Project 180: Civic Center public square

One of the many things moving forward at a quick pace with Project 180 is the planning of a new public square where Bicentennial Park currently is. For the in-depth info and quotes on all that check out the recent article in the Oklahoman and here on Steve Lackmeyer's blog. He says that this image doesn't really do it justice:



Which is interesting, because the image means a lot more to me than the aerial which doesn't necessarily project how it will feel from the human-scale. Granted, it doesn't show the full picture which the aerial certainly does. But what's interesting is that I didn't even notice that the spherical water feature at the front of the steps to the Civic Center was separated from the elongated pool that makes up the majority of the new park. I actually like how you can walk around it and how it accentuates the focal point for the park, which is the steps of the Civic Center. It is also interesting how they're moving the vertical signage to the corners of the building. In the human scale image, it also almost appears as if the ground slopes downward toward the water features. Is this the case? I also presume they have decided to move the planned Compass Rose statue to the street corner just NW of the City Hall steps on Walker Ave. They will be moving the other public art and plaques currently in Bicentennial Park to other spots in the city.

Here is the aerial overview:


What's really interesting is that they're doing all of this for only $3.5 million, but I don't know if that includes the fundraising they alluded to or not. This space is definitely being cost-efficiently revamped..which also leads one to wonder what more could have been included in Project 180 total. I do really wish though that they would do more to reinforce Walker Ave. Like, include some hedges along it, or some benches, or something to delineate the important street cutting through the area. Speaking of Walker, I noticed that they showed cars going one-way..in the opposite direction that it currently flows. I thought they were going to make it two-way, or are they just going to reverse the one-way direction it flows in??

Ultimately, as far as this new park scheme making a difference downtown, what is going to have the biggest effect on the environment is developing the vacant lots fronting Bicentennial Park. Having those surface lots along the edge create a lot of poorly defined space that's going to be difficult to make urban regardless of how much you invest into the park's design schemes.

One interesting point:








Consider the spherical water fountain in front of the elongated water feature, and the image on the right which was a part of their study session where they examined other water features they liked in similar public squares. And then check out the image on the left of that, which are lit water spouts (that dance and change colors) on the "New U" on the University of Tulsa's campus. That would be kind of cool to bring downtown, if that's similar to what we see here.

Cityshot XLIX

Now that's a view.

The view from the Civic Center Music Hall steps

When I was in town recently for various things, including attending the transit forum--I was walking out the Civic Center Music Hall and onto the steps in front of it and I was just blown away by the setting that surrounds the Civic Center. Here's an idea: Why don't we focus more on the Civic Center/City Hall area and build downtown around that environment? Sure, it has its challenges..Sycamore Square isn't exactly dazzling high design, and the County Jail looms in the distance--but this is arguably one of downtown's most special environments.

Nowhere else are you surrounded by a plethora of mid-rise buildings in a walkable environment, where you are surrounded by arts. The Arts Festival, Myriad Gardens, concerts at the Civic Center, important art exhibits at the OKCMOA, jazz from the OKCMOA roof, etc etc. As OKC tries to cast a name for itself with increased attention from the Playoffs, and as the national media is currently in love with OKC--let's market THIS area of downtown more! Let's also build and orient more of our downtown toward this bright area.

Here are some pictures I took, equipped only with my phone:





This sculpture that is coming to the lawn known as Bicentennial Park between City Hall and the Civic Center is a start. I haven't yet considered whether that area NEEDS such a large piece of public art as this, as opposed to the OTHER side of City Hall facing Couch Drive, but public art is almost never a bad thing. I'll say that.

The art piece, entitled "Compass Rose" is a $350,000 donation from the Inasmuch Foundation, and comes at no cost at all to the city. Even better!

A Night on the Town

Went to see The Producers at the Civic Center Music Hall tonight and had a blast. The Lyric's production was very good. I was pleasantly surprised what a cosmopolitan outing one could make any day of the week in Downtown. Dinner was at The Wedge, a new pizzeria that's been open for a few months on the edge of Deep Deuce, which has live music on the evenings.

At Intermission of the play we got drinks and walked out to the plaza in front of the Civic Center that faces the Downtown Skyline and I felt immersed by the city (and the smell of cigars and smokes right outside the door). It was the kind of warm, sultry, humid summer night that you just take in the sights and sounds. I could hear the great live jazz music carrying over from the rooftop of the art museum, the reflection of the skyline peering over lit-up City Hall, and the illuminated outline of the historic mid-rise rooftops of the Arts District. Not to mention my date wasn't bad herself.

It dawned on me that the Civic Center is always showing something, whether it's Ballet Oklahoma, the OKC Philharmonic, Lyric theater productions, traveling Broadway productions, or whatever else. The art museum has its Cocktails on the Skyline every Thursday evening except in Winter. Each night, you see carriages being pulled by Budweiser horses down Bricktown streets. You see people enjoying the Canal, and restaurants buzzing, most of them with their own live music. There are a half-dozen key nodes of activity that have truly turned Downtown OKC into the live/work/play community we've envisioned.

No need for congratulations this early on, but I just wanted to point out that everything we've been working towards has not gone for nothing. OKC has made a ton of progress, and it really is a very nice city that just has a lot of ways to keep going in order to it to fully meet its enormous potential. I'm going to keep advocating for OKC to keep progressing, but at the same time, I'm going to enjoy as much of OKC as I can before I have to go to my new home away from home.

P.S. Anyone reading this, go get yourself some tickets to see The Producers. It's worth it, and the Lyric is only doing it for one week. If you have a student I.D. the tickets are only $15 for best-available if you show up at 7.30. I ended up sitting in the side-box closest to the stage.. incredible seats, that normally go for $75 each.