Mummers Theater

This is the site of the ultramodern Mummers Theater which was considered the pacesetter for the dramatic changes and impressive upgrades city leaders hoped urban renewal would bring to downtown Oklahoma City. The ill-fated project met with controversy before the first shovel of dirt was turned in 1967 and would remain so until its demolition in 2014.

Phase 1 of Project 1-A was the acquisition of this city block for the construction of a new building for the Mummers Theater. In 1962 the Ford Foundation provided a matching grant to Mummers for a new building and in 1965 they selected noted Brutalist architect John Johansen to design it. Land clearance began in late 1968, demolishing a total of 19 businesses in 20 buildings and relocating a handful of residents.

The project was on rocky ground from the beginning as city leaders delayed in providing matching funds and a site because they wanted the new building to be a showpiece to kick off Project 1-A, much to the disappointment of the Foundation. Making matters worse, Johansen's design was repulsive to city leaders and residents alike. Still, the building met with praise and celebration internationally.

Later dubbed Stage Center, the Mummers theater company folded a year after construction was completed in 1970 largely because of the cost of operating the building. For nearly fifty years Stage Center was a polarizing structure in the city which saw a parade of tenants, all unable to make it functional.

Although it's footprint still appears in Google maps and it's written about in architectural textbooks, in 2014 Stage Center was demolished to clear the way for a new OGE Energy corporate headquarters, a building which never materialized. Stage Center was the only building in the city's history to be recognized internationally, prompting many to muse that Oklahoma City still has a way to go to reach maturity.

Reid, Jim. "Foundation Raises Curtain Early on Mummers Theater." Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) March 30th 1968. .3.

Broady, Joe. "Mummers Theater Design 'Shaping Up Very Well'." Sunday Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) May 8th 1968. .5.

Lackmeyer, Steve. "Stage Center Fated to Fail." Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) June 24th 2014. .1C.