Oklahoma City parking trust policy threatens hall’s location

 
By Steve Lackmeyer | Published: February 3, 2009    Comment on this article Leave a comment
photo - Ample vacant space is the norm at the city’s Santa Fe Parking Garage.  Photo by Steve Lackmeyer, the oklahoman
Ample vacant space is the norm at the city’s Santa Fe Parking Garage. Photo by Steve Lackmeyer, the oklahoman

When city fathers were dreaming up plans for a new downtown, the International Photography Hall of Fame was a big part of their vision. They hired internationally renowned architect I.M. Pei in the 1960s to draw up plans that included a Tivoli Gardens-style park — what we now know as the Myriad Gardens.

And a look back at those old plans shows the International Photography Hall of Fame in the heart of it all.

Plans change, of course, and while the organization did eventually make Oklahoma City its home in 1983, that home ended up being in the Omniplex (now known as Science Museum Oklahoma).

The organization has spent the past two years trying to find a new home downtown — and was very interested in ground floor retail space at the Santa Fe Parking Garage.

At first glance, the arrangement sounded promising. The International Photography Hall of Fame had the money for renovations, but was in need of space that would either be free or very, very cheap.

The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA), meanwhile, had space that had gone empty for a number of years.

A deal between the two could have brought some life to one of downtown’s darkest retail corridors and added another attraction to draw visitors to the heart of the city.

Page 1 of 2






Leave a Comment

Thank you for joining our conversation on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy. Please help by flagging comments that violate these guidelines. Posts that contain obscene or vulgar language will be immediately flagged and not posted.

If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.

Would you like to leave a comment?

Log in or sign up (it's free).

comments powered by Disqus


Woman is 53 But Looks 24
Mom reveals simple wrinkle secret that has angered doctors...
ConsumerLifestyles.org
53-Year-Old Mom Looks 27
Follow this 1 weird tip and remove 20 years of wrinkles in 21 days.
SmartConsumerMagazine.com

Business Photo Galleriesview all