Renderings Released For Maps 3 Convention Center Nobody Wanted…

Yesterday, The Oklahoman released the renderings for the Maps 3 Convention Center. The controversial centerpiece of the most recent MAPS plan, this modern relic from a different age when having convention centers mattered will be located on the southern edge of downtown to the south of Chesapeake Arena.

Take a look:

Ooops. My bad. That's actually a rendering for a new $80-million dollar arena that The Oklahoman and OKC Chamber want to build at the State Fairgrounds. The state-of-the art, 10,000 seat facility would host horse shows, high school basketball tournament and monster truck rallies. The Oklahoman snuck a promotional article about the proposed arena in the August 31 paper. I guess because nobody cared or noticed, they ran a virtually identical piece two weeks later. Neither article mentions how the facility will be paid for, which probably means the Chamber will try to include it in a Maps 4. We'll have more info on that bad idea some other time.

Here are the fancy mock-ups for the Convention Center. Take a look:

Really? Can we not get an architectural rendering that doesn't remind us of what it's like to live under the constant fear and threat of severe weather? Is that supposed to get people to book conventions or make the buy a storm shelter. They can do better than this, right?

Okay. That's better. I'm sure the convention center will look that clean and nice when it's completed. I can't wait to not ever attend a conference there.

Anyway, you can read more about the new convention center in this Steve Lackmeyer fluff piece that conveniently leaves out any mention of the controversies surrounding the facility, like how will it probably go over budget, there's no funding for the adjoining parking garage, and how the city will probably have to pitch in for the adjoining hotel.

I can't believe The Oklahoman tasked Steve Lackmeyer with writing the promotional piece of. That's just mean! Do you know how many old buildings the city's tearing down to make way for this project and the new park? Poor guy. I guess this explains why he's been acting like Eeyore on Twitter. That would be like me having Clark Matthews write an article about the new "Checkers Burning" photography exhibit at Oklahoma Contemporary.

Hey, a Clark Matthews reference!