SWITCHING GEARS
A new year is upon us. All the trappings and trimmings of the holidays have been packed away (maybe), and thoughts have turned to all the things we will and will not do (maybe) in the coming year. In our house, there was no Christmas tree to take down and haul away. We didn’t make the trek to the tree farm to labor over the decision of which conifer was the perfect size, shape and color. We never put one up at all, in fact. Our living room is in a state of semi-chaos, a rather lengthy one resulting from an enduring remodel-in-the-works. So, we made the most of the situation. My daughter Chloe recently turned 13, and part of the celebration of such a momentous occasion was a slumber party, where she and her friends Maya, Clare and Holly painted a Christmas tree on one wall of the living room, complete with decorations and presents underneath. Why not? After all, the wall will eventually be repainted when the remodeling project is complete. Maybe. There’s nothing wrong with shaking up the routine. In this issue, you’ll meet four locals who shook up their own routines, taking big detours from their chosen paths and embarking on new adventures. The payoff, it seems, often far outweighs a little fear and trepidation. We also take a look at some of the projects that have altered our city’s cultural landscape – many that made it better, a few that can’t quite get off the ground and others that hold promise for the future. All things change, and we change with them. And so we arrive at the dawn of a new year, taking stock of what is behind us and what lies ahead. We seek to correct mistakes, but will likely repeat a few, and to undertake new endeavors – large and small – that will make life better for ourselves and those around us. As you embark on your journey, we at Slice wish you peace, love and laughter in the coming year. May your approach be unique and your confidence unwavering. You never know what’s just around the bend.
A new year is upon us. All the trappings and trimmings of the holidays have
been packed away (maybe), and thoughts have turned to all the things we
will and will not do (maybe) in the coming year.
In our house, there was no Christmas tree to take down and haul away.
We didn’t make the trek to the tree farm to labor over the decision of which
conifer was the perfect size, shape and color. We never put one up at all, in
fact. Our living room is in a state of semi-chaos, a rather lengthy one resulting
from an enduring remodel-in-the-works. So, we made the most of the situation.
My daughter Chloe recently turned 13, and part of the celebration of such
a momentous occasion was a slumber party, where she and her friends Maya,
Clare and Holly painted a Christmas tree on one wall of the living room, complete
with decorations and presents underneath. Why not? After all, the wall
will eventually be repainted when the remodeling project is complete. Maybe.
There’s nothing wrong with shaking up the routine.
In this issue, you’ll meet four locals who shook up their own routines, taking
big detours from their chosen paths and embarking on new adventures.
The payoff, it seems, often far outweighs a little fear and trepidation. We also
take a look at some of the projects that have altered our city’s cultural landscape
– many that made it better, a few that can’t quite get off the ground and others
that hold promise for the future.
All things change, and we change with them. And so we arrive at the dawn
of a new year, taking stock of what is behind us and what lies ahead. We seek to
correct mistakes, but will likely repeat a few, and to undertake new endeavors
– large and small – that will make life better for ourselves and those around us.
As you embark on your journey, we at Slice wish you peace, love and laughter
in the coming year. May your approach be unique and your confidence
unwavering. You never know what’s just around the bend.
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Organic Growth<br />
for the Food Market<br />
Like many of the metro area's most successful<br />
development projects, the arrival of Whole Foods<br />
had been rumored for years. The natural and organic<br />
foods supermarket of ficially made the announcement<br />
in 2010 that it would open a 35,000-square-foot<br />
store along N. Western between North Classen and<br />
N.W. 63rd to anchor the next phase of development at<br />
the upscale Classen Curve shopping center. One year<br />
later, the doors opened for customers to buy locally<br />
grown and organic products – and it's still packed<br />
most of the time.<br />
Devon’s<br />
Towering<br />
Achievement<br />
Rising 50 stories into the air,<br />
the Devon Tower has changed<br />
the skyline for Oklahoma City. In<br />
a landscape that includes many<br />
buildings of similar heights and<br />
looks, the Devon Tower stands<br />
out for its sheer size – and proudly<br />
holds the record as the tallest<br />
building now in Oklahoma.<br />
Construction started in 2009<br />
and moved at a dizzying pace: a<br />
new floor was added about every<br />
eight days. That speed enabled<br />
Devon Energy to move its more<br />
than 2,000 employees into the<br />
tower a mere three years af ter<br />
construction started. Today the<br />
ground floor is open to visitors;<br />
stop in for a tour.<br />
Improvement Is a<br />
Two-Way Street<br />
In an effort to boost safety, improve traffic flow<br />
and provide easier access to downtown businesses, five<br />
downtown streets were rerouted from one-way to twoway<br />
beginning in 2008. Four additional one-ways were<br />
converted in 2010 as a part of Project 180.<br />
Public Works Director Dennis Clowers said at the<br />
start of the rerouting that Oklahoma City was one of<br />
hundreds of cities across the country making the switch<br />
in downtown areas. “Revitalization is the biggest reason<br />
for the trend,” Clowers said. “This conversion will benefit<br />
motorists, pedestrians, businesses and visitors.”<br />
Norman’s Art and Community Power<br />
This community arts initiative kicked of f in the spring of 2013 to help showcase<br />
the arts and artists in Norman and demonstrate art's positive role in the community.<br />
In April of the following year, StART Norman transformed a block of Main Street for<br />
48 hours through changes in traffic and pedestrian patterns and the inclusion of popup<br />
retail locations, additional cafes and live music and art. A site-specific art exhibition<br />
turned a vacant lumberyard into an exhibition that highlighted local history and<br />
new beginnings, and Norman arts organizations were showcased. The money for the<br />
initiative came from an increase in the city's transient guest room tax.<br />
“StART Norman was itself a one-time project,” says Erinn Gavaghan, executive<br />
director of the Norman Arts Council. “But our hope is that we have inspired discussion,<br />
creativity and desire to create a more livable, inviting community in our Downtown<br />
Arts District. We would love for another group to try similar, grassroots-type projects<br />
that continue the development and desirability of Norman.”<br />
JANUARY 2015 // SLICE 39
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