambitiously feature “750 spaces and 300 cabins, a dinner theatre, amphitheater, swimming, clubhouse and more.” “Would” being the key word, as continuous delays have plagued the project since its groundbreaking in late October 2023, with construction halting less than a year later in September 2024. While developers say that work on the park will continue, the original openings for Three Ponies in Spring 2025 and for the park in fall 2026 have been delayed with no realistic date in sight.

Recreation renaissance

While such major projects may not see the light of day for years to come, if ever, the wind of change has already come “sweepin’ down the plain.” In what may just become a renaissance of rest and recreation, the Oklahoma City metro has already entered a new stage of development. With the opening of the brand-new OKANA Resort & Indoor Waterpark right along the Oklahoma River and the OAK OKC development down the road from Penn Square Mall, luxuries once reserved for the likes of Dallas have now come to OKC. Furthermore, two recent approvals seek to transform Oklahoma’s pride and joy: sports. In Oklahoma City, a $900 million arena has been approved to replace Paycom Center, which has served the city since 2002. Before the Oklahoma City Thunder came in 2008, it was home to the Oklahoma City Blazers (CHL), Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (AF2) and the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (NBA). Another historic sports landmark will also be changing in Norman, with the 49-year-old Lloyd Noble Center at the University of Oklahoma (OU) being replaced by a new arena within the $1.2 billion Rock Creek Entertainment District recently approved by Norman City Council. Along with hosting OU basketball and gymnastics at the arena, the district will also offer shopping, restaurants, offices, a hotel and housing options.

Of course, the ultimate question is simply, “Why?” Why billions of dollars in sports arenas, an amusement park and the country’s largest skyscraper? Shouldn’t the state be focusing on more pressing matters? After all, who has the money to afford such frivolities, much less luxuries in the state that ranks sixth poorest in the nation? Yet even if the projects don’t come to fruition, the silver lining is that such developments may indicate the state’s potential desirability to outside investors. Although Oklahoma has struggled to bring in big businesses due to controversial state government policies that would effect employees despite various tax breaks, perhaps the state’s improvement in quality of life lies in those who are willing to help bring it to us. While we may no longer be in the oil and gas boom of yesteryear that made Chesapeake and Devon the titans of industry, individual investors willing to help revitalize our state’s struggling economy may prove to be a blessing in disguise. As much of a folly as the nation’s largest tower and a Disney-sized amusement park might seem, such opportunities would bring in tourism and employment while showing that Oklahoma is worth investing in after all. While these proposed projects may not address the deeply rooted socio-political struggles of the state, they may prove to offer more than just flights of fancy and a playground of welcome distraction. After all, what may seem at face value like ridiculous vanity projects and pipe dreams actually reveals a much more important hope that we all want to hear: “You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma!”

This article appears in Alcoholmanac 2025.