Scissortail Park

[ChrisHayes]

I'm on the Skydance Bridge and it's taken a beating from general wear as well as likely vandalism.

[ourulz2000]

I'm on the Skydance Bridge and it's taken a beating from general wear as well as likely vandalism.

This is why we can't have nice things... they can easily put HD surveillance cams on that to stop the vandalism.

[Pete]

Lots and lots going on this photo: Streetcar in the barn, park of course, convention center starting, work on relocating Broadway east of the park, Fairfield Inn construction, OKC Boulevard work, etc.

[Urbanized]

Crane for FNB east building demo...

[Pete]

And crane for HSC new patient tower...

[jedicurt]

that west side of the park is primed for a 10-15 story mix-used building...

[Pete]

[LordGerald]

These pictures really validate the long-term vision of the Core to Shore Study. My late boss, ZDT, would've been proud to serve on that committee. I'm glad that I got to see its fruition during my lifetime. Really neat to see something go from renderings to reality.

[HangryHippo]

What is being built where the crane is near the start of the Skydance bridge?

[Pete]

^

It will be a shade structure:

[BG918]

These pictures really validate the long-term vision of the Core to Shore Study. My late boss, ZDT, would've been proud to serve on that committee. I'm glad that I got to see its fruition during my lifetime. Really neat to see something go from renderings to reality.

Yeah you can really see here how important the Cox and Bob Howard sites are to creating a more dense and vibrant downtown. Those will be the two areas that define OKC for the next couple decades.

[HangryHippo]

^

It will be a shade structure:

Thanks, Pete!

[Richard at Remax]

That BH site needs to have someone with vision construct mid to high rise condos with underground parking. It would be the very few sites in all of the core that would have pretty solid views from ALL sides.

[jonny d]

That BH site needs to have someone with vision construct mid to high rise condos with underground parking. It would be the very few sites in all of the core that would have pretty solid views from ALL sides.

There has to be a reason why very few OKC developments have underground parking. I agree, and given the crappy OKC weather, it would be highly valued.

[cinnamonjock]

I thought underground parking was so rare here because of its expense. Land isn't valued enough to warrant the price

[Pete]

I thought underground parking was so rare here because of its expense. Land isn't valued enough to warrant the price

That's pretty much true.

Even outside the core there are some exceptions like Chesapeake (entire garage below a playfield) and nearby MidFirst which has some executive parking down below it's main HQ Building.

And downtown, there are more buildings with this feature than you might think. Devon Tower, Leadership Square, old Fidelity building, SandRidge, Cox Center, Century Center, Maywood Apartments Phase II... I'm sure there are others.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^
Also depending on elevation the water table can be close to the surface. Maywood Apartments Phase II and Sandridge are higher in elevation than the others mentioned, so they could go pretty deep before hitting the water table. The other ones mentioned are mostly only one story deep, because any further they would be wet. Devon Tower has a multilevel basement but has very expensive pumps that are continuously on call to keep them dry.

For reference, the lake at the Myriad Botanical Gardens is naturally-occuring at that elevation. That is, dig a hole there and it fills up with water. They never have to top off that lake from another water source. Once you go south of MBG you are moving to progressively lower and lower elevation, as it all slopes gradually toward the river. Almost all of downtown lies in the historic river bottom of the North Canadian (Oklahoma) River. The soil gets wet pretty fast, unless you are up a hillside, like in Midtown or Deep Deuce.

[Ross MacLochness]

^^^ there are pumps in the Underground tunnels that constantly run to pump out water from a natural spring inside one of the closets. There was an indecent a while back where oil was seeping through the carpet as well.

[Pete]

I know the water table is an issue in areas of downtown but Leadership Square does have 2 parking levels below.

I suspect they also must employ some type of pump system.

[turnpup]

Lots and lots going on this photo: Streetcar in the barn, park of course, convention center starting, work on relocating Broadway east of the park, Fairfield Inn construction, OKC Boulevard work, etc.

I came across this on the OK Historical Society Gateway. It's a similar perspective to Pete's image, with Union Station at the bottom. Really illustrates how much things have changed in a relatively short time.

[HOT ROD]

in many ways, OKC looks much less desolate in the old pic.

But we can only move forward, and thankfully OKC's best days are ahead of it.

[sroberts24]

Oh please dont post those old pictures, makes me sick to my stomach.

[Pete]

From today:

[OUman]

Great photos. I'm guessing from renderings I've seen in the past the second phase of the park construction will come on the south side of I-40 yes? So the Sky Dance will act as the pedestrian link between both sections?

[Pete]

Great photos. I'm guessing from renderings I've seen in the past the second phase of the park construction will come on the south side of I-40 yes? So the Sky Dance will act as the pedestrian link between both sections?

Yes, exactly right.

They have already demolished some structures for the portion of the park south of I-40 and have acquired all the necessary property.