Myriad Gardens

[metro]

For my money, calling it the "tube' is being very nice. Never been in it, never will be in it. Too many historical properties were destroyed so we could have a tube!

Urban renewal was a disaster, IMO.

That's the good ole boy mindset that lead to things like Urban Renewal, etc. We all agree Urban Renewal was a disaster for Oklahoma City, and most American cities for that matter. No one is debating that. That isn't a reason not to support the amenties we do have as a city. Those structures wore torn down because they had fallen into disrepair for many years, and no one cared enough about them to save them. If everyone had this attitude towards the Myriad Gardens, would the same be done, and just have a vacant park downtown? It's already vacant enough almost any day of the week. Thankfully, Devon is generous enough to revive and overhaul the park.

Forgive me, but this is a comment that falls more into urban mythology than factual history. I don't blame you for thinking this - it's what I was raised to believe as well.
Many sins can be pinned to the legacy of Urban Renewal - the destruction of the Baum Building, the Warner theater and Criterion were needless travesties where structures of far less consequence were built in their place.
BUT.....
I don't know of any significant historic properties torn down to make way for the Myriad Gardens. The only truly historic property on that block was the Biltmore (the rest of it was low-rise used furniture stores and pawn shops). Drawings by I.M. Pei called for the Biltmore to be an integral part of the gardens. You can see evidence of this in my book OKC Second Time Around. The Biltmore was a victim of being owned by out-of-state interests who gave up on it being a viable ongoing business.
After much research into this matter, I will tell you that even today renovation of such a structure, with low floor to ceiling heights and reinforced concrete construction, would be very very daunting and expensive. And should it have survived, I could argue the odds would have higher against the Skirvin being revived (split up resources, the Skirvin wouldn't have been so unique, etc).
I say all this to argue the following: the Crystal Bridge, in my opinion as a historian of downtown, is one of Urban Renewal's triumphs, and not a failure. I don't think it's fair to let Urban Renewal's sins cast a shadow on this iconic landmark's legacy or its long-term potential.

Exactly!