Oklahoma City School Board approves site for downtown elementary

After months of analyzing a dozen sites for the $11.1 million downtown elementary school, a task force recommended the city block on the southwest corner of Sheridan and Walker avenues.

“Of the four sites that we considered to be all excellent candidates for the school, one involved an unwilling seller so we x-ed it out,” said Anthony McDermid, principal architect with TAP Architecture, the Oklahoma City firm selected to design the school.

The other two sites were the Century Center Plaza retail space and the historic Central High School building, which has been redeveloped into office space.

After scrutinizing why the Central High School at 817 N Robinson, wasn't the top choice, the Oklahoma City School Board voted unanimously in favor of the approximately 2.5 acre lot owned by the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority.

“A lot of us had a real love affair with Central High School,” said Gail Vines one of three board members who served on the task force.

“We discussed bringing in the administration into the space. ... When it came down to dollar amounts, it became pretty scary.”

In 2001, voters approved a $700 million sales tax and bond issue package that called for almost every school in the district to be rebuilt and for several new high schools and elementary schools to be constructed.

An elementary school downtown was promised to voters in the package, and it is the last school project in MAPS for Kids.

As with all MAPS for Kids decisions, both the Oklahoma City Council and the Oklahoma City MAPS Trust also must approve the proposed site for the school before negotiations with the owner can begin.