Downtown: 1988 vs. Today

[Pete]

Steve Lackmeyer has a nice article about the journey OKC has taken since the dark days of the late 80's, culminating in the soon-to-start NBA finals.

Here is a quick comparison...

I just sent a PM to Spartan about this earlier today; how most people can not begin to appreciate how dire things had become in the second half of the 80's.


At a glance
Downtown OKC, then and now:

Sports franchises
1988: Zero.
2012: RedHawks baseball, Thunder basketball, Barons hockey.

Corporate headquarters with 200-plus workers
1988: Kerr-McGee, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Oklahoma Publishing Co., W&W Steel.
2012: Devon Energy, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Continental Resources, Sonic, SandRidge Energy, Enogex, W&W Steel, American Farmers and Ranchers Insurance.

Restaurants in Bricktown
1988: Piggy's Hickory Pit, 300 E Main (now home to Bricktown Burgers).
2012: Thirty-two restaurants.

Hotels
1988: Sheraton Hotel.
2012: Sheraton Hotel, Skirvin Hilton Hotel, Renaissance Hotel, Colcord Hotel, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, Courtyard by Marriott (an Aloft Hotel is under construction).

Theaters
1988: Zero.
2012: Harkins, 16 screens; Oklahoma City Museum of Art, one independent cinema.

Museums
1988: Zero.
2012: Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, American Banjo Museum.

Multifamily housing
1988: Sycamore Square, Regency Tower.
2012: Sycamore Square, Regency Tower, Legacy at Arts Quarter, Fifth Avenue Lofts, The Garage, Park Harvey Apartments, The Centennial, Deep Deuce Apartments, 2nd Street Lofts, the Brownstones at Maywood Park, Level Urban Apartments, The Hill, Central Avenue Villas, Block 42.


Read more: http://newsok.com/nba-finals-caps-25...#ixzz1xXOC6BOd

[Larry OKC]

Looks like the Blazers hockey didn't happen until '92, but didn't we have the 89ers (Redhawks), granted they hadn't moved to DT yet...

[ljbab728]

The second installment in Steve's series.

http://newsok.com/downtown-oklahoma-...rticle/3683775

[Snowman]

I did not realize the Cavalry started in 1990, granted I was only 10 at the time.

[bombermwc]

And they were pretty good too...we just didn't turn out to watch them.

[Larry OKC]

IIRC, the year they folded/relocated (last I heard, they are in Lawton now), they were the CBA champs??

[ljbab728]

Steve's third installment.

http://newsok.com/risky-bets-paid-of...rticle/3684179

[Fantastic]

Looks like the Blazers hockey didn't happen until '92, but didn't we have the 89ers (Redhawks), granted they hadn't moved to DT yet...

yeah, they were not located downtown in 1988, and the article specified downtown

[Fantastic]

IIRC, the year they folded/relocated (last I heard, they are in Lawton now), they were the CBA champs??

The Cavs folded in 1997 and restarted in 2007 with the intent to play in the new ABA and in Oklahoma City. They moved to Lawton before playing a game that year and changed the name to "Oklahoma Cavalry" (because of the inevitable NBA in OKC, and something about playing at OCU and the university pulling support). Ended up in the CBA and won the championship 08 and 09 (that being the last year the CBA existed). Changed the name to the Lawton/Ft. Sill Cavalry right before the finals in 08... When the CBA folded they ended up in the PBL (Premier Basketball League) where they won yet another title in 2010... the story gets all screwed up in 2011 when they ended up in the finals again against the Rochester Razorsharks (again), tis time with the Razorsharks winning an extremely controversial finals (132 free throws for Rochester vs. 47 for Lawton)... essentially the games were fixed, and after the finals all the teams left the league except Rochester. The Cavs ultimately folded, saying that there was not a suitable league as the ABA has a structure more indicitive of semi-pro with a much lower level of play, and no other league between that level and the level of the D-League anywhere close geographically.

Very sad to see them go out like that...

[Larry OKC]

Thanks for the info, didn't realize there was a 10 year gap...sort of similar to the gap the Blazers had here

[ljbab728]

Steve's next installment.

http://newsok.com/loss-of-kerr-mcgee...rticle/3684493

[Spartan]

Steve Lackmeyer has a nice article about the journey OKC has taken since the dark days of the late 80's, culminating in the soon-to-start NBA finals.

Here is a quick comparison...

I just sent a PM to Spartan about this earlier today; how most people can not begin to appreciate how dire things had become in the second half of the 80's.


At a glance
Downtown OKC, then and now:

Sports franchises
1988: Zero.
2012: RedHawks baseball, Thunder basketball, Barons hockey.

Corporate headquarters with 200-plus workers
1988: Kerr-McGee, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Oklahoma Publishing Co., W&W Steel.
2012: Devon Energy, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Continental Resources, Sonic, SandRidge Energy, Enogex, W&W Steel, American Farmers and Ranchers Insurance.

Restaurants in Bricktown
1988: Piggy's Hickory Pit, 300 E Main (now home to Bricktown Burgers).
2012: Thirty-two restaurants.

Hotels
1988: Sheraton Hotel.
2012: Sheraton Hotel, Skirvin Hilton Hotel, Renaissance Hotel, Colcord Hotel, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, Courtyard by Marriott (an Aloft Hotel is under construction).

Theaters
1988: Zero.
2012: Harkins, 16 screens; Oklahoma City Museum of Art, one independent cinema.

Museums
1988: Zero.
2012: Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Oklahoma City Museum of Art, American Banjo Museum.

Multifamily housing
1988: Sycamore Square, Regency Tower.
2012: Sycamore Square, Regency Tower, Legacy at Arts Quarter, Fifth Avenue Lofts, The Garage, Park Harvey Apartments, The Centennial, Deep Deuce Apartments, 2nd Street Lofts, the Brownstones at Maywood Park, Level Urban Apartments, The Hill, Central Avenue Villas, Block 42.


Read more: http://newsok.com/nba-finals-caps-25...#ixzz1xXOC6BOd

These are all things that a city of 300,000 people should have in its downtown, except obviously the Thunder. By saying that I don't mean to diminish the dire straits of the 80s, but rather add on to the dialog.

I like to think of OKC in the 80s as Detroit on the Plains, worse off than almost any other city in the country at that time. Not drastic enough?

[Steve]

Thanks for reading guys.

[ljbab728]

Thanks for reading guys.

Thanks for writing, Steve.

Here's your last chapter.


http://newsok.com/oklahoma-citys-ris...financial-news