Comments on: Imagine Main Street 1950, Imagine Main Street 2020

By: Jo Ann Lowrance

Jo Ann Lowrance — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:20:32 +0000

What I have said about the “remake” of downtown OKC is “they took all our memories away.” OKC was the only city we knew, living 20 miles E. in the 1940. Gone are the Criterian, the Harbor, both great movie theatres. There were department stores, drug stores, Sears, Montgomery Wards, El Charito, (corner of Main & the street the Municipal Auditorium was on) my first Mexican food dining experience as a Midwst City high school home making class student treated to a trip to OKC just for that purpose. We saw Elvis 1956 at the Municipal Auditorium.
As I said… no memories when I drive downtown OKC; it doesn’t look the same.
And my opinion of a lot of people calling OKC “Oak” now is please don’t. It sounds like a country slang and Oklahoma City is not country.
Repectfully, Jo Ann

By: ed crunk

ed crunk — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:13:55 +0000

we threw a bad ass party in the late 90′s in that old department store.

By: Jeffrey

Jeffrey — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:01:54 +0000

How about the “Barons” sign restored and Prodigal Hockey move into part of that building?

By: Jeff M. Bezdek

Jeff M. Bezdek — Thu, 19 May 2011 20:03:42 +0000

Great photo’s! That one really helps me understand what was going on with the streetcar at the Sheridan/Walker intersection!

By: Michael Herndon

Michael Herndon — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:29:48 +0000

No, the facade is still largely intact with Harbour Longmire. The portion depicted that looks like ugly modern stucco, was always a very blank wall on the building. I think it was in anticipation of another building possibly being built directly beside it, thus obscuring that side of the building and any architectural details that side may have held.

Wish they did wrap the building in a complete facade, because it looks like nothing of significant size was ever built east and west of it. Makes those blank walls look even more apparent.

By: Will

Will — Thu, 19 May 2011 06:03:49 +0000

Yes, Harbour Longmire aka Main Place.

http://www.dougloudenback.com/downtown/okc48.htm

By: MIkeOKC

MIkeOKC — Thu, 19 May 2011 04:43:23 +0000

Great video, great pix, great stuff. I like your thinking on this. Without living, standing connections to our city’s past, there becomes a fine balance between real urban energy and – sterility.

By: Larry in OKC

Larry in OKC — Thu, 19 May 2011 04:40:34 +0000

Kewl ideas….

Have a question…in the recent photos, the building to the right, is it the same building in the old pic (Harbour-Lon,,) with a ugly modern facade clading? Like what happened with the India Temple?

By: Will

Will — Thu, 19 May 2011 03:11:36 +0000

I’ve imagined the same thing. At OKCTalk, it was mentioned that the “Carpenter Square” building had columns capped off on the roof, as if it were meant to be a taller building. I don’t see why someone couldn’t restore the old exterior and add some more floors. Buildings are only what people choose to make of them. Why needlessly destroy a connection to the past when you have something already there that’s unique?

By the way, I have a piece of the crumbling checkered tile that had fallen off, no doubt to the vibrations and movement of construction next door. I know it’s not original, but it would have been tossed in the trash.

Thanks so much for linking to the original video. I hope this, and you blogging about it will bring some awareness.