I went last night also. I only made it through 2 songs because it was too cold for me. The building truly is stunning. I cannot believe I had know idea Union Station even existed until about 15 years ago. I am so glad that it has become a prominent landmark in our community.

Went today spent over an hour in the park walking around and taking it all in. As a citizen I am proud of this park.

From tonight:

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Took my son to go see the lights at the park last Friday night around 7:00. It was pretty impressive! The Union Station has a neat dancing Santa Claus in the top left window. When certain songs come on, the lights around Santa are lit up and you can watch him dance to the music. For my 3-year-old son this was incredibly exciting. We stayed for 4 or 5 songs, just to see Santa a few times. Cool little easter egg for those with small kids.

Unfortunately, the Christmas tree in the great lawn was not lit up. Still, a neat little adventure for the little guy!

Went today spent over an hour in the park walking around and taking it all in. As a citizen I am proud of this park.

Agreed. Much like the Myriad Gardens, once the trees mature, this will be an amazing space. Just give it a few years.

No audio, but you can see santa in this little video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evKrWTEXu4k

City set to acquire, renovate historic Union Station (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=771-City-set-to-acquire-renovate-historic-Union-Stationhttps://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=771-City-set-to-acquire-renovate-historic-Union-Station)

A major hurdle has been cleared toward the goal of renovating Union Station at the south end of Scissortail Park.


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The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA) owns the station after using federal grant funds for the purchase. In order to transfer the title to the city, COTPA requested and recently received authorization from the Federal Transit Administration.

The purchase and renovation will be financed with excess MAPS 3 funds; the budget is $17.2 million.

MAPS Program Director David Todd told OKCTalk that the city hopes to complete the purchase by the end of the month.

A 2020 presentation by GSB, an architectural firm based in Oklahoma City, showed the former railroad station converted into an event space and to include a cafe, gift shop and history center among other proposed uses.

However, the total cost was estimated at $29 million, and thus Todd said the city will make soon decide on how best to maximize the current budget so the structure can be reopened to the public. A phased approach will be used for any remaining work with funding yet to be identified.


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Union Station opened in 1930 and was once a bustling passenger railway station but has been virtually unused for decades, apart from serving as offices for COTPA. As part of the deal with the city, COTPA will remain as a tenant for the next six months.

Under the GSB plan, the former main passenger waiting room and its soaring, coffered ceilings would be converted into a multipurpose room and used for a variety of events. Most of the original structure and design elements are still intact, including beautiful terrazzo floors throughout much of the space.


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The rear dock area was once used for mail delivery and is envisioned as another multipurpose hall.


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The station is a prominent feature in Scissortail Park and the plan is to use extensive landscaping to create outdoor spaces and blend with the surrounding park.


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The lower section of Scissortail Park is well under construction and will link downtown to the Oklahoma River once complete late this summer.


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Looks like a cool project, but there doesn't appear to be enough parking. Roughly 50 spots? That would only be enough for a small event when you include parking for the service staff.

There's a thousand spot parking garage two blocks away. It would be ridiculous to try to add parking here for this. No one should reasonably expect to park front door en masse at an urban park.

There is also a big surface lot just south of the convention center, which is very close by.

Union Station is also a walk through the park to a streetcar stop that provides access to thousands of parking spots. Heck, maybe people could even get there without a car. ;)

There's a thousand spot parking garage two blocks away. It would be ridiculous to try to add parking here for this. No one should reasonably expect to park front door en masse at an urban park.

No high end event is going to make their guests/donors walk 2 blocks in Oklahoma. In a bigger city your argument would be valid. Valet parking would also be very slow if they have to park 2 blocks away

Lol. Literally laughing at the argument that there isn't enough spots. There's tons of parking, even the whole park is surrounded by parking spots. You can park by the convention center and walk through a beautiful park. People need to stop worshipping their cars. And there's no difference in our city vs a big city, especially since that entire area is clean, safe, and well lite. This argument of " there won't be enough parking" is like creating something out of nothing. You are surrounded by parking....

I wonder if the city could have taken the extra funds and completed the lower sissortail park instead. Then I am sure COPTA could have rented the existing place to the private sector for them to upgrade and rent out for parties.

I am sure there was a good reason this approach was not chosen. I will laugh if someone says no private firm would rent it out if it didnt have parking.

I just think the private sector would have had a chance to come up with something more interesting.

Kind of off-topic, sorry, but are there currently any plans for that little bit of land south of the convention center parking lot (SE corner of 7th and Robinson)? I know it's been used as construction staging/parking, but am curious if there's been any long term plans made known.

Kind of off-topic, sorry, but are there currently any plans for that little bit of land south of the convention center parking lot (SE corner of 7th and Robinson)? I know it's been used as construction staging/parking, but am curious if there's been any long term plans made known.

No plans as of yet.

The long-term plans for the surface lot are for convention center expansion, so the lot you're asking about may then be surface parking.

I am curious to see if Tom Elmore has gone on one of his rants on the facebook comments.

Is there any chance for some sort of noise mitigation being put in along the this stretch of I-40 as projects like this and the park continue to grow? Be it sound barriers, quiet asphalt, or even covering the highway?

Is there any chance for some sort of noise mitigation being put in along the this stretch of I-40 as projects like this and the park continue to grow? Be it sound barriers, quiet asphalt, or even covering the highway?

Very little money is invested in highway noise mitigation in Oklahoma.

I can personally attest, as I live several blocks from I-44 and at times the noise is very loud and it carries a long way in every direction.

Considering this section of I-40 is almost new, I wouldn't expect any further investment any time soon. And yes, the freeway is loud in parts of Scissortail Park.

I am curious to see if Tom Elmore has gone on one of his rants on the facebook comments.

I mean, the man does have a point - Location aside, the platforms and everything that used to exist at Union Station would have been better than Santa Fe Station in most respects for building a commuter rail/light rail system around, and would have been perfect for the long-proposed passenger train to Tulsa. With the park and everything, it could have been our version of Chicago's Millennium Station.

That said, that train has long since left the station.

However unlikely it may be, I admit I do remain hopeful that someday there might be some role for this grand station to play in a light/commuter/passenger rail future - especially considering the City will have ownership of the property. In the meantime, I absolutely support the current effort to activate the space and ensure - even if not in a transportation role - that this gorgeous building can still continue to have a purpose and serve the needs of the public.

From OKC FP:


The plan approved by City Council on Tuesday will fold the hoped for, and now planned, renovation of the space for public and private use will be folded into the MAPS 3 funding and management plan. This will allow MAPS staff to administer the renovation of the space more easily, as well as open funding from extra collections from the MAPS 3 sales tax.

The building will include multi-use spaces for community and private events, in addition to historical interpretive experiences.

The budget for the project is $17.2 million. It was approved as part of the Council’s consent docket, which passed unanimously.

- read more here: https://freepressokc.com/okc-city-council-oks-clara-luper-center-plan-union-station-reno/

^

That's great news.

Union Station is a bit like First National Center: amazing architecture inside and out and almost completely intact, just waiting for a quality renovation. And a place that will knock the socks off many because so few have ever been in it.

Even in its present state, the first time I went in about 10 years ago I was blown away and excited about what it could become.

Here's a quick summary of how things are going to move forward.

The original renovation plan and design have not changed. But now they plan to implement a phased approach, with the first image showing the work they have budgeted under excess MAPS 3 funds. The second image shows the full renovation which will have to come later as revenue is generated by the first phase completion and future funding becomes available.

This seems to be a great way to get the building renovated, open and in use instead of being stuck in limbo indefinitely due to the entire project being so expensive there is no way to make progress.

This building is an absolute treasure and I'll be thrilled when it's open to the public once again, even if that means a lot will still remain to be done.


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Kinda bummed about that timeline I was hoping for a possible late 2023 or 2024 opening but given your comparison to the First National it must be a complicated project that needs to be carefully done.

The MAPS 3 board (yes, this project is a part of 3, not 4) is set to award design fees to GSB architects so the final design work can commence.

As per the timeline I posted above, the final plans should be ready in the spring with construction starting next fall.

Incredibly excited to see this building come back to life; people are going to be amazed when they see the inside.

Renovation of Union Station set to go forward (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=993-Renovation-of-Union-Station-set-to-go-forward)

The City of OKC has filed a building permit to finally start work on the renovation of the historic Union Station at the south end of Scissortail Park.


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The building served as a passenger train station for the Rock Island and Frisco lines from 1931 to 1967. Since rail service ceased, it has sat largely idle.

The exterior of the station has been well maintained and preserved, while the grand and ornate former passenger waiting rooms have been cluttered with cubicles and offices.

Now, using excess funds from MAPS 3, $17 million has been budgeted to refresh the original interior spaces and create an event center and offices.

Plans for the first phase show the two former waiting rooms – the largest being 5,000 square feet and able to accommodate hundreds – being converted to flexible event areas with supporting kitchens and bars.

Future work would include renovating the rear docks into more event space. What had originally been used for U.S. Mail services is now being utilized by Scissortail Park for storage and maintenance items.

Effectively, the north half of the station will be completely renovated with the current funds with the remainder to be performed at a later date.

Construction should start in March of next year and be completed in about a year.



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Yay!

Happy to see this is starting soon. its our number one pic for possible wedding. fingers crossed

Happy to see this is starting soon. its our number one pic for possible wedding. fingers crossed

Best wishes!

I'm planning my 50-year high school class reunion; not for five more years but already compiling a venues list.

Union Station is going on it and hopefully I can add the Dream Hotel and some others before that date comes.

Best wishes!

I'm planning my 50-year high school class reunion; not for five more years but already compiling a venues list.

Union Station is going on it and hopefully I can add the Dream Hotel and some others before that date comes.

Thank you!
first date was at the park so we figured it would be a perfect spot!

Happy to see it getting some love. It will be lovely no matter what but it would be fabulous if the floors in the waiting areas could be left as marble (or whatever material) if they are in good enough condition, rather than being carpeted over.

Happy to see it getting some love. It will be lovely no matter what but it would be fabulous if the floors in the waiting areas could be left as marble (or whatever material) if they are in good enough condition, rather than being carpeted over.

They are the original terrazzo and they look to be in good shape; the structures to the right are merely installed on top of the floors:

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Here are a couple of more I took about 10 years ago:

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Here are a couple of more I took about 10 years ago:

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I am very well aware that the ship has long since sailed... and I do love Santa Fe Station... but man... How absolutely incredible would this place have been if we'd been able to make Union Station the intermodal transit hub instead? It's an absolutely gorgeous building inside and out!

Even though that won't ever happen (unfortunately), I'm exceedingly glad that at least it will be open to the public once again. This place is also on my list for a wedding venue, hopefully, once the renovations are complete.

I am very well aware that the ship has long since sailed... and I do love Santa Fe Station... but man... How absolutely incredible would this place have been if we'd been able to make Union Station the intermodal transit hub instead? It's an absolutely gorgeous building inside and out!

Even though that won't ever happen (unfortunately), I'm exceedingly glad that at least it will be open to the public once again. This place is also on my list for a wedding venue, hopefully, once the renovations are complete.

Congratulations on your engagement.

Building permits have been filed for the renovation.

Can't wait to see work start.

Building permits have been filed for the renovation.

Can't wait to see work start.

Amazing news.

I just reread this entire thread. It is amazing how long this project has taken! There are some fantastic pictures that Pete took when he still lived in California when he was on a trip back "home" I-40 still cut through the north, the Devon Tower was not built, the Old Post Office was still in the middle of what became the park which of course had no hotels or a convention center to the east.

Building permits have been filed for the renovation.

Can't wait to see work start.

Woohoo! I can't wait either, so exciting.

Congratulations on your engagement.

I don't know how I missed this - thank you! We've actually been engaged for several years now, we just never made it a big priority to actually get officially married. But with his remaining family getting older, it's kind of forcing the issue if we want to ensure everyone can attend a nice ceremony. Hoping to set a firm date sometime this year, or early next year! With any luck, the renovations to Union Station will be done by that point - fingers crossed.

This project is out for construction bids, so progress is being made behind the scenes.

Some bad news: the first phase of this project was budgeted at $11.5 million and the lowest bid came in at $16.5 million.

Looks like the City will have to value-engineer in order to get things back on budget.