NW Corner of 23rd & Classen (Rainbow Records)

[HOT ROD]

Chyna must have got to OKC.

[Bowser214]

Chyna must have got to OKC.

lmao

[SagerMichael]

I’m unfamiliar with the interior layout of this building but driving by I always envisioned a rooftop patio/bar of some sorts in the place of the Canes sign. Would be a killer view of downtown and up/down Classen

[jrr2ok]

FWIW, there's a dumpster out front and folks are pulling out debris as of yesterday. Oddly, it looks like the majority of what's currently coming out is fiberglass insulation.

[OkieBerto]

FWIW, there's a dumpster out front and folks are pulling out debris as of yesterday. Oddly, it looks like the majority of what's currently coming out is fiberglass insulation.

I saw them out there yesterday. They even have a lane blocked causing some traffic. There seemed to be a bunch of vacuums being pulled out as well.

[Trent Lowery]

Looks like they are cleaning the building out. Any news on what’s going on here?

[Pete]

They have been clearing out the inside space but what you see on the sidewalk and street seems to be due to sewer work:

[Anonymous.]

Dang, 6 years later and Canes still got that billboard on lockdown.

Weird coincidence that the city is doing work here at the same time the building is being 'worked' on.

[Urbanized]

Looks like they should be starting with the roof.

[Pete]

Weird coincidence that the city is doing work here at the same time the building is being 'worked' on.

I bet it was some sort of collapsed sewer line that was preventing the space from being usable.

[Pete]

The interesting thing is that the old Rainbow building, the one that holds Craigs and then the building on the west end are all under separate ownership.

[warreng88]

Looks like they should be starting with the roof.

I was about to post the same thing. It's looking rough...

[borchard]

It was a VERY long time ago, but I remember going in when it was still Rainbow Records. Late 80's? Early 90's?

[TheTravellers]

It was a VERY long time ago, but I remember going in when it was still Rainbow Records. Late 80's? Early 90's?

Late 80s probably, not sure how long it lasted into the 90s. I have great memories of buying tons of stuff almost weekly from Scott (Flaming Lips manager for decades), Jim, and the jazz guy, can't remember his name... I think the Gazette did a cover story on them a loooong time ago, and I think I still have a copy...

[warreng88]

I went to school at OCU from 1999-2002 and it was around at that time. Looking back at the googlemaps pics that only go back to 2007, it was vacuum storage at that time.

[Pete]

Rainbow Records moved from 23rd & Classen to 36th & Western in 2004.

[TheTravellers]

Interesting, we left in 1995 and didn't come back until 2009, guess I stopped going years before we left, even though it was still open...

[BDP]

Rainbow Records moved from 23rd & Classen to 36th & Western in 2004.

I can't remember if there was any overlap, time in-between, or if it was a direct move from the the May and Grand location to 23rd.

Having Sound Warehouse and Rainbow catty corner from each was a great combo for awhile. Major label selection on one side, indie and import on the other,

[TheTravellers]

I can't remember if there was any overlap, time in-between, or if it was a direct move from the the May and Grand location to 23rd.

Having Sound Warehouse and Rainbow catty corner from each was a great combo for awhile. Major label selection on one side, indie and import on the other,

Rainbow started on 23rd/Classen, pretty sure, then they opened the satellite store, co-existing with the 23rd store, on Grand and May. Not sure how long that one lasted.

[bombermwc]

I went to school at OCU from 1999-2002 and it was around at that time. Looking back at the googlemaps pics that only go back to 2007, it was vacuum storage at that time.

I was 00-05, and i was thinking the same thing...."wasn't that a vacuum repair place" lol.

It's a shame it's not been taken better care of. It's in a pretty great spot with super visibility.

[soonerguru]

Late 80s probably, not sure how long it lasted into the 90s. I have great memories of buying tons of stuff almost weekly from Scott (Flaming Lips manager for decades), Jim, and the jazz guy, can't remember his name... I think the Gazette did a cover story on them a loooong time ago, and I think I still have a copy...

I think we must know each other. Too many crossed paths!

[TheTravellers]

https://www.okgazette.com/music/over...ainbow-2951842

It was Jerry that I remember, not Jim (he's another record store guy here in OKC that I'm still friends with), and I believe it was Larry that was the jazz guy. And Scott did move from Classen to the Grand store as his main one, I remember that now...

[TheTravellers]

I think we must know each other. Too many crossed paths!

It's possible, I went to Northeast High from 79-83, started buying records back in the early 70s (lots at Woolco on 63rd/May, some at Wilcox on 23rd, then when I could drive, Rainbow, etc.), started going to shows in 1977 (KISS was my first) and saw many until the early 90s when things started sucking here. Left in 95, came back in 2009.

[Pete]

They now have TWO southbound lanes closed on Classen just before NW 23rd Street.

The jam was bad last night around 7 PM; bet it's loads of fun in the morning commute.

[SEMIweather]

They now have TWO southbound lanes closed on Classen just before NW 23rd Street.

The jam was bad last night around 7 PM; bet it's loads of fun in the morning commute.

They've had those two lanes closed since the start of this project, I think. I drove it exactly one time about a month ago and made a mental note to avoid Classen until I saw a post on here about the construction being done, lol.