Tulsa’s Gathering Place opened Sept. 8 after more than a decade in the making. Here is our coverage of the $465 million park.
On this day seven years ago, July 13, 2015, a two-mile stretch of Riverside Drive closed for the construction of the Gathering Place and a re-construction of the road.
The 1,440-foot-long bridge will be named Williams Crossing. The energy company is donating $3 million to the project, which is expected to be completed mid-2023.
The Vista is located on the top level of the Boathouse, the white-roofed building that overlooks the park's main water feature, Peggy's Pond.
The $51 million project at the Gathering Place is expected to open to the public in mid- to late January.
Tulsa's Gathering Place LLC had sued the small business, claiming it had 'wrongfully' used the park's name to promote its venture.
Officials say they have so far been unable to raise the millions of dollars in private funding needed to place a shade structure over the Gateway Bridge.
Julio Badin was most recently senior vice president of customer experience at DFW airport; he also worked 18 years at the Walt Disney Company.
The city continues to work on a $48 million overhaul of the dam, which is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.
Eleven free signature events will take place at a park that was named the country's best city park in a recent USA Today poll.
Gathering Place beat out 19 other parks from across the country to win the award, including Balboa Park in San Diego, Boston Common in Massachusetts and Zilker Park in Austin.
The 50,000-square-foot facility will be a permanent, fully-programmed children’s museum and science center.
The bridge is being paid for with public dollars. The plaza leading to the new bridge on the east bank of the Arkansas River and the QuikTrip Riverview Lawn are being funded privately as part of the park project.
About 20% of the 106 people furloughed two months ago were let go, the executive director said.
"The health and safety of Gathering Place staff, volunteers and guests is our top priority, and we will continue to closely follow the most recent recommendations from the CDC and the City of Tulsa," a news release states. "Thank you for exercising social distancing and wearing a mask while visiting."
The projects -including fixing splash pads at 41st Street and Riverside Drive - are among dozens totaling approximately $15 million for which River Parks Authority will seek FEMA reimbursement.
People wanting to revel in the Gathering Place can be taken from expansive parking in downtown to the park for the low cost of free.
Tulsa Children's Museum's Discovery Lab will anchor the second phase of construction at Gathering Place.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new 50,000-square-foot facility will be held Friday morning at Gathering Place.
The $1.25 million grant from AEP Foundation will be used to transport low-income children to the park and assist teachers in creating curriculum for field trips there. It also will fund educational events for the community.
A Tulsa city councilor last week questioned why the park had chosen to remember the Oklahoma City bombing but not the massacre. Park officials say that is not what happened.
Oklahoma City's Scissortail Park dedicated the tree Friday to Gathering Place.
Construction of the Children's Museum is expected to begin early next year. Planning for phase two of Gathering Place has yet to be completed.
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The American Planning Association has named the Gathering Place one of the six great public spaces in America.
Park officials had an agreement with neighbors and the city Board of Adjustment to remove the building by the end of September 2019.
The country's No. 1 hip-hop morning show came to celebrate the park's first anniversary, and though it ran from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., many hardcore fans arrived much earlier.
Gallery: Rickey Smiley brings his morning show to Gathering Place
Not everyone goes to Gathering Place to scale the giant attractions in Adventure Playground, or to have dinner at Vista at the Boathouse, or to play hoops, or just to chill.
The 66.5-acre recreation area along Riverside Drive has seen 2.7 million guest visits since it opened Sept. 8, 2019. Park officials expected the number to be closer to one million.
Dancin' in the park: 'It reminds me of home'
The Lodge Loopers: 'We’re going to take over the whole thing'
Park ambassador Ariana Reagor: 'Get a double scoop of ice cream and you’re good to go'
Knitting group sets up at Williams Lodge every Tuesday to flex their needles.
Ariana can rattle off all kinds of great reasons a person should visit Gathering Place; but at the end of the day, her best piece of advice is just what you would expect from a 12-year-old.
Andrew Hardtner drops into the park several times a week and typically lets fly three or four kites at a time into the air near the Great Lawn.