'OKC: Second Time Around' Book Launch Tonight!!!

[ksearls]

Full Circle Press to Launch 'OKC: Second Time Around'

Thursday, November 2 at 6:30 p.m.

From the run of 1889 when 10,000 strangers came together in one day to build a city until the beginning of the turbulent sixties, Downtown has been the commercial, retail and entertainment heart of Oklahoma City.

In the subsequent forty years, the city struggled to re-imagine and rebuild and in the process overcome the centrifugal forces of suburban growth and a brutally cyclical commodity based economy.

OKC: Second Time Around is the narrative and visual history of that unique experience. It is a tale of false starts and misconceptions, of leadership and pedestrian politics, of terrorism and its remarkable after effects, and ultimately of the astonishing resilience of a community's common vision of what it could become.

Steve Lackmeyer and Jack Money provide the narrative that pulls together the almost serendipitous combination of circumstances that resulted in today's growing, vibrant, downtown Oklahoma City.

Illustrated with more than 250 historic photographs, OKC: Second Time Around will provide fascinating reading for those who have lived this renaissance, for students of Oklahoma history, as well as all those interested in the peculiar, frail and highly individual nature of a city's reinvention.

The publication of OKC: Second Time Around is a milestone for Oklahoma City and the Full Circle. Please join the authors Jack Money and Steve Lackmeyer in a signing and celebration on Thursday, November 2 at 6:30 p.m.

[ksearls]

OH, Sorry! It is at Full Circle Bookstore, 50 Penn Place.

Kim

[The Old Downtown Guy]

I stood in a long line with lots of other OKCitians last night at Jim Tolbert's Full Circle Book Store to pick up this new book and chat with Steve and Jack while they added their personal inscriptions. Abundant wine and snacks combined with lots of conversation with old friends and new aquaintences made the one hour wait fly by.

A good overview by State Historical Society Director Bob Blackburn gets it off to a good start and I'm looking forward to getting into it this weekend; also to seeing what Doug puts up here.

My personal thanks to Jim Tolbert for his years of community service, having the courage and determination to keep Full Circle open and committing his personal and financial resources to this publication project. Jim and Beth's tireless efforts make our city a better place to live.

[Doug Loudenback]

Da-amn! I got caught up working on a case and I forgot to go! Oh, well ... I'll drop by today and pick up a copy ... can't wait to get my hands on it! I'd have loved to hear Bob Blackburn's talk cause he's the really authtentic Oklahoma City historian guy (as well as the state's) these days. Bob's contributions are beyond measurement.

And, yes, I absolutely agree with what you said about Jim Tolbert! What a great job he has done ...

Thanks for the good report, ODTG!

[Steve]

Doug, your web site inspired the inside cover pages.
- Steve Lackmeyer

[Doug Loudenback]

Doug, your web site inspired the inside cover pages.
- Steve Lackmeyer

WOAH! That's tooooo cool and beyond belief! I am (altogether and at the same time) humbled, amazed, and, to be sure, proud!

Thanks, so much, Steve! Sorry I forgot about the event last night but shortly I'll be at Full Circle Bookstore to pick up what I'm sure is a fantastic contribution to Oklahoma City's literary and pictoral history! I read and enjoy every article you write in the Oklahoman!

Keep up the great work, and I'm glad you came here with your dad so many years ago! You are a fantastic ambassador for this home of mine, yours, and ours!

[Steve]

Thanks Doug. Just get ready to update the map on your web site.
- Steve Lackmeyer

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks Doug. Just get ready to update the map on your web site.
- Steve Lackmeyer

The "map" on my website has been in the "updating" process since ... January 2006? But, then, my emerging Hornets compulsive/obcessive object consumed me and that topic took over the obcessive/compulsive time that I had available ... and then, in July the computer on which I maintain and upload to my server quit ... power supply, I think, so I resorted to alternative things rather than fixing it ... which accounts for the origin of Doug Dawgz Blog (since it's an on-line thing) and I started uploading pics at Photobucket instead of to my server for the blog project ... one of these days, I'll get back to the updating of the downtown map and pics stuff.

The last version of my later and greater revised clickable map (which I've not worked on for months ... I think this one was done in May) is ... (the Old Downtown Guy guilted me into expanding the boundaries, so he's to blame (in part) for the slow progress ... ha ha! no, he was right and it's just my fault for not getting it done ...). Since May, lots of stuff has occurred what with Banta's purchases (among other developments and items) which are not shown in the image below ...



... but it's still waaaaay incomplete and is not ready for prime time! But, with those kind words of yours, maybe I'll find the motivation to get back to that project, fix the broken computer, and start uploading once again!

Now, I'm off in my Hornet's Car to go to Full Circle to get your book! Maybe 2!

[Pete]

I can't find the book on amazon.com...

Is it only available in OKC area bookstores?

[Midtowner]

I'm excited to see this book.

Sounds like a good one.

[John]

Had a great time last night. I didn't get to hang around because I had to make it to Rose State for the governors debate.

Awesome book. Good work Steve and Jack!

[Steve]

Thanks for all the kind words. Hopefully this answer won't come across as overly self promotional or violate board rules. If so, I apologize.
Look for the book at Full Circle Books, 50 Penn Place, ground floor. We are favoring locally owned establishments first - The Painted Door in Bricktown, the gift shop at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art will be the next addition for place our books will be sold at.
You can also order the books online at Full Circle Bookstore.
If you want to learn more about the book, you can read a story in this week's Gazette, OKC Business or online at NewsOK.com | Powered by The Oklahoman and NEWS 9.

[ksearls]

Steve,

It was a fun night! What a great crowd. The smile on your face was worth the wait! We are proud of you.

Kim

[Doug Loudenback]

Just got back from the Full Circle Bookstore. What a great place!

Steve's book is absolutely magnificent from the vantage point of one who enjoys Oklahoma City history. OKC, Second Time Around, A Renaissance Story, covers the 1955-2006 period of time.

The back cover jacket somewhat describes the time span covered ...

Downtown is dead and we helped kill it. There is no major retail, no major attraction and no place to eat. -- Oklahoma City Councilman I.G. Purser, April 17, 1988

[DL note: the above may have been immediately before the MAPS tax vote ... I've not checked]

... today Oklahoma City's downtown is thriving. The Bricktown district is buzzing with nightlife, people are moving downtown ... add to that two successful stadiums, a performing arts center, a central library, a "Riverwalk" type canal, clubs and restaurants, and the downtown of the once-sleepy city ... is bustling. -- Wall Street Journal, April 13, 2005

Inside the book are outstanding images Doug Dawgz eyes have never lusted over before ... too many to mention, but a few that stand out are ... Interior of the Criterion Theater (p. 5 and absolutely gorgeous), detailed images on what was proposed in the original Pei Plan, including drawings of the kinds of buildings we would all like to have seen develop but did not, and many others ... and, personal to me, an image on page 55 of my former boss and friend (and godfather of my outstanding son), lawyer Bill Peterson, but as a sculptor who poses with a bust of Charles Colcord he made for the lobby of the Colcord Building (p. 55).

But, there is so much more ... and the book is well indexed and tells the text story so very well of this period.

I bought 2 copies, one for me, and one for Bill Peterson's godson (for a Christmas gift, so don't tell him if you know him ... he's developing his dad's interest in Oklahoma City history, too!). Bill Peterson's godson's name is David, and I'm right proud of my little boy (though he is much bigger than me, these days)! We'll be going to the Hornets opener in Okc next Tuesday, with his son and my grandson, Tyler, ...

MY RATING: 5 stars ... a superior contribution to Oklahoma City historic stuff.

Steve earlier said that something I'd done at my website had "inspired" an inside cover ... well, if that is so, it was so much better done in Steve's book than anything at my website that it was beyond my ability to see any similarities! Ha ha!

MalibuSooner, you asked where to get this book. It was published by Full Circle Press (same as the bookstore) and as far as I know the only place to get the book is from it's website (other than what Steve mentioned, The Painted Door, the gift shop which is part of Nonna's in Bricktown) ... Full Circle Bookstore ... the cost is $39.95 and the money is well spent, imo.

Of course, being an Okie junkie, and not having been to Full Circle for many months, I had to have a look around ... before I left, my pocketbook was about $220 lighter ... there is no place in Oklahoma City that I know of that has a better range of books about Oklahoma and/or Oklahoma City than does Full Circle Bookstore ... and, sadly, that includes the Oklahoma History Center's gift shop ... it would do well to emulate the offerings of this great locally owned book shop at 50 Penn Place!

Addendum for ksearls: I've stopped by your place at least 3 times to meet you ... my barber is immediately to the west of your shop ... but you've never been there! I get only 4-5 haircuts annually, so it's a hit and miss proposition! Maybe next time, in December or so.

[shane453]

Doug, I knew you would love that book!

If any of you don't already have the book, get it ASAP- it's definitely a must for anyone who wants to ever post about the urban renewal and renaissance periods of OKC history... ever.

How many threads are there on this website (and others like it) trying to sort out IM Pei's plans and the this and that of urban renewal-- Steve and Jack did it, and it took them 7 YEARS. We should all be very grateful!

Besides the info, there is a wealth of pictures in this book of unrealized projects, destroyed buildings, old street scenes, Pei Plan renderings... It's amazing.

[Steve]

Doug, I've lost contact with Bill Peterson and haven't been able to find him to let him know the book is out. Can you help?
-Steve

[Doug Loudenback]

Doug, I've lost contact with Bill Peterson and haven't been able to find him to let him know the book is out. Can you help?
-Steve

He lives near my home ... later today, or tomorrow, I'll walk over to his home and try and catch him ... and show him his pic, and let him know you'd like to get in touch.

[Doug Loudenback]

This follows up my initial "review" of this marvelous book by Steve Lackmeyer & Jack Money. My 1st was based upon a "quick look" through each of the pages. This one is based on actually reading all of the text through the 1st 6 chapters, from the preferatory pages (small Roman numeral pages) through Arabic page 70 (the entire Arabic pages total 186, excluding the 10 pages of footnotes and index at the end.

And, these are "large" pages ... it's a "coffee table" size book.

Although lavishly illustrated with gorgeous images throughout, this book isn't just "pretty", it is a true "history" book which details the activity associated with downtown Oklahoma City as to events occurring from 1955-6 forward to the present day. I'm not a "fast" reader, and reading all the text takes time ... and don't think that the overall length of the book (196 Arabic pages plus several in the first which are Roman numeral pages) means that it is "short". I'm just guessing, but I'd suppose that the "text" portions of each page are probably 8 point font size, maybe 7, so that's a lot of text on each magnificent page. This is a "serious" history book, unlike any other I've seen of Oklahoma City history in its detail.

After numerous acknowledgments, the book begins with a magnificent 2 page "Foreword" by Bob Blackburn, Executive Directory of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

The Chapters are: (1) Urban Renewal, (2) "Downtown of Excellence", (3) A New Downtown, (4) Urban Renewal's Demise, (5) Neal Horton, (6) Big Plans, (7) The Crash, (8) Bricktown's Second Chance, (9) "Downtown is dead, and we helped kill it", (10) Visions of a New Frontier, (11) Swing the Vote, (12) An Unexpected Challenge, (13) Butchering the Steer, (14) A Real Life SimCity, and (E) Epilogue.

Having closely read through Chapter 6, I've not been disappointed in a single paragraph or page (save the nit-picky comments about the Criterion being a Cinerama theater, below). I've learned more stuff that I didn't know in pages 1-70 than I've read in hundreds of other pages elsewhere!

I said I rated the book 5 stars (highest rating) in my earlier "quick" review. I now give it a 5++++ stars. It is wonderful. It is a gem.

Not to detract from that opinion, the authors did get one thing wrong in some of their preliminary remarks ... when talking about the Criterion Theater on pages 5-6. On those pages, it is said that, "As late as 1960, Cooper Theaters was upgrading its stately Criterion Theater in downtown Oklahoma City, making it the state's only Cinerama Cinema."

Unless I am badly misinformed, the Criterion was never converted to Cinerama ... but, in fact, the former Harber (even before that, the Liberty) was, becoming the Cooper Cinerama in 1960. It was on Robinson, west side, immediately north of the Colcord. I think that probably the authors confused the Criterion at 118 W. Main with the Cooper in the 100 block of North Robinson. For more about downtown Okc theaters, see Doug Dawgz Blog: Let's Go Downtown To The Movies .



But, the Cooper wasn't the 1st Okc Cinerama (and not that the authors said that it was) ... around 1953-56 or so, the building which was originally the Overholser Opera House (1903), to become the Orpheum (1921), to become the Warner (1928), became Oklahoma City's 1st cinerama theater around 1953-56 at 217 W. Grand (Sheridan). It was razed in 1964. It is shown below in a 1956 or 1957 pic:



And, Tulsa had Cinerama theaters, too, though I'm not sure if there was one in 1960. Below is an advertisement for the Fox, which opened in 1966, advertising for Kubrick's Space Odyssey ...



... and in 1965 the Continental Cinerama opened in the NW part of town (now destroyed) and Tulsa had one of those, too.

But, aside from these nit-picky comments about Cinerama theaters in Oklahoma City, and that the Criterion was not one of them, I have nothing but praise for this great book.

[Doug Loudenback]

Continuing the review ...

I've gotten through Chapters 7-8, doubtless the hardest to read so far. Details of the Penn Square Bank and Oil Bust and Bricktown's "Second Chance."

But, to me, the emotional focus is clearly the story of Neal Horton which began in Chapter 5. Though it's a vast oversimplification for me to say, the book clearly portrays him as a visionary and one determined to succeed in developing Bricktown but who never did ... but not because he didn't give his vision all he had. Developing financial, health, and marriage issues, shortly before his death, he was homeless. Only with the financial assistance of some friends during the last months of his life would he even have a roof over his head.

The following quote picks up during this period ... Bricktown had turned the corner ...

The city, which for years had refused to participate in any Bricktown improvements, finally chipped in $444,000 toward improving sidewalks, curbs, and landscaping. Brewer, Tolbert, and Karchmer had also worked with the city to create an urban design committee to oversee building facade renovations. Despite his bad health and vanished fortune, Horton still presented himself with class when accepting visitors. He still wore the freshly pressed white shirts, a habit from his days he could not quite shake.

On a cold December day in late 1992, Karchmer visited Horton at his Seven Oaks Apartment. "The first nice spring day, I'm going to come get you, bring you down to Bricktown and drive you around," Karchmer said. Horton agreed - he was eager to see the old warehouses again. Horton, however, did not make the trip. Before then, he made one last trip to the hosiptal, where he finally succumbed to the emphysema that had dogged him since Bricktown had slipped from his grasp.

In his dying days, even Horton could not imagine was next for Bricktown ...

Horton's story smacks me as being the stuff of a modern day Shakespeare tragedy. You've gotta like this classy guy ...

Oh, yeah, these guys really know how to tell a story.

[Doug Loudenback]

Steve, if you're reading, I dropped by Bill Peterson's house this afternoon ... no one was home but I dropped a printout of this thread (through last night) in his mail slot with a note.

[Steve]

Thanks Doug, and thanks for your kind words.
You are, of course, correct about the ultimate outcome on the cinerama. To clarify, we were trying to portray what was going on at that moment, in 1960, when Cooper Theaters had designated the Criterion for Cinerama and they were boasting it would be the only such theater. Looking back, though, I wish we could have made the ultimate outcome of that clearer.

As an aside, it's interesting to note that at one point in history almost all the downtown theaters were owned by one person. But that story is for another day.

Doug, I have some videos you might want to see. They're posted online with the news article at newsok.com, but I'd be glad to get you the actual DVD of the videos if you would like to display them on your site.
- Steve Lackmeyer

[Steve]

I'm intrigued by the date of your mention of the Warner being Cinerama. That would conflict totally with what we found in newspaper accounts at that time. I am quite willing to accept, of course, that the newspaper isn't always right.

[Doug Loudenback]

I'm intrigued by the date of your mention of the Warner being Cinerama. That would conflict totally with what we found in newspaper accounts at that time. I am quite willing to accept, of course, that the newspaper isn't always right.

Ha ha! :boff: It's all about sources if we weren't there, isn't it?

See these links: Comments in Cinema Treasures | Warner Theatre and this one, warnerok . The movie on the signage was made in 1956: Seven Wonders of the World

And, check out the cars in the pic ... ahh and a Beverly's, too! I think the Chevys are (left, 1956), right (1957), but I may be a year wrong about them. I'm not sure about the Ford in the middle.

But, more telling ... a source we can ALL trust! The Oklahoman's archives!

All kidding aside, I don't have the words in my vocabulary to tell you how much I'm loving your book ... best I've ever read on Okc history, without any peer.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks Doug, and thanks for your kind words.
You are, of course, correct about the ultimate outcome on the cinerama. To clarify, we were trying to portray what was going on at that moment, in 1960, when Cooper Theaters had designated the Criterion for Cinerama and they were boasting it would be the only such theater. Looking back, though, I wish we could have made the ultimate outcome of that clearer.

As an aside, it's interesting to note that at one point in history almost all the downtown theaters were owned by one person. But that story is for another day.

Doug, I have some videos you might want to see. They're posted online with the news article at newsok.com, but I'd be glad to get you the actual DVD of the videos if you would like to display them on your site.
- Steve Lackmeyer

WOW! I just noticed this one (I was busy doing a search in the Oklahoman's archives, don't you know! )

What a kind offer! I'll send you a PM about it.

[Doug Loudenback]

I had a little trouble find the article at the Oklahoman's website about Steve's book, but did locate it. Here it is: NewsOK.com | Powered by The Oklahoman and NEWS 9