Now, after years of saving and planning, Oklahoma City has officially opened the park in downtown! In fact, more than 28,000 people turned out to the grand opening of Scissortail Park on Friday, September 27, 2019.
Butzer and his firm, Butzer Architects and Urbanism (BAU), worked with Hargreaves Associates to bring the park to life. BAU designed the park structures, including a stage, event pavilion and more, while Hargreaves Associates provided landscape architecture services.
“We’re all trying to create the best possible space in the history of the city, and you don’t sleep, you keep going,” said Butzer.
Part of the 2007 “Core-to-Shore” master plan, Scissortail Park functions to connect the downtown Oklahoma City area to the Oklahoma River. The park is comprised of an “upper park,” which opened last Friday, and a “lower park,” which will open in the coming years.
When completed, the two parks will total 70-acres of public space, and feature a variety of engaging experiences for visitors including ornamental gardens and woodlands, a 3.7 acre lake, children’s playground and water fountains, seasonal roller rink, dog park, picnic grove, and more.
Scissortail Park in the News:
Featured image: The Associated Press
A project designed by Gibbs College of Architecture faculty member Austin Lightle has been selected for BuildFest 2026, a national art and architecture festival held at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.
Two Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumni are helping shape recommendations that could influence affordable housing design and construction across Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries recently welcomed Carl Siegel as an Architecture Librarian and Archivist and Assistant Professor. In his role, Siegel supports students, faculty and staff across the Gibbs College of Architecture while also serving as archivist for the American School of Architecture Archives.
