Tulsa Now Forum

[nathanm]

Yeah, I hear we are getting some money back on the Crashship.

That "Crashship" is one of the amenities that will likely help keep young people here. Without amenities, we'll pay to educate them and they'll go somewhere else and their new home will reap the benefits.

[TheArtist]

That "Crashship" is one of the amenities that will likely help keep young people here. Without amenities, we'll pay to educate them and they'll go somewhere else and their new home will reap the benefits.

  I agree.  Its not an either or situation, we need both.     

[Conan71]

I agree with you, personally. A lot of people see anything north of about 71st as crime-ridden and Tulsa Public Schools as lacking, though. Hence the housing developments growing like weeds in south Tulsa, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Jenks, and Owasso. The lion's share of new rooftops has been in the outlying districts mainly because the school districts are seen as better.

Thousands of people live north of 71st Street who disagree with the notion it's crime-ridden.  Over 80% of my adult life has been spent north of 61st St. as well as about 1/2 of my childhood, I've certainly never thought of it that way.

I will agree that the suburban schools have a better image than TPS and that's driven more people to the burbs, plus the dream of owning a brand new home (other than the Tuscan nightmares people love to toss into ranch and traditional style neighborhoods) adds into that equation as well. 

TPS still has in the neighborhood of 47,000 or so students.  They have some great magnet and specialty programs.  Tulsa also is fortunate to have many very good private schools as well which keeps families within the general TPS boundaries.

[Conan71]

Eastland failed when almost all of the anchor stores pulled out and went to Woodland, and the area stopped growing right at that corner.

IIRC, Eastland was started around 1972 and the project was abandoned before construction started on Woodland.  Population growth was much slower than expected toward that part of Tulsa was what I was always told.  I think they finally did finish it around '86 or '88.  It's entirely possible I could be off by three or four years, but I was thinking the mechanical equipment was dated around 1972.  I was surprised at the lack of reliable info on it when I Googled it.  Anyone else know anything for certain.

[Townsend]

IIRC, Eastland was started around 1972 and the project was abandoned before construction started on Woodland.  Population growth was much slower than expected toward that part of Tulsa was what I was always told.  I think they finally did finish it around '86 or '88.  It's entirely possible I could be off by three or four years, but I was thinking the mechanical equipment was dated around 1972.  I was surprised at the lack of reliable info on it when I Googled it.  Anyone else know anything for certain.

It was finished in '89 when I used to go to the movies downstairs.

Good place to go, the theater was never busy.

[custosnox]

IIRC, Eastland was started around 1972 and the project was abandoned before construction started on Woodland.  Population growth was much slower than expected toward that part of Tulsa was what I was always told.  I think they finally did finish it around '86 or '88.  It's entirely possible I could be off by three or four years, but I was thinking the mechanical equipment was dated around 1972.  I was surprised at the lack of reliable info on it when I Googled it.  Anyone else know anything for certain.

I'm not sure when it was finished, but it went through several developers getting there.  Supposedly, the reason that it had the tent type roof is because the original builders had wanted a circus type theme.  I worked there for a short time when I turned 19 at the mall itself and at JC Penny's.  Even did a short stint at one of the burger joints there.  I don't think the anchor stores pulling out is what made it fail.  It was faultering before then and couldn't keep the numbers up at any time other then christmas time.  Though I think the death blow was when Penny's pulled out.  The area just never had the economy to really support it. 

[TURobY]

...the theater was never busy.

I disagree. I was at the opening weekends for Home Alone 2, That Darn Cat, and Star Trek: Generations there, and I remember having to sit on the front row for each of them.

[custosnox]

I disagree. I was at the opening weekends for Home Alone 2, That Darn Cat, and Star Trek: Generations there, and I remember having to sit on the front row for each of them.

I watched the first showing of Star Trek: Generations on the day it was released there.  Was also first in line (Okay, I was a really big geek back then), but I don't think there were more then 30 or 40 people at that showing. 

[TURobY]

I watched the first showing of Star Trek: Generations on the day it was released there.  Was also first in line (Okay, I was a really big geek back then), but I don't think there were more then 30 or 40 people at that showing.  

Now that I think about it, I think Generations and That Darn Cat were both sneak previews (I won tickets on the radio -- KHITS -- to both of those). That may explain why there were so many people.

[RecycleMichael]

Can't you trekkies get along?

[custosnox]

don't dis da trek

[Townsend]

Dudes, Generations was totally 1994.

Way after my time at Eastland.

RM, "trekkers"

[Breadburner]

I watch Jepordy....Does that mean I'm a Trebekkie......

[heironymouspasparagus]

Dates are about right for Eastland.  One big problem on the growth in that direction was the "powers that be" wanted to go to Jenks, so they wouldn't put in the infrastructure necessary (water and sewer primarily) claiming it was "too hard" because of the shallow rock in the area making it too difficult to lay the lines.  I know this for a fact because that was the story I got from city hall during the '70's while trying to buy some land out just past Eastland.

And yet, the could sooo easily cut through the rock down Yale, Harvard, Lewis all the way to the river?  Riiggghhhhttttt!

Somewhere along the line after they did get the mall going, Tulsa allowed all those cheesy, crap apartments to be built right next door.  And Simon Malls got hold of it somewhere along the line and would let the punk gangs from those apartments run loose through the mall without even trying to fix the problem.

All the old equipment - there really wasn't any in the concrete frame until they finally finished building it out.  Some plumbing that had to go in, then underground, but mostly the thing sat as an empty shell through the 70's.

And Simon also owns Woodland Hills for the last many years and look how much decay is occurring there.  And probably my biggest complaint about those clowns was the way they forced the quality pizza place (Mazzio's) out to make way for that crappy place that is there now.  Just a big round flat grease burger.  Blech!

[sgrizzle]

Dudes, Generations was totally 1994.

Way after my time at Eastland.

RM, "trekkers"

Trekkers are the d-bags of Trek fandom. Trekkies are the real fans.

In 1994 my phone# was NCC-1701
I invite anyone to try and beat that.