Bicentennial Park is located on the east side of Civic Center Music Hall, bordered between Couch Drive on the north, Colcord Drive on the south, and Walker Avenue on the east. The design elements took into account the programming of this park’s facilities, while keeping mindful consideration for the amenities and programming of other parks in the downtown Oklahoma City area so as to avoid the duplication of facilities. The design for the park features items that bring together the history of the site, the architecture of the surrounding buildings, and proposed contemporary elements that allow the park to stand the test of time. The surrounding Art Deco style architecture played a major role in the design of the site. There are aluminum castings attached to the buildings and decorative elements of light fixtures that contribute a consistent pattern of sweeping lines. As a result, this design brings together the past, present, and future of the park in what can be termed “Sweeping Lines.”

Project 180 streetscape renovations installed a series of destination markers throughout downtown Oklahoma City. The destination markers depict an aerial map with a small silver pin that denotes “you are here.” The outer ring of each destination marker highlights a local historic or pop culture event specific to the city. Historical significance: Built with funds from the Depression Era Public Works Administration, the Municipal Auditorium was the first venue in the City to seat over 3,000 people and was home to the City’s first Art Museum. Now dwarfed by mega-churches and two other downtown venues, the Civic Center Music Hall is the ideal size for a cultural venue in the Arts District. This marker reads: The Civic Center Music Hall, built in 1937 as a multi-use facility seating over 6,000, hosted circuses, basketball and midget car races as well as conventions and performances. It has been twice remodeled to provide a sloped floor and concert seating, creating a premier performing arts venue.

Several large granite tablets relate important historical events to the Bicentennial Park visitors. Each tablet tells about a part of the area’s history. One tablet is dedicated to the Plains Indians, who occupied this land prior to the Run of 1889. Their culture and background are a part of our local heritage. Until the mid-1930’s, cotton was king of Oklahoma’s agricultural empire. One of the tablet’s engravings pictures the Cotton Compress at Eastern and Reno. Oklahoma City was born on April 22, 1889, when a gun shot started the famous land run. A tablet pictures the tent city which was set up by those staking claims to land. An artistic drawing of Oklahoma City, 10 months after the run of 1889 is revealed on one of the stones. This aerial view shows the city before Oklahoma became a state. One tablet pictures the second Overholser Opera House built in 1903. The House, located at 200 W. Grand (now Sheridan), was a cultural entertainment center with the largest stage west of the Mississippi River. It later became the Warner Movie Theater. On June 11, 1910, the people of Oklahoma voted to move the capital of the state from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. On June 12, Oklahoma City became the capital of Oklahoma. This historical event is represented on tablet with a picture of a billboard promoting Oklahoma City for state capital. Another tablet pictures the First Methodist Episcopal Church at N.W. 4th and Robinson. It was the first church built in Oklahoma City and is now the site of the First United Methodist Church. The Rock Island Depot is pictured on one of the granite stones. The Frisco and Rock Island trains moved along tracks through what is now the Civic Center and Couch Drive. Trains stopped traffic downtown. After the Chamber of Commerce pushed to move the tracks, a bond issue was passed to purchase the railroad right-of-way, and in 1930, the last train came through Downtown Oklahoma City. The last tablet shows the Discovery Oil Well. Oil was first struck in an Oklahoma City field on December 4, 1928. The well was a combined effort of Illuminating Oil Co., and Foster Petroleum Co., and was located at S.E. 59th and Bryant.