Today the Oklahoma City Council awarded a contract to Atlas Construction to build a new 279,000-square-foot expo building at State Fair Park as part of the MAPS 3 Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements project.
The expo building will offer 201,000-square-foot of contiguous floor space at State Fair Park, among other amenities. Once complete, the building will be the largest event space in Oklahoma City.
Site and foundation work for the building will begin shortly after the Oklahoma State Fair ends. It will be built where the Travel & Transportation Building, Carriage Hall and courtyard are today. The building will open in 2016.
The expo building’s modern design will feature a 12,000-square-foot lobby, concession areas, a ticket space, commercial kitchen and additional parking for 500 cars with a total of more than 2,000 cars including Phase 1 improvements. A combination of glass and translucent wall panels will create an open, light-filled entrance. The building was designed with maximum flexibility in mind. The open floor plan will allow for a variety of configurations depending on the event’s specific needs including banquet and catering facilities equipped to serve in excess of 3,500.
Watch an animation of the building design.
The MAPS 3 budget for the expo building is $54 million, allowing $44 million for actual construction. An additional $4.7 million in MAPS 3 funds are being invested in new parking lots and other site improvements, separate from this project. The expo building is one of many improvements taking place at State Fair Park.
The MAPS 3 Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Subcommittee provides guidance to the project and is made up of ten mayor-appointed citizens: Chairman Bob Nelon, Vice Chair Dee Morales, Ann Simank, J. Blake Wade, Mike Turpen, Chris Turner, Eric Roberts, Tim O’Toole, Shawn D. Clark and Madeline Mitchell. Every MAPS 3 project is currently underway, either in planning, design, construction or land acquisition.
MAPS 3 updates are available by subscribing to the MAPS 3 e-newsletter at www.okc.gov/maps3/. Updates are also available on www.twitter.com/maps3 and www.facebook.com/maps3okc. Log on to www.okc.gov/maps3 for project details and to read the implementation plan.
About MAPS 3
MAPS 3 is a $777 million construction program designed to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City. It is funded by a one-cent sales tax initiative that began in April 2010 and ends in December 2017. MAPS 3 funds eight projects: Downtown Convention Center, Downtown Public Park, Modern Streetcar/Transit, Oklahoma River Improvements, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements, Senior Health and Wellness Centers, Trails and Sidewalks.
Contact: Kristy Yager, 582-0803
Kristy.yager@okc.gov
