Initially discussed in 1996 as part of the Interstate 40 crosstown relocation, the would-be boulevard could take shape as a landscaped, four-lane, tree-lined gateway into and out of the downtown area, if city officials have their way. Oklahoma City Council recommended to ODOT — the agency responsible for the project — a boulevard option that […]
downtown
Posted inNews
Unfortunately, it’s all too conventional
In preparing the MAPS 3 campaign, those who advocated for intensive convention center expansion had two significant problems. First, polling showed overwhelming opposition of 75 to 80 percent. Second, the preposterous conclusion of a 2008 Convention, Sports and Leisure (CS&L) study (never released to the public) was that to triple our existing convention busi ness, […]
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Bricktown living
Credit: Mark Hancock The $70 million development, located along Sheridan Avenue between Russell M. Perry Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard, will encompass quality and affordable housing, retail stores and a four-story private parking garage. Because the developers received $5 million in federal stimulus money, they have promised monthly rent for 39 of the 250 apartments will […]
Posted inNews
Weighing what’s important downtown
Credit: Brad Gregg Instead, the council wants to see the results of an ongoing market study to show if OKC even needs a hotel for the convention center, which will be funded through the MAPS 3 sales tax. The hotel is an independent project with no financing at this point. The hotel market analysis is […]
Posted inMusic
Howard stern
OKC Downtown Airpark rendering He made a name for himself as a photographer for the likes of The Allman Brothers Band and Delaney & Bonnie. When the management of the latter refused to pay him, they instead offered him the opportunity to promote a concert for New Riders of the Purple Sage. Pollack accepted and, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
dead again
Computer ChessJust in case there was any doubt that fashions and haircuts of the early 1980s were mighty ugly, the time capsule Computer Chess is a solid reminder. Writer-director Andrew Bujalski, in his use of antiquated cameras and technology that could make a TRS-80 look cutting-edge, evokes the period in gloriously fuzzy black and white. […]
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Quiet, please
City planners, property owners and business leaders in the area have been working on the project, commonly known as the “Quiet Zone,” since 2009. Discussion surrounding it has been ongoing for the last decade, noted City Manager Jim Couch. Four years ago, Oklahoma City Council approved a measure calling for a quiet zone east and […]
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Lofty goal
Carnegie Centre Credit: Mark Hancock Many years later, Hatfield is working to redevelop the old downtown Oklahoma City library, which was abandoned in favor of a newer model in 2004. Her project, which began five years ago, aims to transform the 59-year-old library into the Carnegie Centre, a collection of 19 upscale residential lofts. Oklahoma […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Land’ ho!
Rick Sinnett Photo: Shannon Cornman Unless you’re up close and in person with Sinnett, you won’t see the globs of light blue paint in his hair and flecks covering his clothes and sunglasses, but you will see that same color covering the exterior of the onetime grain silo at 200 S.E. Fourth. Aqua is the […]
Posted inNews
Streetcar vs. bus
The streetcar system in Portland, Ore., is among those being used as a model for OKC. An outspoken critic of the modern streetcar project, the Ward 2 councilman claims voters were misled about that part of the MAPS 3 plan. Shadid, a supporter of the Metro Transit bus system, has repeatedly called for more funding […]