Cultural restoration part of development plan in NE OKC

Northeast Oklahoma City is in the midst of an economic renaissance and cultural revival.

It all started with EastPoint at NE 23rd and Rhode Island. The development began with just two tenants: The Market grocery store and Centennial Health. It now houses Eastside Pizza House, Kindred Spirits bar and the eclectic coffee shop, Spiked.

What makes these success stories unique is that each Black-owned business is offered an equity stake in the building in which they operate. It is, without a doubt, an impactful and symbolic way to announce to everyone that this is their home.

Since 2021, the developers of EastPoint have been brainstorming about bringing a boutique hotel complete with event space, bar, restaurant and retail spaces.

The Hamlin, a $26 million, 77-room, four-story hotel, would sit across the street from The Market and look to capitalize on Oklahoma City tourism. As the closest hotel to the Adventure District, it has the potential to be the No. 1 choice of guests visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo, Remington Park, Science Museum and more.

The project honors the state’s Black history by being named after Oklahoma’s first Black legislator, A.C. Hamlin. Oklahoma City Council approved $3,888,000 in tax increment financing to help the project get off the ground. Developers are hoping to begin construction later this year.

Also on the horizon is development of an 11.4-acre plot of land at NE 23rd and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA) purchased it earlier this year with $4.95 million in MAPS 4 beautification funds.

Kenton Tsoodle, president and CEO of the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, said getting the community’s input is key in guiding the development project.

“[The location] will become an important intersection that will attract residents and visitors alike,” Tsoodle said. “[It will also] showcase our city’s history and preserve parts of Oklahoma City’s Black culture.”

Before that happens, however, consulting reports and studies must be done on the property and surrounding corridors to figure out what the land could best be used for. Tsoodle said that process could take months.

In the meantime, OCURA is working out plans for interim use of the land, such as continuing to allow food trucks to operate on the property.

Tsoodle said OCURA aims to turn this “gateway” development opportunity into an area that “offers amenities for the surrounding neighborhoods” while adding a long-term tax base.

As the economic development side carries on, the cultural history of the community is also being brought to the forefront.

In late 2020, the Eastside Public Art Project invited six local Black artists to paint murals on the side of The Market building as an effort to increase public art display on OKC’s eastside.

Just this month, the renovation work being done on the Freedom Center hit a milestone when the building received a new roof.

The historic home to the NAACP Youth Council that was acquired by Clara Luper in 1967 will once again be a place for “young people to be supported.”

Project Director Christina Beatty and Luper’s daughter, Marilyn Luper Hildreth, spoke at the May 17 Chamber Forum hosted by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. The forum focused on Luper’s legacy and how it fuels both cultural and economic development efforts.

Hildreth, looking back on the Freedom Center’s history, said she’s thankful it was available to the community during the civil rights movement.

“[I looked at] the kids that have come to the Freedom Center, and I said, ‘thank you, thank you God, for giving us the opportunity to learn,’” she said. “One thing we learned in the civil rights movement was tough skin.”

Hildreth said her mother stressed the importance of education and understanding. As a teacher, Luper did her best to make sure her students understood their history.

“I’m telling anybody from the mountaintop: We can’t go anywhere unless we know where we’ve come from,” Hildreth said. “We’ve come a long way in Oklahoma, but we sure have a long way to go. We cannot stop the fight.”

Beatty said the Freedom Center will continue to be a valuable resource for Oklahoma’s civil rights history and as a place where victims of racism and discrimination can go for help.

She and others are currently going through the Freedom Center community archive which includes letters submitted by community members which detailed civil rights violations they experienced.

Beatty said both projects will memorialize Luper’s legacy.

“It will live forever and also continue to be relevant today and continue [to be places that] provide training, and youth development and leadership.”

Not far from the Freedom Center is the home of the new Clara Luper Civil Rights Center. Beatty said she hopes to enter the design process in June.

Beatty said, because the budget for the center was approved in 2019 and the cost of construction has increased in the past four years, they may deviate from the conceptual design seen in the drawings by architectural firm Bockus Payne.

Joining the project is architect and designer Cory Henry, who has been a part of award-winning designs across three continents and is an affiliate with the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma.

“We’re really excited to bring on a Black architect to work with our local partners,” Beatty said. “Right now, we’re just looking forward to entering the design phase and keeping the process moving forward, partnering with the city and working on plans for the next few years.”

She said the design process will take about 18 months. Construction may begin in late 2024 and be completed in 2026, with an expected opening sometime in 2026 or 2027.