Comments on: Sunday Flashback: Deep Deuce

By: Pat Smith

Pat Smith — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:37:30 +0000

In my opinion you can thank Urban Renewal for the demise of Deep Deuce. I lived in the area that now houses the medical center complex just north of Deep Deuce. We considered Deep Deuce a part of our neighborhood. I remember walking to the Aldridge Theater on Saturdays. I remember spending the night with my grandmother and going out on the porch at night and listening to the sounds of Deep Deuce.

Those are wonderful memories of a wonderful time in Oklahoma City. But unfortunately Urban
Renewal entered the picture around 1967 and forced us out of our neighborhood because a highway was being built there (or so they said). I lived one block east of what is now the HSSM. I guess Lincoln Blvd is the highway that Urban Renewal was referring to and it was decades before I-235 was constructed. But we do have a great medical center in my old neighborhood.

An entire community was destroyed by Urban Renewal and Deep Deuce is nothing but a memory now. It will never be anything close to what it once was no matter how hard the people who now own property there try.

By: Casey Cornett

Casey Cornett — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:37:50 +0000

Ron Norick, Lee Allen Smith, Ray Ackerman, George Nigh…

By: slackmeyer

slackmeyer — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:37:06 +0000

A much larger effort that might include what we’re talking about is being organized, Casey. If you want to keep up with news about the group and get links to items relating to OKC History, sign up on twitter to @OKCHistory

By: Casey Cornett

Casey Cornett — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:34:43 +0000

Let’s put together a list of 12 men/women that witnessed specific historical first-hand encounters and have an in-person forum once a month for the calendar year.

Nominations?

By: slackmeyer

slackmeyer — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:24:02 +0000

It was a great experience, Casey. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a group that could host forums where such witnesses to history could speak and visit with those of us interested in OKC history? Maybe, just maybe, we’ll see such a group come into existence in the near future.

By: Casey Cornett

Casey Cornett — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:21:18 +0000

I really wish I could have sat there during this interview. I adore history.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:20:38 +0000

What a tragedy. It’s amazing how short-siqhted our leader have been.

By: Larry

Larry — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:11:16 +0000

By no means a history hound, but I do enjoy reading articles like this. Thanks Steve!

By: Jill

Jill — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:19:12 +0000

It’s sad to read this story, and realize what a true community was here. It’s pretty difficult to recreate that now, although I do see people sitting out on their stoops talking, and Sage, the Wedge and (previously and hopefully again) the Deep Deuce Grill offer opportunities for people to come together.

Yesterday, I saw a football game being played in the open lot between Maywood Brownstones and the Maywood Lofts, and that was nice to see. Maybe this will be a community again, and be able to do some small degree of homage to the vibrancy of the original Deep Deuce.

By: Steve K.

Steve K. — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:39:15 +0000

I’m part of a college football watch-group (Ohio State), and we were very disappointed a few weeks ago when we discovered a sign on the door to Deep Deuce Grill that said it was closed (but would eventually open up again in the near future – we’ll see). We watched games there every time Ohio State played for several years.