John Belt Passes

[ljbab728]

Oklahoma City developer John Belt dies at age 76 | News OK

A great loss for OKC in many ways.

[USG'60]

Amen!

[mkjeeves]

John Belt, a longtime advocate of arts, education, the philanthropic community and developer of Oklahoma City's Paseo neighborhood, died Sunday morning after a brief bout with cancer. He was 76.

Oklahoma City developer John Belt dies at age 76 | News OK

Bigger than life.

[Praedura]

Last summer, John Belt (along with his wife Joy) gave a presentation on the Paseo district in the Mayor's Development Roundtable.

The whole MDR was recorded and placed on YouTube, in 6 parts. Part 5, the 'Lightning Round', included John's presentation:

Mayor's Development Roundtable 2012 - Part 5 of 6 - YouTube

He's the second speaker (after Anthony McDermid). So watch from about 7:41 - 14:46 to see the Paseo section.

This was likely one of his last public appearances. One of the comments he made:

I think that Larry could have built eight Devon towers in the period of time it's taken us
to fool with this little street and make it an arts district. But that's a part of the game,
it's for creating a district where artists can be, and where artists can have a purpose in their
own lives, with all these galleries

Well, long before the Devon Tower, long before the boathouse district, long before the Thunder, long before the canal and redevelopment of Bricktown, long before... practically everything else...
John Belt was quietly, diligently working on the Paseo district... year after year, decade after decade.

Thanks John.

[Praedura]

RIP John Belt



Photo from Doug Loudenback's 2010 article:
Doug Dawgz Blog: 2010 Paseo Arts Awards

[kevinpate]

Good peeps the Belts.

[Praedura]

John Belt, Paseo pioneer, leaves Oklahoma City a masterpiece | News OK

[UnFrSaKn]

Legacy: John Belt and The Paseo | OKC Central

[Doug Loudenback]

Last summer, John Belt (along with his wife Joy) gave a presentation on the Paseo district in the Mayor's Development Roundtable.

The whole MDR was recorded and placed on YouTube, in 6 parts. Part 5, the 'Lightning Round', included John's presentation:

Mayor's Development Roundtable 2012 - Part 5 of 6 - YouTube

He's the second speaker (after Anthony McDermid). So watch from about 7:41 - 14:46 to see the Paseo section.

This was likely one of his last public appearances. One of the comments he made:

Well, long before the Devon Tower, long before the boathouse district, long before the Thunder, long before the canal and redevelopment of Bricktown, long before... practically everything else...
John Belt was quietly, diligently working on the Paseo district... year after year, decade after decade.

Thanks John.

I quite agree. I've posted Doug Dawgz Blog: John Lampton Belt, 1936-2013 as a testament/memorial to what Mr. Belt did and was doing for our city. He will be sorely missed by the living.

[Steve]

Beautiful work, Doug. Thanks.

[RadicalModerate]

I have always admired what Mr. Belt accomplished in the Paseo area. When I first moved here, I delivered lumber all over the city. One day I accidentally discovered that amazing little area. Although, at that time, it was extremely run-down and may have looked like a candidate for the wrecker's ball, its uniqueness was still striking. Having a major role in its restoration is one of many gifts that this gentleman left for all of us.

[Praedura]

I quite agree. I've posted Doug Dawgz Blog: John Lampton Belt, 1936-2013 as a testament/memorial to what Mr. Belt did and was doing for our city. He will be sorely missed by the living.

Thanks for the post, Doug.

I appreciate the info and photos about the Paseo Plunge, which was Belt's last project (and still ongoing).

From this:







To this:















Photos from Doug Dawgz Blog: John Lampton Belt, 1936-2013