It needs a Hard Rock Cafe or a Planet Hollywood--- These are the symbols of major entertainment districts. These places come up with some wild designs, and I'm sure they'd do something great for Bricktown.

I completely disagree. Adding these venues would make us like every other entertainment district across the country. Do we really want to be like everyone else? I want Bricktown to be unique.


Besides that, I think it would be really great to have an urban mall to bring in some retail for locals. I was in Bergen, Norway and they had a very nice mall inside a historic building- It was 10 floors with an open atrium in the center. It was very narrow, and bridges and elevators lined the atrium. It was a very modern place inside, but still preserved the historic feeling outside. I liked it a lot.

Definitely agree with the urban mall.

Bricktown needs more foot traffic. The restaurants and/or bars there aren't going to bring any more than they already are. But if you were going to add a restaurant I would like to see an "ESPN-ZONE".

Bricktown needs to get rid of all the powerlines overhead by burying them. Bricktown would look alot cleaner which would make for a more enjoyable visit.

I would suggest getting rid of the parking lots that are directly next to the canal (Bass Pro). Taking a "cruise" and being promised some sights then seeing a parking lot makes OKC look backwards. Put the parking somewhere else.

More neon. A big ol' video sign that could broadcast advertising/local events or even severe weather and would add to the tourist feel. Put a sign up like they have at the fairgrounds next to I-44, put one of those up at Bricktown facing north so the sun doesn't outshine it. Make Broadway and Reno look like a little Times Square.

What about a dinosaur? Not one of those gigantic metal side-of-the-road things. Put a life-size stone statue of a t-rex or something that was native to Oklahoma back in the day and then put some life-size tracks behind it like it actually stepped there into the mud or something. Kids could then walk in the tracks or something.

I think the state missed a big-time opportunity to make some $ and change the perception of Oklahoma around the country when the Oklahoma History Center was not put close to Bricktown. If it were in Bricktown it would be something else to do other than eat and would of increased foot traffic not only for visitors from outside of OKC but also from OKC citizens. I know of people who would be more likely to visit if it were in Bricktown than where it is now. It would have given people visiting Bricktown a chance to learn about Oklahoma and that can't be a bad thing.

Increase lighting around the Myriad Gardens so people wouldn't be afraid to go there at night.

Move the detox facility.

Finish that bridge.

A free concert with one of the semi-biggies. Tom Petty, Usher, Green Day, etc. somebody to fill the streets.

Pay more $ than they already are for the Native American Museum which would be near Bricktown, something else to do near Bricktown other than eat.

And finally, put a casino to the south of the Ford Center. That would increase foot traffic greatly and give something to do 24/7 in Bricktown and they would be far enough away, but not too far away, from the "family-oriented :rolleyes:" parts. They would be bringing $ to Bricktown. A casino would get people to spend money they otherwise might not of and would actually pull people off the highway that otherwise wouldn't stop. It would be something that 98% of other big cities wouldn't have and that's gaming downtown, right in the middle of everthing with the ability to walk to a NBA basketball game then to a casino while the kids go to a movie. Not even San Antonio would be able to do that.

Green Day and Usher are semi-biggies? Free street concerts? I strongly doubt it.

I do think local bands would be happy to do free street concerts to get a chance to promote their homemade CDs, though, and more effort should be put into inviting them. It would really boost the image of Bricktown and get people out on the streets. But I think they would need to make a stage or raised area for the performers to stand on, with proper lighting and places to plug in their sound equipment. AND someone to sit at a table selling the band's CD...

I also was surprised that they allowed Bass Pro to use their canal front property for a parking lot. That property should be used for another building. We all must agree that the part of the canal near the Miller Jackson building is the best part of the canal- I certainly feel most excited when I see that area of the canal, with buildings lining the water and retail stacked two stories high. Lower Bricktown is different. There is almost no canal level retail/restaurants (except Toby Keith) and the buildings are more like outlets. Upper Bricktown themes should have been carried to Lower Bricktown. But that's an entirely different thread.

I will remind everyone that the city has the option to develop part of the Bass Pro lot and convert the other part to a parking garage.

The detox facility is scheduled to be moved.

The bridge is being completed as we speak.

The Oklahoma History Museum represents STATE history, not OKC history. Thus I think it fits better on the state capitol complex.

OKCNDN, I love your other ideas. How about a huge dinosaur reaching its big head over the south canal!

Again, Bricktown needs a Wild Birds Unlimited and a knitting/quilt/needlepoint shop. The Wild Birds Unlimited over on Western has been there for twenty years and does great and I think it is time they get a location in Bricktown. The Wild Birds Unlimited in addition to the knitting/quilt/needlepoint shop would make us unique!

Again, Bricktown needs a Wild Birds Unlimited and a knitting/quilt/needlepoint shop. The Wild Birds Unlimited over on Western has been there for twenty years and does great and I think it is time they get a location in Bricktown. The Wild Birds Unlimited in addition to the knitting/quilt/needlepoint shop would make us unique!


East Village - Tulsa

http://www.string-cafe.com/

I still can't believe there is nothing in the Rock Island building (the one at Reno and Oklahoma, near Zio's). Is there major structural damage or something? I think it would be great for a multi-story Barnes and Noble or other bookstore, and there are several freight docks that would make good entrances for small shops or a Starbucks or something.

Bottom line is we need more retail if we want more foot traffic.

I also think that it is time Bricktown gets an exotic animal store specializing in rats. A florist would also go well. We really do need to get a bookstore though.

Dare I say a stripclub?
:Smiley063

I also thought that it would be a good idea to have either a Holocaust
museum or an International Prisoner of War Museum there.

The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame is buried in the concourse right now. It could go elsewhere and be successful with a little publicity.

It needs a Hard Rock Cafe or a Planet Hollywood--- These are the symbols of major entertainment districts. These places come up with some wild designs, and I'm sure they'd do something great for Bricktown.

I also disagree. These are the symbols of cheap tourism and places that have passed their prime. Places that are not unique and you don't have to venture out for or get a local's opinion. A chain that you can find in every other city is not unique. Places that are unique and you can only come here to enjoy are unique.

The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame is buried in the concourse right now. It could go elsewhere and be successful with a little publicity.

Moshe Tal, in his plan for Lower Bricktown, included a separate building for a larger International Gymanstics Hall of fame. It was a go.

Unfortunately, Randy Hogan didn't have the same idea in mind.

Hogan sucks.

For those of you who don't think a Wild Birds Unlimited would fit in Bricktown, go over to the Wild Birds Unlimited website and watch the Bird FeederCam. It is great! Hopefully that will convince you. I also think that Bricktown needs an Ethiopian restaurant.

Here you go kane, as you seem like quite the WBU enthusiast. ;)

http://www.wbu.com/frdev/

Go for it!

If Bricktown is going to continue to be developed into a destination hotspot, more entertainment venues are going to be need. This doesn't mean more bars or stores. Sure the idea of a refurbished building into an old style market would be nice, but we also need to continue with the idea of bringing people in for day/weekend trips from around the region. My ideas...

1) GameWorks or Dave & Buster's - http://www.gameworks.com/ or http://www.daveandbusters.com/

Either one of these locations would significantly boost the drawing factor to bring families downtown, not to mention just the younger crowd (18-35).

2) Specialized hotel with indoor water park - http://castawaybay.cedarpoint.com/

These are becoming very hot ideas, especially in the North. Ohio specifically has seen a surge in development of these parks with two to three now open in the Sandusky area (near Cedar Point east of Toledo) and in the Toledo area itself. The newest one being developed is going to be operated by Holiday Inn in Toledo, so we won't need to worry about getting the blessing from Six Flags. Just a developer willing to go forward with it and a chain wanting to put their name on it.

3) Casino, as stated before.

This would be a huge draw, but it must be a complete resort with hotel - none of the casino only jokes. No we don't have to have a Vegas sized attraction, but it must be a Vegas style casino. This means at least a few hundred rooms, and rooms with specialized services, several unique dining attractions that will fit budgets of all sizes, largest gaming floor in the state, etc.

I don't think we can have the largest gaming floor in the state in Bricktown when you have those sprawling ones off the interstates.

Both Gameworks and Dave and Busters looked like cool places that would be great for the families and the under-21 in Bricktown, as well as the older crowd.

Who said the gaming floor had to be one level? :)

I don't think Bricktown (as well as the entire state) needs any more casinos. We already have so many casinos that it is turning into a big, negative joke against Oklahoma. I'm certainly not going to drive up from Lawton to throw away a bunch of money at a casino when I could do that at one of the two casinos we have here. Honestly, I'm not into gambling at all. It gives me the same vibe as lab rats running through a maze and hitting a button relentlessly to get a food pellet.

Bricktown needs a variety of other attractions -besides casinos.

More tourist oriented theme restaurants, such as ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Cafe, etc. would be nice. However, we can't force those companies to locate here. They'll come on their own if they feel Bricktown is up to it.

What Bricktown really needs is a better infusion of entertainment and culture.

The Harkins 16-plex was a good start. However, I was disappointed they built this "destination theater" without any special venue format screens, like IMAX-3D. Another entity could build an attraction like that and make a good amount of money. The Bricktown 16 is going to get some very serious competition. Warren Theaters is building a 20-plex in Moore. That theater will feature THX certification and digital sound on all screens. The largest theaters will feature premium balcony seating and may even be larger than the Cine Capris theater in the Bricktown 16.

Besides movie theaters, what about theaters with a stage? Does Oklahoma City have any offerings for stage plays? Such venues don't have to be huge like Carnegie Hall. A couple "off Broadway" size venues would be nice.

Does Bricktown have any comedy clubs? A good venue would stand a very good chance of attracting the best comedians. They all tour nationwide.

Art galleries might be pushing it. I only say that because I'm tired of all the assembly line "western" stuff. We have an Arts For All festival every year the first weekend in May. And its always the same American Indians, horses, eagles and feathers stuff all the time. I'd like to see some galleries in Bricktown that offered real cutting edge stuff -material you might see write-ups about in national art magazines.

As far as night clubs go, it would be nice to see a few that had some staying power. It's probably going to take someone with some fairly deep pockets to put together a concept original enough to keep people coming back for years on end.

With night club quality -it's also a matter of perspective. The night life scene here in Lawton really really stinks. This town has over 80 bars, with a few trying to function as night clubs. The sameness of them all is truly depressing. I pretty much stay away from them over that fact. They just don't deserve my business. A visit to Bricktown is at least a nice change of pace.

This is actually a very good theatrical town; both Lyric Theatre and Carpenter Square Theatre have extensive offerings, and smaller companies like City Rep and the Oklahoma City Theatre Company have full seasons (four or more productions). Most of the performances are downtown - CST at Stage Center, the others at the Civic (usually the Freede Little Theatre, or at CityStage downstairs) - though there has been some activity at the Actors Workshop, out in a light-industrial area east of Nichols Hills.

There are interesting galleries in the Paseo; downtown offerings include the Individual Artists of Oklahoma (on Broadway in Automobile Alley) and Untitled (ArtSpace) east of the BNSF tracks on NE 3rd.

>>I don't think Bricktown (as well as the entire state) needs any more casinos. We already have so many casinos that it is turning into a big, negative joke against Oklahoma. I'm certainly not going to drive up from Lawton to throw away a bunch of money at a casino when I could do that at one of the two casinos we have here. Honestly, I'm not into gambling at all. It gives me the same vibe as lab rats running through a maze and hitting a button relentlessly to get a food pellet.<<

The destination casino that I had in mind wouldn't care about instate travelers, this would be something that would go with the total package to attract day trippers or weekend travelers from the region. Yes, they'll take your money...but you aren't the targeted customer...the out of town visitor would be.

>>More tourist oriented theme restaurants, such as ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Cafe, etc. would be nice. However, we can't force those companies to locate here. They'll come on their own if they feel Bricktown is up to it.<<

While I would think an ESPN Zone would do great here, Hard Rock and Planet Hollywood are becoming no more special than Hooters. ESPN Zone and Dave & Busters would fit the niche quite well. The rest of the restaurant scene needs to be left to orignal, local developers to give it a unique flavor.

>>The Harkins 16-plex was a good start. However, I was disappointed they built this "destination theater" without any special venue format screens, like IMAX-3D. Another entity could build an attraction like that and make a good amount of money. The Bricktown 16 is going to get some very serious competition. Warren Theaters is building a 20-plex in Moore. That theater will feature THX certification and digital sound on all screens. The largest theaters will feature premium balcony seating and may even be larger than the Cine Capris theater in the Bricktown 16.<<

I agree Harkins is in for an extreme beating with the new Moore theatre. It will have the ability to lock up the Norman and Moore traffic now going downtown (Norman's Hollywood theatre is cramped and a joke). However, the overall allure of Bricktown should give it a boost. Harkins, I'm sure, is aware of the threat and if it needs to, I don't think anything will stop them from expanding the facility using the parking lot to the west side of it or the open lot next to Toby Keith's place. It would take some creative design...but here are ways to work around spacing issues.

It would be cool to get and ESPN Zone or a Fox Sports Grill.

1) GameWorks or Dave & Buster's - http://www.gameworks.com/ or http://www.daveandbusters.com/

Either one of these locations would significantly boost the drawing factor to bring families downtown, not to mention just the younger crowd (18-35).


i was really excited years ago when they announced they were building the sega game works here, but when that didnt happen i visited the one in grape vine mills. i actually left dissapointed. they are building a dave and busters in omaha. we should be able to land one of these too.

I would prefer some more creative local projects rather than all these novelty chain type things such as D&B, Hollywood Planet, Sportzone, etc, and all that. I think bricktown needs more of an atmosphere. I recently returned from Europe and what I noticed there is that they have street performers and food vendors on the street that make for an enjoyful time. Same goes for cities like New York with the food stands. I think a vendor selling crepes along the canal or anywhere in bricktown would do great. I just think we need more unique ideas so people will go home to their families and friends saying " You know what OKC had.......wow I would have never thought of that".

Besides movie theaters, what about theaters with a stage? Does Oklahoma City have any offerings for stage plays? Such venues don't have to be huge like Carnegie Hall. A couple "off Broadway" size venues would be nice.

Does Bricktown have any comedy clubs? A good venue would stand a very good chance of attracting the best comedians. They all tour nationwide.

Art galleries might be pushing it. I only say that because I'm tired of all the assembly line "western" stuff. We have an Arts For All festival every year the first weekend in May. And its always the same American Indians, horses, eagles and feathers stuff all the time. I'd like to see some galleries in Bricktown that offered real cutting edge stuff -material you might see write-ups about in national art magazines.

Actually, windowphobe is right. I'm not sure how accurate a representation you can get in Lawton for all the progress that has been and is being made here in OKC. There are numerous "modern" art galleries that do not feature western art. In fact, I only know of one western/native american type gallery downtown but there are too many modern ones to count.

Again, there are plenty of stage type theaters, ironically one of them is named Stage Theater. In fact downtown boasts an entire Arts District that is making a comeback. We also have the Paseo arts district and the Plaza district both arts districts in Midtown.

Bricktown Live sometimes features comedy but to my knowledge there are still no clubs that are all comedy in Bricktown. OKC has a few of them and I think the market is saturated at this point and the suburbian comedy clubs don't want to pay the high Bricktown rents.

I agree guys. Building more chains like Dave and Busters, Planet Hollywood, etc. will only take away from the unique atmosphere of Bricktown. We don't need any more chain restaurants in Bricktown.

Certain chains are good, and I think we have to realize that. I call them "elite chains" and they are often a symbol that says, "This place deserves one of these stores," rather than "We're going to make money by opening 1000 of these across this metro." Hard Rock is pushing it these days but I feel like Planet Hollywood is still a restaurant that is only located in special places.

Olive Garden is a pretty nice Italian restaurant. Does well in OKC. So does Red Lobster. How about we locate one of each in the heart of Bricktown? JK!

How about a Rainforest Cafe like in Vegas or Disneyland? They are really popular.

Boy, that's something original. Who would've ever thought of that?

I would prefer some more creative local projects rather than all these novelty chain type things such as D&B, Hollywood Planet, Sportzone, etc, and all that. I think bricktown needs more of an atmosphere. I recently returned from Europe and what I noticed there is that they have street performers and food vendors on the street that make for an enjoyful time. Same goes for cities like New York with the food stands. I think a vendor selling crepes along the canal or anywhere in bricktown would do great. I just think we need more unique ideas so people will go home to their families and friends saying " You know what OKC had.......wow I would have never thought of that".

While I agree that we need more local creative things to do and enjoy downtown, we need our local business community to step up to the plate.

Everyone in OKC knows about the Renaissance of downtown by now, yet local business is reluctant at best to return downtown! And personally, I dont think OKC should hold back on development just because it aint local!

Downtown needs retail and it needs venues. It has an excellent start and has matured well. And we might need national investment until the locals get with it.

Now at the same time, we need proper design and code enforcement on "what" comes downtown! No matter what comes, national or local, it should be urban in design and be large in scale to accomodate traffic and crowds, ie venue.

The more venues downtown, Im sure the locals will step in and probably create a new "local" district downtown - like Westown (west of the arts district) or Midtown.

I think downtown OKC should have a mix between national and local investment and attractions! But its the design and enforcement Im more worried about than wishing for an all local downtown big city!

I think it would be nice if Bricktown got a dog park. Does anyone know if dogs are allowed on the canal rides?

I have seen some truly wonderful suggestions for improving our city such as bringing a crafts/needlepoint store to Bricktown. Kudos to that idea person! BUT, the best suggestion I have seen so far is to change the name - the name Bricktown simply screams "white trash."

I have seen some truly wonderful suggestions for improving our city such as bringing a crafts/needlepoint store to Bricktown. Kudos to that idea person! BUT, the best suggestion I have seen so far is to change the name - the name Bricktown simply screams "white trash."

How does Bricktown sound like white trash? It's not like its called Trailor Town or anything.

I think it would be nice if Bricktown got a dog park. Does anyone know if dogs are allowed on the canal rides?

I personally feel dogs might be better left for the more park like areas along the Oklahoma River.

I personally feel dogs might be better left for the more park like areas along the Oklahoma River.

I think a large dog park facility would be a great addition to the master plan for the river parks.

Bricktown doesn't scream 'white trash'. Sorry. The name has historic authenticity. After all, the entire area was composed of bricks. What else COULD you call it? Brickbrook? Brickyard? Brick Alley? Brickstreet? No. Bricktown was its best fit.

That being said, I believe we should officially cut of Lower Bricktown and not count it as a district. Unless someone has some serious plans to completely urbanize this stretch south of Reno, it shouldn't counted as part of a historic district. Period.

Whatever they are planning on doing in bricktown I think they should do it alot faster than how the theater fiasco has been done. 5-6 years to get a theater is too long to wait. Make sure you do it right but by all means "GIT 'ER DONE"!!!!! And the bridge mess, it's just a bridge people. No lives will be lost or saved no matter how the bridge matter was handled.

Whatever they do with bricktown do it on a reasonably fast timeframe. So many of OKC projects are in the planning stages and are talked about for way too long before anything gets done, if at all. The Skirvin hotel is another example.

lol. OKCNDN, sorry, you sure seem to know alot of property development??

Financing takes time. Construction takes time. Lawyers take time.

I am glad you are not building my property, or doing my taxes, or even building my house. :)

OKCNDN makes a good point.

Waste too much time on the planning stages of a project and other stuff will happen and kill that business opportunity before it happens.

There is a lot of ingredients in city planning and property development that are clearly there but extremely unwelcome -those mainly being the "good ol' boy network" and a bunch of flaming egos.

Of all the negative things I've heard about Bricktown (and even agreed with), associating with Bricktown with "white trash" is something I've never heard of (and don't agree with). If you go down there, you'd see what I'm talking about.

Seems more like young professionals go to Bricktown, not white trash. I don't even begin to see how white trash even relates to Bricktown.

We need a miniature gold course. We need floating rubber duckies in the canal. We need bobble head George Shinns.

Jack do you post just to stir controversy? See you at the gold course in Bricktown!

Whatever they are planning on doing in bricktown I think they should do it a lot faster . . . . Make sure you do it right but by all means "GIT 'ER DONE"!!!!! And the bridge mess, it's just a bridge people. No lives will be lost or saved no matter how the bridge matter was handled. . . . So many of OKC projects are in the planning stages and are talked about for way too long before anything gets done, if at all. The Skirvin hotel is another example.

Patience Grass Hopper.

Blogs like OKCTalk are almost totally free and open to all comers and there is no requirement that a person have any idea what he/she is talking about to post a comment here.

There is no point in discussing the time frame required to get the Skirvin Hotel to this stage. The history of the building and the downtown within which it is located are readily available to anyone interested in understanding the context of this project.

The same is more or less true of the bridge, actually a viaduct by the way, but it would take a lot more digging to learn all the facts about that project. Suffice it to say that there were and are a lot of players, railroads, government entities and private citizens involved in the process that brought about the replication of the historic structure known as The Walnut Avenue Bridge. The relevant information is out there if you care to do the research. Most importantly, the contractor is back to working on the project and completion is projected as late summer.

As president Bush might say: Things that take a long time to complete are very time consuming.

I know things take time but OKC takes TOO much time on some things. Kansas City got the idea for a NASCAR track and held their first race in less than two years. OKC needs to do things right and that takes time. But sometimes they take way longer than they need to. For so long the canal was just going through an empty field. The bridge has been discussed since at least 1999. That's over 7 years ago and it's still not complete. That is entirely too much time for that bridge.

I know things take time but OKC takes TOO much time on some things. Kansas City got the idea for a NASCAR track and held their first race in less than two years. OKC needs to do things right and that takes time. But sometimes they take way longer than they need to. For so long the canal was just going through an empty field. The bridge has been discussed since at least 1999. That's over 7 years ago and it's still not complete. That is entirely too much time for that bridge.

There is definitely some truth to this argument. Part of it is our system of local government. Lots of hoops to jump through to get anything done. I've heard it said that OKC is a city run by committee since it doesn't have a "strong mayor" form of government. I, too, get frustrated by delays from various government and quasi-governmental agencies. Throw in some notoriously heavy shoe wearing private developers and it can sometimes take forever to get a project to fruition.

OKCNDN, you have a point, but the things you are pointing out are either isolated incidents (Henderson's Legacy Summit, Hogan's Lower Bricktown) or completely understandable (The Skirvin, the historic Walnut Ave Bridge). Many things have happened very fast, like Park Harvey Apartments, Block 42, The Montgomery, the Colcord. Look how fast everything happened with THE HORNETS.

Has someone said wider sidewalks with more room for street cafes and landscaping? Lower bricktown provides us with an opportunity to get more with standards set by, say... San Antonio, where I'm sitting now. We have a lot more work to do!

I finally found pictures of the urban mall from Bergen Norway that I was talking about. It's called Galleriet and if I remember correctly it's in a historic building. I love the zigzagging escalators and bridges.

http://www.fotopluss.no/fb/arkiv/05-02/DSC_1581.jpg

http://home.c2i.net/ttprosjekt/galleriet.jpg

http://norsko.unas.cz/obrazky/obrazky/Bergen/20%20Obchodni%20dum%20Galleriet.JPG

Bricktown needs retail stores. Yes I know, there are a couple stores right now, but not much. Something like a designer outlet mall. With all the people that frequent Bricktown just to eat, I can't believe something like this hasnt been planned already. Its a potential gold mine.

I agree, you know, even if it has to be some kind of indoor mall-type structure like that above, I think something just to get it kickstarted would be amazing. Heck it wouldn't even have to be an indoor mall, just a two or three story structure that had retail on all levels facing the street, with escalators and the like. Even if the stores were just your typical Abercrombie, Banana Republic type stuff for now, I think the unique stuff would come along later after everything proved itself

I bet that is coming Nuclear; at least I hope!!!

Great Ideas!!!

Or something like this. The corridors are covered by glass but the entrances are open. This would allow in natural light and give the feeling that you are outside while being somewhat protected from the elements.

http://www.carfree.com/ven/sl02.html

http://www.cs.unc.edu/~debug/photos/Europe/Italy/milan_gallery_to_laScala2.jpg

http://cgi.eckerd.edu/mt/output/photos/milan/img/IMG_4762.JPG

Yeah, an outdoor retail area would be really awesome with covered escalators and bridges between two buildings at opposite sides of the canal, canalside cafes on the ground floor with shops on the second and third floors.

Or, turn the street in this picture into the canal and plop this sucker into Lower Bricktown:

http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_epicentre1.jpg

(The base of Charlotte's Epicenter, a 53-story mixed use tower with a mall or retail area at its base.) Some might say this is too modern looking for Bricktown- but I say let's go for that modern, neon, glassy look in Lower Bricktown. It's not like it's anything like Bricktown anyway.