Latest news with #MyriadBotanicalGardens
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A 360-degree skyline view: Arena designs reveal a glass encased downtown jewel
The future home for the Oklahoma City Thunder — a $1 billion arena approved in December 2023 by voters — will feature extensive landscaping to blend in with the Myriad Botanical Gardens and a 360-degree glass curtain wall that will offer visitors sweeping panoramic skyline views from all interior concourses. Conceptual renderings displayed Wednesday by architect David Manica at the 2025 State of the City address were unveiled to a sold-out crowd gathered at the convention center that got its first glimpse of a landmark that will dramatically alter the downtown skyline. Unlike the current Paycom Center, opened in 2002 without an anchor tenant, the new arena is designed to be an NBA venue with upper seating sections to be located closer to the floor action. The renderings shown at the July 16 State of the City show the arena's west-facing main entrance, aligned with the Myriad Gardens, also will include a long-envisioned Thunder Alley that will provide a fan activation zone designed within the arena's footprint. An elevated main entrance, situated on a grand podium, creates an inspiring sense of arrival and opens up to the main concourse, fostering a welcoming atmosphere. The interior concept prioritizes basketball, with optimized sight lines and a seating design that fosters an energetic, loud and intimate experience. Demolition is underway at the future arena site, which for 50 years was the city's convention center and last home to Prairie Surf Studios. The future arena site, a super-block between E.K. Gaylord Boulevard and Sheridan, Reno and Robinson avenues, is expected to be cleared later this year with construction set to start in 2026. An opening for the new arena is scheduled for the start of the Oklahoma City Thunder's 2028-29 season. Design work is being done by Kansas-based Manica Architecture and Atlanta-based TVS, the same team that drew up plans for San Francisco's Chase Center and Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium. Oklahoma contractor Flintco, which built Oklahoma City's new convention center, Devon Tower and the state Capitol dome, is teamed up on the arena project with Mortenson Construction, a Minneapolis contractor that built two of the country's three newest NBA arenas. This is a developing story. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC new arena design unveiled during State of the City: See the plans Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Spring blooms: Where to see tulips, azaleas, cherry blossom trees blooming in Oklahoma
Flowers are blooming across the state in a bright rainbow of colors, and there are plenty of opportunities to catch them in their beauty. From tulips to cherry blossoms, and azaleas to daffodils, spring flowers in Oklahoma are a sight to see. Here are several flower festivals or locations where you can experience the blooms of the season. For its third year, the Myriad Botanical Gardens Tulip Festival is "bigger than ever." From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 29 and 30, see the array of tulips blooming and take advantage of the photo ops. There will also be live performances, vendors, food and activities for kids. The largest collection of cherry blossom trees in Oklahoma belongs to Tulsa's Gathering Place park, where the trees are currently in full bloom. If you can't make it to Tulsa before they pass their peak, you can also see cherry blossom trees at Myriad Botanical Gardens and Will Rogers Gardens in Oklahoma City. Throughout the month of April, visit Honor Heights Park in Muskogee, Oklahoma, for the iconic Azalea Festival which draws thousands of spectators each year. During the festival, there is free admission to the Papilion Gardens, found inside the park. Also in eastern Oklahoma, the Tulsa Botanical Garden is hosting its annual flower festival, Tulsa Botanic BLOOMS!, which started March 20 and runs through April 27. More than 170,450 spring flowering bulbs were planted for this year's display, including daffodils, hyacinths and tulips. Check out the BLOOMS tracker at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC tulip festival, cherry blossoms: Where to spot blooms this spring
