The United States Postal Service recently announced that the Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City will be featured on first-class mail stamps in 2023! The stamps will be available for purchase on August 24, 2023. The Skydance Bridge, which was completed in 2012, has become an iconic landmark for Oklahoma City. Architects Hans E. and Torrey Butzer conceived of the bridge as being inspired by the mating dance of the scissor-tailed flycatcher, Oklahoma’s state bird; Hans Butzer is Dean of Gibbs College. Other team members included (in alphabetical order) Stan Carroll, Ken Fitzsimmons, Jeremy Gardner, Bret Johnston, Laurent Massenat, Chris Ramseyer (Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, OU Gallogly College of Engineering), and David Wanzer, in collaboration with MKEC Inc.
Inspired by Oklahoma’s wind and state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, the Skydance Bridge connects upper and lower Scissortail Park by passing over Interstate 40. Durable construction materials, including recycled material content, were used to construct the bridge to ensure sustainability and efficiency, while high performance LED lighting illuminate the pedestrian bridge at night. The bridge’s ‘wings’ create a striking silhouette that has become a commonly used symbol for the growing city. Its likeness has been used for the OKC Convention Center logo, in countless souvenirs, in airport art installations, and more.
To learn more about the design concept and structural engineering, check out “Reaching for the Sky” in STRUCTURE Magazine, written by Ramseyer (the sole structural engineer on the project) and Butzer, and available online here.
Top Left: Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown, CT; Top Right: Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha, NE; Bottom Left: Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City; Bottom Right: Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge in Bettendorf, IA, and Moline, IL.
The Skydance Bridge was chosen along with three other bridges in the United States to be featured on Presorted First-Class Mail stamps. The bridges chosen are all considered important landmarks in their communities. The stamps were designed by art director Ethel Kessler using existing photographs.
Robert L. Wesley, a pioneering architect and beloved mentor, has died at age 88. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Wesley joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1964 and became the firm's first Black partner in 1984. Throughout his career, he contributed to significant architectural projects while maintaining a strong commitment to civic engagement and professional mentorship.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. [PA1.1]Butzer returned to one of his most significant works on December 15, joining survivors and past and present board members for the groundbreaking of a $15.8 million expansion of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
