Midwest City, Oklahoma's Atkinson Plaza

The Sooner State's planned community on the prairie came into being in 1942. Its trendsetting design generated a great deal of publicity and inspired large-scale, post-war developments such as Levittown {New York}, Levittown {Pennsylvania}, Park Forest {Illinois} and Lakewood {California}. In 1951, Midwest City was designated America's Model City...as the sign attests.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

A circa-1943 aerial view of Midwest City, with its fledgling city center shopping hub in the foreground. The initial incarnation of the planned city, now referred to as the Original Mile, encompassed a square mile, or 640 acres. Today, the sprawling prairie town takes in 24.6 square miles, or 15,744 acres.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

A 1950s Midwest City street scene. In the early days, before all of its thoroughfares were paved, the town was derisively known as "Mudwest City."
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

A Humpty Dumpty supermarket was the first operational store at the MIDWEST CITY BUSINESS DISTRICT (a provisional name for the defacto downtown area). By late 1943, the fledgling shopping complex was being promoted as ATKINSON PLAZA.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

Humpty Dumpty Store Number 11 opened for business in May 1943.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

The American State Bank was another charter tenant at ATKINSON PLAZA.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

The doors of the financial institution opened in June 1943.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

The Humpty Dumpty grocery was at the rear of an original West Plaza structure. This full frontal view shows four other West Plaza stores, all of which opened for business in July 1943. From left-to-right, they are TG & Y, Beauty & Barber Shop, Bill's Fine Pastries and Conrad-Marr Drug. 
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

Skytrain Theatre, the ATKINSON PLAZA movie house, premiered in November 1944. It was at the rear of the East Plaza structure.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

Midwest Motors, an auto dealer, began business in July 1945. This Late Moderne-style building was situated at the west end of ATKINSON PLAZA. At the time this photo was taken, it was a freestanding structure.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

A late '40s layout of Midwest City's ultra-modern mercantile. The semicircular complex was similar in design to the original (circa-1937) section of Houston's RIVER OAKS CENTER. ATKINSON PLAZA  consisted of two structures, the West Plaza and East Plaza. These were bisected by Mid-America Boulevard.

An ATKINSON PLAZA logo montage features trademarks of tenants that opened for business between 1943 and 1957.

A late '40s snapshot of East Plaza storefronts. Included in this view would be the facades of Buzbee's, Langston's Dry Goods, Buster Brown Shoes and C.R. Anthony Company. 
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

Another photo of the East Plaza...this one dating to 1948.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

In this East Plaza panorama, we see Buster Brown Shoes, C.R. Anthony Company and Tubb Rexall. Midwest Furniture and a Phillips 66 Super Service Station would be around the corner. An upper level of offices is prominent in this photo.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

The basic footprint of ATKINSON PLAZA has been established by 1957. Newly-built sections (in medium gray) house J.C. Penney and a second location for TG & Y. The downtown shopping complex now encompasses approximately 170,000 leasable square feet. There are thirty-seven stores and services, fifteen office suites and free parking for 1,000 autos. 

ATKINSON PLAZA TENANTS 1957:

J.C. PENNEY / HUMPTY DUMPTY supermarket / TG & Y 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Alexander Shoe Repair / American State Bank / Beacon Cleaners / Big Red Furniture / Conrad-Marr Drug (with luncheonette) / Dawson's Firestone / Fabric Fair / Garen's Barber Shop / Henson-Hardin Shoes / Kraker's Ready-To-Wear for ladies / Langston's Dry Goods / Mid-America Paint & Flooring Company / Midwest City Barber & Beauty Shop / Midwest Furniture, Incorporated / Midwest Sports Center / Nick's Restaurant / Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company / Oklahoma Natural Gas Company / Oklahoma Tire & Supply / Parks Apparel Company men's wear / Pettee's Hardware / Portraits By Darise / Regal Jewelry / Rosenfield's  Jewelers / Sally Ann Beauty Shop / Skytrain Theatre / Smith's Fine Pastries / Spotless Cleaners / Streets Ready-To-Wear for ladies / Tubb Rexall Drug / White Crown Lunch / Winnie Lee Shop ladies' wear / Young Modern Children's Wear 

A circa-1959 view of the West Plaza. In place of the old TG & Y, beauty-barber shop and bakery are Youth Center, Schiff's Shoes and Peyton-Marcus (an OKC-based women's ready-to-wear store).
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

The cars date this West Plaza snapshot to about 1968. By this time, Peyton-Marcus has expanded into two adjoining store spaces. The Conrad-Marr Drug and Humpty Dumpty grocery -1940s charter tenants- are still in business. 
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

A circa-'68 view of the west end of the West Plaza. A 1957-vintage "J.C. Penney Company" store is seen, along with a trusty TG & Y.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

Let's date this image to around 1978. Obviously, the "J.C. Penney Company" store seen above has been updated with a new (Helvetica-font) "JCPenney" nameplate.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / White Chipmunk's Photostream / Atkinson Heritage Center

A 1980s view of the West Plaza. The shopping hub is now known as DOWNTOWN TINKER PLAZA. Conrad-Marr Drug is still in business. A J.C. Penney nameplate is also -barely- visible in the background.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com / Raymond D. Woods, Jr.

Alas, all things must come to an end, including "obsolete" mid-20th century suburban shopping centers. In the case of ATKINSON PLAZA, its demise came in 2003. The structure was bulldozed and replaced by the shiny new TOWN CENTER PLAZA, whose stores opened between 2005 and 2012.
Graphic and original drawing from http://www.parisprojects.com / Paris Projects

A circa-2011 aerial of the sprawling shopping hub. The core strip center encompasses approximately 748,600 leasable square feet, with a total of sixty-one stores and services in the plaza and its many outparcels.
Photo from http://www.soonerinvestment.com / Sooner Investments

A Lowe's Home Improvement store was the first tenant to open for business in TOWN CENTER PLAZA. It opened its doors in September 2005.
Photo from http://www.soonerinvestment.com / Sooner Investments

J.C. Penney, a tenant in the old ATKINSON PLAZA, returned to the shopping center site with a new store. It debuted in August 2007.
Photo from Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

A snapshot of the East Shops structure, which is a centerpiece of today's super-sized strip complex. The East and West Shops buildings house a total of 61,000 leasable square feet and house twenty-four stores and services.
Photo from http://www.parisprojects.com / Paris Projects

Panera Bread, which is part of the West Shops pad at TOWN CENTER PLAZA.
Photo from http://www.parisprojects.com / Paris Projects

Steak 'n Shake, one of the center's eleven outparcel tenants. These stores form a line along the front of the 83-acre complex.
Photo from Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

ATKINSON PLAZA
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) TG & 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) TG & Y (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.

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 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

"Midwest City" article on Wikipedia