OKC for football, the organization that seeks to bring professional football back to Oklahoma City, announced the architect behind the versatile 4 cards stadium that will house the city’s football team.
See also: The Oklahoma City football movement develops with plans for the new stadium
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The main owners of the organization, including the local real estate company Robinson Park and Russell Westbrook Enterprises and the majority owner Echo Investment Capital, announced Wednesday morning that the new stadium would be built by Populous, one of the largest architectural firms in the world.
OKC for football says it has selected Populous, which also designed the Oklahoma City Convention Center and Oneok Field in Tulsa, to be the architect of the project after national research.
In addition, the former Thunder and MVP star of the NBA, Russell Westbrook, was appointed creative director of the project.
In relation: The former star of the Thunder Russell Westbrook invests $ 10 million in the development of Oklahoma City football
News 9 spoke with OKC for the president of Football Court Jeske on Wednesday to learn more about the project, which should be one of the biggest sports entertainment districts in all of the United States.
Q: One of the largest in the country is in terms of area, right?
A: Absolutely. When Echo Investment Capital and the OKC movement for football started, we knew that the downtown stadium which was going to be built would not only be a stadium; It was going to be a hub for Oklahoma City. It would be a new region, a new development for people to interact and come and enjoy all the beautiful amenities that we have built in the city center.
Q: Looking at a card right now, it is simply crazy that this area is available.
A: This is the last piece of final puzzle if you are thinking of this fantastic vision of the city center that the inhabitants of Oklahoma City had 30 years ago to revitalize what we had here.
Q: Tell us about populous.
A: We are super lucky to work with one of the best from around the world. They have just finished some of these master developments in London, Hong Kong and now choose to carry out their next big project here in Oklahoma City. So, part of the synergy for us is the fact that they also build the stadium, so as architects who envisage what it will look like and what it will shape this quadrant of Oklahoma City, they will also be able to ensure that it is linked to the 50 acres you have mentioned that surrounds the stage and all around. How do people come to the city center? How do they interact? How do they use the parks there? It is a really exciting period if you think of how the city center and Bricktown have evolved over the years; This is an opportunity for the next decade.
Q: What is an entertainment district like this for Oklahoma City doing?
A: The first thing is that we want to be complementary to what has already been built, right? We were complementary to our neighbors to the Center Convention. The Bricktown district, the new Thunder arena that will be built will be a quarter of a distance, so we want to make sure that it is a connector for all these other areas and really allows people to come and enjoy the city center in many ways, and many of that means to live there. So we know that this development will be vital. While we are in a way finishing the development of the city center of Oklahoma City and we also want to make sure that the versatile stadium inside is not only used for football of women and men. We participated in this program and talked a lot about the movement for professional football, and it is time in Oklahoma City, but we want to make sure that we have other sports. Football in high school, potentially crosse, rugby, everything that will integrate in a rectangular field outside, we have to welcome it in the city center of Oklahoma City, and we want to anchor this district. I think that something important to note is that when you put 8,000 people on the ground, which you can do for a concert, plus the 10 to 11,000 seats that will eventually land, you will have the largest state concert fair. This will allow us to attract new acts to Oklahoma and Oklahoma City which, before, would simply pass to Dallas or Kansas City.
Q: We knew he was an investor, but you have also just appointed Russell Westbrook the creative director. What does that mean?
A: Excellent question, we understand that all the time too. What will he do? Well, it’s certainly not an architect, but we know two things, right? First, he has a fashionable fashion and eyes for design and style, not to mention a global suite that he can help explain what is going on here in Oklahoma. City. The most important second thing Russell brings is the fact that he is fully invested in Oklahoma City. So, for him, it is not a project on football, it is not even a project on development, it is a question of improving Oklahoma City. Because he will tell you again and again, that’s where he grew up. So when he was born in Los Angeles, he grew up here in Oklahoma City.