Southeast 29th Street and Mid-America Boulevard
Midwest City, Oklahoma
Noteworthy as the model for many of America's post-World War II suburban developments, Midwest City, Oklahoma sprang up from wheat fields in the years during and immediately after the global conflict of the 1940s.
William Paul ("Bill") Atkinson became privy to information concerning a prospective Army Air Corps base that was to be located on the outskirts of Oklahoma City. Taking advantage of the situation, he began secretly purchasing land on the east side of the capital in 1941, near a large expanse of property he felt would be perfect for the new air terminal.
His hunch was on the mark. The Midwest Air Depot was indeed built on the site he had selected. The adjacent 200 acres he acquired would be expanded and developed as a residential community for servicemen and their families. The project would be named Midwest City, as a homage to the new Midwest Air Depot. Construction on its first homes commenced in April 1942.
The planned city was designed by Seward H. Mott, Director of the Federal Housing Administration's Land Planning Division. It featured curvilinear residential streets and cul-de-sacs, all separated from the broad thoroughfares that carried residents to and from the air base.
Oklahoma's trendsetting planned community received a great deal of coverage from the press. It was incorporated, as Midwest City, on March 11, 1943. The name of the Midwest Air Depot was officially changed to Tinker Air Force Base on January 13, 1948. However, Midwest City retained its original moniker.
Amenities for suburban life, such as schools and churches, were provided as the city developed. Moreover, a center city shopping hub was built. Known as ATKINSON PLAZA, it was developed by W.P. and H.B. Atkinson and designed by Bruce W. Berry. It was situated on a 22.1-acre parcel located 6.8 miles southeast of the Oklahoma State House.
The complex, which consisted of West Plaza and East Plaza semicircular sections, was built in phases. The first, encompassing eight stores and services, was completed between May and August of 1943. In the original group of tenants were the American State Bank, Bomber Inn Cafe, Conrad-Marr Drug Company, Midwest City Beauty & Barber Shop, Bill's Fine Pastries, Mills Cleaners, the (9,300 square foot) Humpty Dumpty Supermarket and (5,300 square foot) T. G. & Y. 5 & 10.
These were followed by Tubb Rexall Drug, C.R. Anthony Company, Buster Brown Shoes, Midwest Furniture, the Olive Dyer Dress Shop, a Phillips 66 Super Service Station, (22,500 square foot) Stockton's Dry Goods, US Post Office and an upper level of office suites. The Barton Skytrain Theatre, a 972-seat venue, showed its first feature on November 3, 1944. By this time, there were eighteen stores and services in operation.
A freestanding building, housing the Midwest Motor Company, was constructed at the far end of the West Plaza structure. It was completed in July 1945. The area between this new auto dealership and existing PLAZA were eventually filled in.
Seward H. Mott designed the addition. It would include a 2-level (18,300 square foot) J.C. Penney and (10,000 square foot) T. G. & Y. 5 & 10 (a replacement for the circa-1943 store). Penney's welcomed its first shoppers on January 8, 1957. When all construction was completed, ATKINSON PLAZA encompassed approximately 170,000 leasable square feet and contained thirty-seven stores and services.
Plans for the Tinker Diagonal, an expressway to connect Midwest City, ATKINSON PLAZA and Oklahoma City, were announced in March 1954. The first segment of the thoroughfare followed an east-west route and opened to traffic on March 18, 1962. Before its completion, it had been incorporated into the route of Interstate 40.
HERITAGE PARK MALL {1.9 miles northwest of ATKINSON PLAZA} opened for business in October 1978. For a time, it was the preeminent shopping venue in the eastern environs of Oklahoma City, usurping ATKINSON PLAZA.
The official name of the center city retail facility was changed to DOWNTOWN TINKER PLAZA in 1980. It was given an exterior face lift. Unfortunately, this renovation failed to curb the decline of the complex. By the late 1990s, it had become a rundown and virtually vacant property.
Midwest City, under the auspices of the Midwest Hospital Authority, joined forces with OKC-based Sooner Investment to redevelop the "dilapidated commercial structures" that now stood at the gateway to their community. A total of 83 acres were acquired. This included the entirety of ATKINSON (DOWNTOWN TINKER) PLAZA and 182 single-family homes in its vicinity.
Tenants still in operation in the World War II-vintage shopping center were being relocated in early 2002. Langston's, an ATKINSON PLAZA tenant since 1944, was one of the final operational stores. They moved out of the complex on July 1, 2002. A wrecking ball was brought in in September 2003. By December, the PLAZA was gone. Lowe's Home Improvement and Target were announced, as the first tenants of a new power center, in February 2004. Construction of the facility got underway in March 2005.
TOWN CENTER PLAZA was implemented in three phases. The first included a (116,000 square foot) Lowe's, (125,000 square foot) Target and (88,400 square foot) Kohl's. Lowe's held its grand opening in September 2005. Kohl's was dedicated on October 6th, with Target commencing operation on October 9th.
Plans for the Tinker Diagonal, an expressway to connect Midwest City, ATKINSON PLAZA and Oklahoma City, were announced in March 1954. The first segment of the thoroughfare followed an east-west route and opened to traffic on March 18, 1962. Before its completion, it had been incorporated into the route of Interstate 40.
HERITAGE PARK MALL {1.9 miles northwest of ATKINSON PLAZA} opened for business in October 1978. For a time, it was the preeminent shopping venue in the eastern environs of Oklahoma City, usurping ATKINSON PLAZA.
The official name of the center city retail facility was changed to DOWNTOWN TINKER PLAZA in 1980. It was given an exterior face lift. Unfortunately, this renovation failed to curb the decline of the complex. By the late 1990s, it had become a rundown and virtually vacant property.
Midwest City, under the auspices of the Midwest Hospital Authority, joined forces with OKC-based Sooner Investment to redevelop the "dilapidated commercial structures" that now stood at the gateway to their community. A total of 83 acres were acquired. This included the entirety of ATKINSON (DOWNTOWN TINKER) PLAZA and 182 single-family homes in its vicinity.
Tenants still in operation in the World War II-vintage shopping center were being relocated in early 2002. Langston's, an ATKINSON PLAZA tenant since 1944, was one of the final operational stores. They moved out of the complex on July 1, 2002. A wrecking ball was brought in in September 2003. By December, the PLAZA was gone. Lowe's Home Improvement and Target were announced, as the first tenants of a new power center, in February 2004. Construction of the facility got underway in March 2005.
TOWN CENTER PLAZA was implemented in three phases. The first included a (116,000 square foot) Lowe's, (125,000 square foot) Target and (88,400 square foot) Kohl's. Lowe's held its grand opening in September 2005. Kohl's was dedicated on October 6th, with Target commencing operation on October 9th.
The second phase of store openings added a (30,000 square foot) Best Buy, Panera Bread and freestanding East Shops and West Shops store blocks. A (97,400 square foot) J.C. Penney welcomed its first shoppers on August 3, 2007. Phase Three, which included a (20,000 square foot) PetSmart, (10,000 square foot) Ulta Beauty and (98,500 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods, was dedicated between 2008 and 2012.
The fully-realized, 40 million dollar power plaza encompassed around 748,600 leasable square feet and contained fifty stores and services. Its eleven outparcels included Santa Fe Cattle Company, Chili's Grill & Bar, Steak & Shake, Firestone Tire & Auto and Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom.
Sources:
The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City)
The fully-realized, 40 million dollar power plaza encompassed around 748,600 leasable square feet and contained fifty stores and services. Its eleven outparcels included Santa Fe Cattle Company, Chili's Grill & Bar, Steak & Shake, Firestone Tire & Auto and Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom.
Sources:
The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City)
The Journal Record (Oklahoma City)
http://www.flickr.com/photos / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center
"Final Report Reconnaissance Level Architectural Survey of the Original Mile" - City of Midwest City / August 31, 1992
http://digital.library.okstate.edu
http://newsok.com
http://digitalprairie.ok.gov
http://www.parisprojects.com
http://www.soonerinvestment.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center
"Final Report Reconnaissance Level Architectural Survey of the Original Mile" - City of Midwest City / August 31, 1992
http://digital.library.okstate.edu
http://newsok.com
http://digitalprairie.ok.gov
http://www.parisprojects.com
http://www.soonerinvestment.com
"Midwest City" article on Wikipedia
