# OKCpedia > OKC in 1969 >  NW 63rd & May

## Pete

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Same area in October 2011:

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## barrettd

I didn't see numbers on the 1969 map, but I have a little bit of info on a few buildings that you may or may not want to add.
On Mosteller Dr, on the Northeast side of the drive leading to Founders Tower is the old Ackerman building, which housed Ackerman Associates, which eventually grew into Ackerman McQueen. On the other side of Mosteller is the Continental movie theatre.

I also recently was given some photographs my dad took when he was a copywriter at Ackerman showing some of the surrounding area. If there is any interest in seeing those, I'd be glad to share them.

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## RadicalModerate

What is that odd looking area just to the left of Founders Tower in the old photo?  Is it an old Drive-In theater?

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## Martin

it's definitely a drive-in theater... don't know the name though. -M

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## ljbab728

> it's definitely a drive-in theater... don't know the name though. -M


That was the NW Highway Drive-In which closed in 1979.  The Marriott is there now.

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## barrettd

Posted some pics here: Founders Tower area pics from late 60s
if anyone is interested.

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## kevinpate

> What is that odd looking area just to the left of Founders Tower in the old photo?  Is it an old Drive-In theater?


Never one I went to, not being in central OK much at all before '86, but yeah, that's a drive-in footprint if ever there was one.

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## barrettd

> That was the NW Highway Drive-In which closed in 1979.  The Marriott is there now.


I remember being in the back of the station wagon driving south down may at night and being able to see the movie on the screen from just north of the NWX bridge on may.

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## rezman

In the 1969 photo, at the corner of NW 63rd and Villa, is a large vacant looking lot on the southwest corner. That is a cemetary that was moved to make way for the development of the apartments that you see in the 2011 photo. I remembering riding by there with my dad and seeing the crews removing coffins from the from the ground.

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## purpledice42

I can see my grandpa's barber shop I spent plenty of time in.........*wistful*

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## ddavidson8

So French Market Mall hadn't even been built yet. Which means it ended up only being abou 25 years old when torn down.

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## rezman

French Market Mall was never torn down, but it was remodeled.

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## Dennis Heaton

> French Market Mall was never torn down, but it was remodeled.


Oh, THAT's the French Market Mall? All these years I was looking for French Burlesque Dancers, Outdoor Cafe's, and Bastille Day Celebrations.

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## Filthy

If I recall, there use to be a Service Merchandise right about 59th and May. (Where the Best Buy/Home Depot is now. (Same parking lot..but a little closer to May)

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## rezman

> If I recall, there use to be a Service Merchandise right about 59th and May. (Where the Best Buy/Home Depot is now. (Same parking lot..but a little closer to May)


Yep,... where the old Founders Fair used to be.

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## Larry OKC

> French Market Mall was never torn down, but it was remodeled.


This. The enclosed part of the mall was pretty much gutted removing any resemblance to a New Orleans/French Market (except for the escalators and the railing around them) and Burlington relocated from across the street (where Big Lots is now). Think Burlington also took over the space to the North where a shoe store was. There used to be a Venture and Furrs in the strip mall part of it, along with an IGA(?) grocery that has since been divided up into smaller shops (including Dollar Tree).

Was surprised to see that the current Sprouts (former Sunflower) building was already there in 69. Think I read somewhere that it was originally a Safeway and at some point was a CompUSA.

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## zookeeper

> This. The enclosed part of the mall was pretty much gutted removing any resemblance to a New Orleans/French Market (except for the escalators and the railing around them) and Burlington relocated from across the street (where Big Lots is now). Think Burlington also took over the space to the North where a shoe store was. There used to be a Venture and Furrs in the strip mall part of it, along with an IGA(?) grocery that has since been divided up into smaller shops (including Dollar Tree).
> 
> Was surprised to see that the current Sprouts (former Sunflower) building was already there in 69. Think I read somewhere that it was originally a Safeway and at some point was a CompUSA.


I think that's a whole new building at the NE corner of 63rd and May. Just the same shape. Unless, they utilized the same shell and bricked the whole thing, but I don't think so.

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## Bullbear

In the old pic.. what is that next to United founders tower ? where the "tower Hotel" former Marriott is now?
looks like a drive in?

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## Jim Kyle

It was a Safeway back in 1992; after that closed, CompUSA took it over for a long time. Considerable remodelling took place around the time that the Safeway closed, with the attached strip mall to the south where AutoZone is now located being completely rebuilt at that time, and the one on the north side of the parking lot being gutted and done over. In those days there was a Neptune's in that north strip mall that was one of my favorite lunch locations (I was working on Country Club Drive just a mile or so to the north). However to the best of my recollection, the main store was NOT gutted at any time during these changes, although internal partitions were changed quite a bit.

The old Safeway even had a branch postoffice location in it, which was where our little startup company maintained its PO Box and got our mail!

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## zookeeper

Thanks, Jim. Cleared that up! It's amazing how new it still looks.

Bullbear, that was Northwest HiWay Drive-In Theatre.

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## Bullbear

Awesome!.. I was not aware it even existed.. going to have to visit with my Mom about that.

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## Larry OKC

> I think that's a whole new building at the *NE corner of 63rd and May*. Just the same shape. Unless, they utilized the same shell and bricked the whole thing, but I don't think so.


They utilized the shell...again, keeping the escalators and the wrought iron railings around them on the 2nd floor.

*On edit:* after reading the posts following, while quoting me, I noticed you mentioned NE (French Market is the SE)???

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## zookeeper

> They utilized the shell...again, keeping the escalators and the wrought iron railings around them on the 2nd floor.
> 
> *On edit:* after reading the posts following, while quoting me, I noticed you mentioned NE (French Market is the SE)???


Hi Larry, I quoted you because you brought up the building on the NE corner in your last paragraph. Yes, French Market is on the SE corner.

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## mkjeeves

I remember looking out over the drive-in when I had lunch at the rotating restaurant in Founders with my grandmother sometime around when that photo was taken or a few years earlier.

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## mkjeeves

> I didn't see numbers on the 1969 map, but I have a little bit of info on a few buildings that you may or may not want to add.
> On Mosteller Dr, on the Northeast side of the drive leading to Founders Tower is the old Ackerman building, which housed Ackerman Associates, which eventually grew into Ackerman McQueen. On the other side of Mosteller is the Continental movie theatre.
> 
> I also recently was given some photographs my dad took when he was a copywriter at Ackerman showing some of the surrounding area. If there is any interest in seeing those, I'd be glad to share them.


The Ackerman McQueen building was gutted and renovated into what now is the Comfort Inn. The original hotel developer went broke in the process and it sold at a sheriff's sale.

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## Larry OKC

> Hi Larry, I quoted you because you brought up the building on the NE corner in your last paragraph. Yes, French Market is on the SE corner.


So I did...my apologies...I confused myself

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## MagzOK

Construction fences are up around the property at the NW corner of 63rd and May, the old Payless building.

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## barrettd

Do we know what's going into that spot?

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## shawnw

WAS going to be Stella Nova but they bailed I thought, unless they changed their minds

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## Pete

Stella Nova indeed bailed.

This will be a medical marijuana dispensary.

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## shawnw

just what we needed!

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## jmpokc1957

Talking  about 63rd and May kind of jogged my memory about something. We're talking 1967/68 era. I remember there was a slot car track somewhere north of the intersection. Up near where the theater was. I remember that as kids we would take our cars and Cox controllers and go up there. I think I spent most of my time putting my car back on the track after it jumped out of the slot. Anybody remember anything like that?

Snowing up here in NE Oregon.

Mike

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