Bricktown – The Book
Forgive me if this comes off as a bit self-promotional – but I’m pretty giddy today and I want to share the news that I’ve received my first advance copy of my second book, “Bricktown.” The book is being released on Jan. 19 by Arcadia Publishing and it features more than 180 images of Bricktown from territorial days to present. Many of the photos have never been published. I’ll let you know next week about signings.
Here’s a description from Arcadia’s website:
From the moment 10,000 settlers descended upon Oklahoma Station in 1889 and declared it Oklahoma City, the land surrounding the depot was destined to become the new community’s hub of commerce. The wholesale district was first home to massive cotton operations. Wholesale grocers, livery stables, and hardware and implement distributors followed, building up sturdy brick edifices in the years leading up to
Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907. Almost every major railroad line dissected the area, which was once bordered to the south and east by the
North Canadian River, and by World War I, oil derricks were popping up like trees. By the 1970s, the once proud wholesale district was a ghost town. But most of the old brick buildings and streets had survived the ravages of time. Developers just as ambitious as the city’s early settlers rechristened the area Bricktown, and a city seeking to reclaim its past spent millions adding a canal, ballpark, and other improvements that have made Bricktown a popular regional entertainment district.
Author Bio: Bricktown features never-before-published photographs of the district’s earliest years. In his 18 years as an Oklahoman reporter, Steve Lackmeyer has spent much of his career covering Bricktown’s revival. He is also the coauthor of OKC Second Time Around: A Renaissance Story and cohosts OKCHistory.com.
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Comments
Where’s my “advance copy?” Anyhow, Steve, just curious but wondering what made you choose that photo for the cover versus say a Brick Warehouse or building or something more recognizable in Bricktown. Not a criticism, just sheer curiosity.
when I was a little girl we traveled by train at least once/year to OK City. Is this the same depot we would have come into from the Bartlesville area? I’m 67 now and live in CA.
Steve, any idea where people might be able to pick it up on February 5th, perhaps at an official book signing?
Steven, regarding the cover choice … author’s preferences are subservient those of Arcadia’s editors, at least that was my experience with Springlake … Arcadia’s editors like PEOPLE on the cover … human interest, I guess … and I think it’s as simple as that. Steve will chime in here if he sees it differently. That said, the choice made by Steve and Arcadia results in a great cover which combines people AND an event that occurred in the warehouse district.
Peggy, I’m not sure which station you traveled through, but I have photos of all of the Bricktown/Wholesale District stations in the book. Steven, Doug is right about the cover. That having been said, I like it. It wasn’t my first choice, but I think it surprises people. It’s clearly not what you would have expected, so in that sense, I believe it’s already a success.
There are signings being set up – the most interesting one will be Feb. 5 at Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Emporium where I, along with Jim Cowan, director of the Bricktown Association, will discuss Bricktown’s past, present and future. The presentation and book signing will also include a rarely seen 10-minute video of late Bricktown founder Neal Horton providing a tour of the area in 1983 and discussing his vision.
More info Peggy: the stations that went through the wholesale district/Bricktown were the Frisco, KATY, Rock Island and Santa Fe.
Way to go, Steve! I can’t wait to get a copy!