A project of the Oklahoma City / County Historical Society
Oklahoma City / County Historical Society
Stories originally posted by Steve Lackmeyer on the classic okchistory.com site.
[youtube_link_card url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6WHZ4UNJj8"]With thousands attending the grand "re-opening" of the Myriad Gardens, let's go back to a great 2004 discussion of the gardens' history between then Mayor Kirk Humphreys…
[youtube_link_card url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO0Zt5WLx2k"]We begin Part Four of the Atkinson series by listening to the man himself. In this interview, brought online for the first time by OKC History with…
W.P. Bill Atkinson was a success by any definition as America entered a period of economic expansion and innovation in the 1950s. Already a successful homebuilder, developer and…
(All photos courtesy of the Atkinson Center)W.P. Bill Atkinson was on the rise as the United States entered World War II in 1941. Not a bashful man, Atkinson…
Several months ago we promised to tell the story of W.P. "Bill" Atkinson - the late publisher of the Oklahoma Journal, gubitorial candidate, earlyday homebuilder, and founder of…
We've written about Automobile Alley before, including a "then and now" sequence of photos showing the area right after the 1995 bombing of the nearby Alfred P. Murrah…
(Rendering from Boulevard Cafeteria collection)ForOklahoma City,DoloresRestaurantis just a memory – another great restaurant that faded away after being a local favorite for decades. But forLos Angeles, the legend…
The folks at Rainbow Chinese Restaurant seem nice enough. But this story isn t about Rainbow Chinese Restaurant it s about a mystery and the restaurant s building…
As we celebrate what perhaps may be the whitest Christmas in Oklahoma City history, what better time to go back in time to when shoppers braved the snow…
Once upon a time there was a depressed stretch of bungalows along NW 23 ... and then something magical happened. Watch this video ... and then learn the…
On the bustling Classen Boulevard, so many stories are awaiting to be told: the Milk Bottle Building, the original Classen Cafeteria, Rainbow Records, Kamps, the Gold Dome, and…
Steve's note: Over 20 years reporting at The Oklahoman I've been blessed to meet people who were truly living history. Whether you like him or not, it's difficult…
HEY KIDS! READ THIS RARE CAPTAIN MARVEL COMIC FOR YOURSELVES HERE! (PDF)With World War II winding to an end, Captain Marvel was flying high as America's most popular…
Terry Taylor, a veteran downtowner and former assistant city planner, has shared these great photos showing the dramatic transformation of Broadway, now known as Automobile Alley. Believe or…
Southwest Monument at 7200 S Western may look pretty mundane these days, but once upon a time it was the launching pad for a major country-western recording artist…
For 18 months, the sign outside the once grand Lincoln Plaza Forum simply read âchange is coming.âBut would the arrival of a new Ramada Inn flag in 2001…
One of the nice things about upgrading is that we can now display videos we weren't able to feature earlier. Here's a video I'm especially proud of -…
Jimmy Burge had a dream – to pack up a frontier town built up as part of Oklahoma’s semi-centennial in 1957 and tu it into a a permanent…
[youtube_link_card url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PINaL7VQds"]The guys over at www.abandonedok.com have posted some great videos recently. One piece of note is their look at Page-Woodson School at NE 6 and High, just…
The Downtowner this week had a headline sure to grab attention in an economy that was clearly in a tailspin July 30, 1984: Å OG&E Sets $22 Million…
Don Rice was looking down in the dumps - even more so than usual. The grizzled old newspaper man had spent 30 years covering downtown Oklahoma City and…
After a quarter century as one of Oklahoma City's most notable chefs, Jacques Orenstein was understandably bitter as he ended his career as a restaurateur. It was January,…
[youtube_link_card url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RukRJoNQ9Wo"] The Bricktown Canal opened July 2, 1999 and was an instant hit with Oklahoma City residents even though, quite frankly, it was truly a ride to…
So where do we start?Over at www.newsok.com, you can catch my story (with great photos and videos) on this week's 10th anniversary of the Bricktown Canal. You can…
Writing about the Century Center Mall is easy for me - it's a part of my life. I was born a New York kid, rooting for the Mets…
The grass was certainly greener than a troublesome rail yard, but the turn to green was without plenty of the other kind of green. This week in OKC…
[youtube_link_card url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KNZUqZuM-E"] Every month a great group of people who first met at www.okctalk.com gather at Coit's at SW 25 and Western. They browse through old yearbooks, sports…
Today's then and now includes a newer photo I took - the one Dennis took was already pretty outdated - and that's a good thing.The three-story building at…
Dennis Church, forgive me, but this was another case of the "now" getting outdated. This restored landmark is yet another example of the preservationists Automobile Alley is blessed…
[youtube_link_card url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaGepghaeys"] KOCO did an entire series of these commercials in 1987. Wouldn't it be great to view one featuring Mick Cornett back in his pre-mayor days when…