OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Arrows to Atoms Space Tower - the last reminder of an era when the State Fair Park was home to futuristic attractions and tributes to Oklahoma City’s past - is set to come down this winter, ending 50 years as an iconic part of the city’s skyline.
In a recent interview with The Oklahoman , Oklahoma State Fair CEO Tim O’Toole said the 330-foot-high tower and ride has stood dormant since it was damaged by flooding in the spring of 2010. The same high waters also led to the closing and ultimate demolition of another landmark - downtown’s Stage Center.
“It’s an old structure,” O’Toole said. “We were in the process of evaluating the electrical controls, the European and American mechanical systems, and then the fairgrounds and a large part of Oklahoma City were flooded.”
Both Stage Center and the Space Tower (also known as the Space Needle) were built with submerged plazas at their bases, which led to extensive damage to their electrical and mechanical systems.
Increased frequency of high winds led to further concern about the tower’s stability. High winds took down a nearby arch that was a smaller replica of the arch in St. Louis.
“Three significant wind storms came across the fairgrounds and we had a structural engineer under the city’s guidance look at the base and the structure,” O’Toole said. “It wasn’t a total shock when we learned about the deteriorated conditions.”
A community discussion was recently launched by Mayor David Holt in which ideas are being sought for a potential MAPS 4. Ideas discussed on social media have included restoring the Space Tower, but O’Toole said the cost just to stabilize the rusting tower and base would top $1 million.
Millions more would be needed to restore the cab and systems needed to bring back a ride that would only be used during the annual 10-day Oklahoma State Fair.
The Space Tower was the second iconic structure to stand in the circular courtyard that was once a popular part of the fair park but in recent years has faded into the background. The current State Fair Park opened in 1952, and the original Arrows to Atoms tower stood 190 feet high.
High winds and rust prompted fair park operators to have the tower taken down. But longtime state fair president Sandy Saunders was quick to get funding for a “space needle” inspired by one he had seen in Seattle.
In his history of the state fair, Bob Blackburn noted the Space Tower in Oklahoma City was patterned after one Saunders visited at the 1967 Expo in Montreal. The 330-foot tower was built by the Wily Buhler Co. in 1968 at a cost of $450,000. The tower was anchored 50 feet into the base and sealed in with 700 yards of concrete.
The ride was a hit when it opened in 1968, drawing 48,455 paying customers, Blackburn wrote. Up to 60 passengers could sit in the circular, two-story cab that slowly rotated around the tower, giving them a full view of the State Fair Park and city skyline.
But its popularity faded in later years and visitors were allowed to ride for free before it closed for good.
With the demise of Space Tower, State Fair Park has little resemblance to what visitors might remember from the 1970s to the early 1990s.
The restored territorial Goldholm Mansion was sold to a house moving company, and it has stood unoccupied in the company’s lot in eastern Oklahoma County ever since. The Grandstand was torn down much to the chagrin of racing fans, and the planes that made up the B-52 Plaza were sold off to destinations across the country.
The Monorail that often was paired up with the Space Tower in promoting futuristic visions for Oklahoma City also was torn down, its cars sold off with one remaining on display on a single preserved elevated track.
The 1950s colorful exhibit buildings were restored, new barns and equine staging areas were built elsewhere and the former All Sports Stadium was replaced with paved parking. The old horse coaches can no longer be seen where the Travel & Transportation Building was torn down, and another attraction, a vintage steam locomotive, is now on display at the Oklahoma Railroad Museum.
Scott Munz, vice president of public relations and marketing at State Fair Park, acknowledges these changes are not always well received by the community.
The B-52 Plaza, he said, is an example of a display that no longer fit into the operations or finances of State Fair Park.
“We’re not in the museum business,” Munz said. “We didn’t have a line item for them. They were getting to be expensive to maintain. But they went to various good homes throughout the country.”
Weather and time also is a culprit far more than any grand plan to do away with the fair park’s iconic history, he added.
“Everything has a story,” Munz said. “We don’t wake up each morning and think we say, ’Let’s get rid of this.’ We have to be great stewards. A lot of thought goes into this. And a lot of it involves finances.”
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
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