Pei Plan and Pei Model History

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Renowned international architect I.M. Pei was contracted in 1964 by the Urban Action Foundation, a non-profit formed to help launch an urban renewal program for downtown Oklahoma City. His work included a creating a 10- by 12-foot model showing how downtown might look in 1989 after the program’s completion. The model was part of an ambitious public relations effort aimed at gaining support for tearing down hundreds of old buildings, some historic, to make way for Pei’s vision of a new mix of offices, retail and housing. The model involved intricate detailing to buildings and streets, and cost $60,000 to build. Pei unveiled the model on December 10, 1964 in the Persian Room at Skirvin Tower, where an estimated 600 people “oohed” and “aahed” as the architect discussed his vision of how Oklahoma City would look in 1989 after completion of his plan. The only area to be spared clearance during Pei’s initial presentation was the core of the central business district – Broadway, Robinson Avenue and Park Avenue.

Pei wouldn’t throw out any guesses on how much his plan might cost, though one civic leader, Urban Renewal Commissioner Ralph Bolen, suggested an outlay of $311 million might be needed.

During his presentation, backed by a slide show, Pei estimated his plan for a downtown mall and housing would increase retail activity downtown by 75 percent.

The model was displayed at City Hall, State Fair Park and other public venues, and wa often accompanied by large murals depicting Pei’s drawings of future downtown development.

Regardless of public sentiment toward the eventual outcome of the Pei Plan, the model marks a historic moment for downtown Oklahoma City and is considered a forerunner of later day efforts including the city’s Metropolitan Area Projects, the post 1995 bombing recovery plan for north downtown, Core to Shore and MAPS 3.

After the demise of the Pei Plan in the 1980s, the model was donated in 1986 to the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society, which put it on display in the Unassigned Lands Museum at 20 W Main. The model was shipped to Washington, D.C. in 1995 and briefly displayed at the Smithsonian as part of its presentation on downtown Oklahoma City and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Buildingbombing. The model was crated after its 1996 display and shipped back to Oklahoma City, where it remained in underground storage until 2010. The Oklahoma City/County Historical Society has preserved the model and kept it safe for more than 25 years.