New State Fair Coliseum

[Pete]

[Laramie]

Nice pics, Pete, again thanks for sharing.

Just a reminder of the iconic structures lost over the last three decades:

Grand Stands
The Arch
Monorail
All Sports Stadium
Space Tower 330 feet

Would be nice to replace the Space Tower with something in excess of 500 feet.

[PhiAlpha]

Nice pics, Pete, again thanks for sharing.

Just a reminder of the iconic structures lost over the last three decades:

Grand Stands
The Arch
Monorail
All Sports Stadium
Space Tower 330 feet

Would be nice to replace the Space Tower with something in excess of 500 feet.

Yeah add the bombers/planes and the cool old house that used to be out there...then was moved to a big vacant lot but the owner let it get run down and demo'd it last year.

Losing the only things that made the fair grounds unique kinda sucks. Tulsa still at least has the Golden Driller.

[Pete]

I went and walked all over this past week and other than the carnival and food places, there isn't much to see.

Absolutely nothing on the fairgrounds itself other than concrete and plain buildings. I think the only way to do it is to go on a night when they have a band you want to see, drink several beers and eat a bunch of crap.

I was surprised, even the auto show was really meager... Only Kia, Hyundai, Toyota and Ford.


And why are there 347 hot tub vendors??

[PhiAlpha]

I went and walked all over this past week and other than the carnival and food places, there isn't much to see.

Absolutely nothing on the fairgrounds itself other than concrete and plain buildings. I think the only way to do it is to go on a night when they have a band you want to see, drink several beers and eat a bunch of crap.

I was surprised, even the auto show was really meager... Only Kia, Hyundai, Toyota and Ford.


And why are there 347 hot tub vendors??

Did you have any trouble finding one of the 52 Mattress Firm locations?

[jn1780]

Did you have any trouble finding one of the 52 Mattress Firm locations?

Or the 50 massage chair vendors.

[mugofbeer]

Nice pics, Pete, again thanks for sharing.

Just a reminder of the iconic structures lost over the last three decades:

Grand Stands
The Arch
Monorail
All Sports Stadium
Space Tower 330 feet

Would be nice to replace the Space Tower with something in excess of 500 feet.

I still want to see an 800 foot oil derrick.

[scottk]

Just a reminder of the iconic structures lost over the last three decades:

Grand Stands
The Arch
Monorail
All Sports Stadium
Space Tower 330 feet

In all fairness, most of these structures fell into disrepair or were impacted by weather. The Grand Stands/Speedway were in pretty bad shape in the final years, The arch was blown over by a thunderstorm in 2017, in all the years I went to State Fair park I never saw the monorail working, All Sports Stadium was replaced by a much nicer Bricktown Ballpark, and the Space Tower flooded in 2010 due to the submerged plaza at its base.

We went to State Fair Arena this past week, and yup, you can tell its in its final act. It's amazing how the single narrow concourse and amenity infrastructure has lasted this long.

As for a 500 foot tower or other landmark, I think it would be a private donation in the style of public art donated to the Fair Park.

Visiting Tulsa's Expo Square and Fairgrounds over the years, they seem to have done a better job in preserving the buildings instead of building new from the ground up, they have renovated existing structures. Tulsa also has a concrete jungle of surface parking surrounding all of their fair buildings.

[Pete]

BTW, what is up with the cinnamon rolls?

I went on a weekday afternoon and there had to be 200 people in that line.

https://www.instagram.com/silverdoll...essions/?hl=en

[Urbanized]

It’s been that way since at least the early 80s. In fairness they are REALLY good.

[jn1780]

In all fairness, most of these structures fell into disrepair or were impacted by weather. The Grand Stands/Speedway were in pretty bad shape in the final years, The arch was blown over by a thunderstorm in 2017, in all the years I went to State Fair park I never saw the monorail working, All Sports Stadium was replaced by a much nicer Bricktown Ballpark, and the Space Tower flooded in 2010 due to the submerged plaza at its base.

We went to State Fair Arena this past week, and yup, you can tell its in its final act. It's amazing how the single narrow concourse and amenity infrastructure has lasted this long.

As for a 500 foot tower or other landmark, I think it would be a private donation in the style of public art donated to the Fair Park.

Visiting Tulsa's Expo Square and Fairgrounds over the years, they seem to have done a better job in preserving the buildings instead of building new from the ground up, they have renovated existing structures. Tulsa also has a concrete jungle of surface parking surrounding all of their fair buildings.

It's not really about keeping the old structures, it's that they didn't replace them with anything really that unique and interesting.

[HOT ROD]

In all fairness, most of these structures fell into disrepair or were impacted by weather. The Grand Stands/Speedway were in pretty bad shape in the final years, The arch was blown over by a thunderstorm in 2017, in all the years I went to State Fair park I never saw the monorail working, All Sports Stadium was replaced by a much nicer Bricktown Ballpark, and the Space Tower flooded in 2010 due to the submerged plaza at its base.

We went to State Fair Arena this past week, and yup, you can tell its in its final act. It's amazing how the single narrow concourse and amenity infrastructure has lasted this long.

As for a 500 foot tower or other landmark, I think it would be a private donation in the style of public art donated to the Fair Park.

Visiting Tulsa's Expo Square and Fairgrounds over the years, they seem to have done a better job in preserving the buildings instead of building new from the ground up, they have renovated existing structures. Tulsa also has a concrete jungle of surface parking surrounding all of their fair buildings.

In even more fairness, the state fair board LET those attractions fall into disrepair (assumingly purposefully) so it became cost prohibitive to fix and operate them. That is the issue moreso than the loss themselves - that the fair board let it happen rather than being good public stewards while realizing end-of-life decisions and replacements.

From the pics one can see the fair is a shell of its former self, largely and chiefly due to the loss of the monuments and venues left to rot then demo'd. The ONLY one I agree with is the one that actually got replaced, 'All Sports' Stadium for Bricktown Ballpark. ...

Is Frontier City now larger than the fair?

[Dob Hooligan]

In even more fairness, the state fair board LET those attractions fall into disrepair (assumingly purposefully) so it became cost prohibitive to fix and operate them. That is the issue moreso than the loss themselves - that the fair board let it happen rather than being good public stewards while realizing end-of-life decisions and replacements.

From the pics one can see the fair is a shell of its former self, largely and chiefly due to the loss of the monuments and venues left to rot then demo'd. The ONLY one I agree with is the one that actually got replaced, 'All Sports' Stadium for Bricktown Ballpark. ...

Is Frontier City now larger than the fair?

I disagree.

Times change. The Oklahoma City metro decided they did not want stock car racing in the middle of town anymore. The monorail usually operated 2-3 weeks a year and drew maybe 10-15,000 riders. It was bumpy, with no HVAC, hazy plexiglass windows, and just not much fun for today's population. The Space Needle was another mid-century attraction that just didn't have much "sizzle" in modern terms. Besides it always seemed to smell slightly like vomit IIRC.

The Fair Board decided they no longer wanted to be the dumping ground of all the metro's "trinkets" that other organizations wanted to get rid of, but feared the pushback. Especially since they ALL came with zero funding for upkeep. Airplanes, trains and old houses were all rotting and rusting relics that were in the way and ignored the vast majority of the time.

The State Fair of Oklahoma is doing just fine. When I drive by on my way home every evening, the parking lots are full out to 10th Street, and the street is still backed up with traffic. Pretty much like it has been for the 40 years I have been in the area.

The Fair Board does a good job of operating a complex that is busy 50 weeks a year.

And...State Fairs just ain't what they used to be. Just like County Fairs

[mugofbeer]

All of this is true, but it is also true they could have done a lot more of both.

[Swake]

Visiting Tulsa's Expo Square and Fairgrounds over the years, they seem to have done a better job in preserving the buildings instead of building new from the ground up, they have renovated existing structures. Tulsa also has a concrete jungle of surface parking surrounding all of their fair buildings.

Tulsa has restored and preserved the Expo Building and the Pavilion. But outside of the those two basically every single other building at Tulsa's fairgrounds has been torn down and mostly replaced starting with Vision 2025 bond issue.

[whatitis]

BTW, what is up with the cinnamon rolls?

I went on a weekday afternoon and there had to be 200 people in that line.

https://www.instagram.com/silverdoll...essions/?hl=en

They usually have 2 stands (maybe 3, but I know 2 for sure) and this year only 1 so if you wanted one, which they are really good. then you have to wait in that long line (I did)

[warreng88]

My wife and I were talking about how we really liked Disney on Ice and taking our daughter to it, but hated that it was at the arena during the state fair. Is there any hope that with the new arena, in the coming years, it will be not during the fair? I looked at about 20 other cities hosting it and really only OKC and Tulsa are hosting it during the fair. Maybe that is the major selling point for some people?

[scottk]

My wife and I were talking about how we really liked Disney on Ice and taking our daughter to it, but hated that it was at the arena during the state fair. Is there any hope that with the new arena, in the coming years, it will be not during the fair? I looked at about 20 other cities hosting it and really only OKC and Tulsa are hosting it during the fair. Maybe that is the major selling point for some people?

I think the new arena will still support an ice rink? To someone with more knowledge about the ice shows at the State Fair, does Disney on ice bring their own portable rink, or is it included within the rider of the show that the State Fair Arena can support it with the proper piping and other infrastructure needed?

I think it's built into the fair schedule since the demographic it targets is already at the fair (families with kids). I believe at the end of this week the exact same show hits the road for the Tulsa State Fair.

However, if Disney on Ice was to come another time of the year, I think it would still be successful given the appeal and brand recognition.

[jn1780]

I think the new arena will still support an ice rink? To someone with more knowledge about the ice shows at the State Fair, does Disney on ice bring their own portable rink, or is it included within the rider of the show that the State Fair Arena can support it with the proper piping and other infrastructure needed?

I think it's built into the fair schedule since the demographic it targets is already at the fair (families with kids). I believe at the end of this week the exact same show hits the road for the Tulsa State Fair.

However, if Disney on Ice was to come another time of the year, I think it would still be successful given the appeal and brand recognition.

The show brings their own ice equipment. They also bring support columns to support the lighting and sound truss structures since there are no rafters to hang them from. This limits some specific aerial types of acts that the show does in other cities. Plus, you 4 columns partially blocking peoples views.


I think the fair uses Disney on Ice to bring more people to the fair. So I think people would have to convince the show to not come during the fair or convince the fair to give up the show.

[Pete]

[Laramie]

How about a Landmark 900 foot tower comparable the ones in NBA cities like Toronto, San Antonio and Dallas.

$75 million could build a huge 900 foot high Space Tower (City's tallest structure) equipped with a restaurant/observation deck on top alongside the new DT arena. See if it can be privately funded with the city providing an incentive or TIF funds (if qualify) for an iconic structure that could help with tourism. Partner with the zoo to get the Aquarium built as part of an 'OKC 900 foot Tower' next to the proposed new multimillion dollar downtown arena.

[MagzOK]

^^
I think that's a superb idea.

[mugofbeer]

But shaped like an old oil derrick! ��

[Bunty]

How about a Landmark 900 foot tower comparable the ones in NBA cities like Toronto, San Antonio and Dallas.

$75 million could build a huge 900 foot high Space Tower (City's tallest structure) equipped with a restaurant/observation deck on top alongside the new DT arena. See if it can be privately funded with the city providing an incentive or TIF funds (if qualify) for an iconic structure that could help with tourism. Partner with the zoo to get the Aquarium built as part of an 'OKC 900 foot Tower' next to the proposed new multimillion dollar downtown arena.

I wish rich people would be more generous with their money. Maybe most of their wealth is measured in real assets, rather than cash in the bank.

[Teo9969]

I wish rich people would be more generous with their money. Maybe most of their wealth is measured in real assets, rather than cash in the bank.

I mean, that is how it's measured. Many billionaires are that due to stocks and if they were to sell en masse they'd 1, get hit with the tax bill and 2, probably tank the stock during the sale which would bring their actual value down. They also end up but buying longer term, less liquid assets as a way to protect that wealth.

I don't necessarily disagree with the sentiment, but it's not as simple as taking from multi-hundred-millions piles of cash.