State Fair Speedway Will Meets a MAPS 3 Demise?
November 21st, 2009
My google news alert pointed me to this blurb at flattrack.com:
The City of Oklahoma City has a proposal to demolish the State Fair Speedway to make way for a Grand Entrance and other buildings on the property.
A group has formed to combat this action. They are submiting the facility to the Historical Society, organized a vote against the MAPS3 Funding which would pay for the project etc.
And the poster provides a link that details the history of the speedway and State Fair.
Is this true? Didn’t realize we were losing the speedway in the process of gaining a $60 million State Fair Building. And is the building pictured above anywhere to be found at the current westside State Fair? Also interesting to consider how an event that happened 47 years ago still has an incredible impact on what we are doing with MAPS 3 today.
And, while we’re asking questions, why does the Oklahoma Historical Society put copyright text on their (our?) images? Someone please explain. I really don’t get it.
Oh, and Boomer Sooner!
November 21st, 2009 at 8:27 am
Yeah – I don’t recall the current speedway looking anything like this. We really can preserve something that isn’t there anymore.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:20 am
I am giving you credit for “can’t” or distinguishing you as Oklahoma City’s most optimistic historian and planner…jk
Anyway, do you know for sure whether the track itself will be taken out?
November 22nd, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Could it be..another random opposition group with an irrelevant point to make with MAPS 3?
November 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 pm
If given the choice, I would have gladly taken All Sports Stadium and demolished the ‘historical’ speedway. Although if the monorail still existed it would be a tougher choice given that you have to go in the grandstand to get on. I always felt like it was at a slightly less euphoric experience than the monorail at Disney World, but still awesome.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:53 am
The link claims this is at the Old state fairgrounds, circa 1925…..which would mean it isnt at the current grounds which were opened in the 50’s…….right?
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:24 am
This photo represents the grandstand from the old fairgrounds on NE 10. The current one was built, I think, in 1958
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
…but with MAPS 3 we are planning to take out the track? Is this correct?
December 14th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
The third remake of the classic movie “State Fair” was based around the Texas State Fair and movie plotted with a stockcar race with Pat Boone & Ann Margaret. Trouble was, the Texas fairgrounds had no race track. The race scenes were filmed in Oklahoma City at none other than Okc Statefair speedway.
December 21st, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Help!!!!!!! They are bull dozing the race track jan10th!!!!!!
December 25th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
1954 (source Oklahoma City: Capital of Soonerland, Lucyl Shirk, 1957). So, it makes it 55 years old. Not exactly new nor irrelevant to our history. More than half the time we’ve been a state. From the comments above I see a central theme with MAPS3: no one really knows what the details are to be. Is it just the raceway or the Grandstand also? Reminds me of the Pei Plan and the destruction of our historical buildings. Many of which were never scheduled to be destroyed (Biltmore, for example). I guess everything is fair game (no pun intended) if it’s not on the Registry. Should be an interesting ride over the next seven years of MAPS3. Just sitting on the side and watching what survives will be entertainment for my penny tax. Not “for the speedway nor against it.” Change is always difficult, and invariably, we will lose something. Let’s hope what replaces it lasts 55 years.