1. Architectural DNA

1. Architectural DNA

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Oklahoma City, OK

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Architectural DNA

4.7 (3 reviews)

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OKC Ring

OKC Ring

5.0(1 review)
0.5 miCBD

This is a controversial and risqué piece located near the Oklahoma City Memorial. It is commonly…read morereferred to by a NSFW name. There is metered street parking available right by the piece. The piece is located at the weird intersection of Broadway and Dean A. McGee. It was installed in September 2018 and is in excellent condition. The circular piece is made of stainless steel and has the letters OKC, in various sizes and orientations, all around it. In addition to being an art piece, the ring hides a power transformer for the streetcar system. It is the focal point of a small little plaza that is well landscaped and has benches. It is also meant for those scootering or walking around town to take a break. What makes this are installation is controversial is the words or phrases that people can form with the OKC letters. Some see three Ks, while others see a four-letter word that begins with a "C" and ends with a "K". I find this piece interesting. It is difficult to determine who designed the piece. I have tried but have not been able to find out who it was. The piece looks amazing at night. The letters are formed with plexiglass that is illuminated with color changing LEDs at night. The plaza area also has some lights along the walking path. There is no surprise that this piece is a top attraction in OKC and gets a lot of traffic. Even without the controversy, it is a nice piece. In my opinion the controversy just adds to its mystique. It is definitely worth a visit, especially for those with a weird sense of humor like me. Anyway, as with most public art that I review this is not particularly a destination piece, nor is a very long stop. I got my chuckles and was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at some of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. As I mentioned, The Oklahoma City Memorial is right around the corner from the piece.

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OKC Ring
OKC Ring
OKC Ring

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Inclined

Inclined

5.0(2 reviews)
1.3 mi

Thought-provoking public art along the canal path. Powerful bronze figure pushing a boulder a…read moresymbol of struggle & resilience. It's tucked away on the lower level right by the water taxi loading and unloading area. The details are amazing. They put a bench just to the side of it which makes it hard for photos when there are people sitting there.

This piece can be found along the canal in Bricktown, in the shadow of Brickopolis, by where you…read moreboard the canal taxi. It was dedicated in 2000 and is the work of David Phelps. It was commissioned by the City of Oklahoma city depicts a bronze man coming out of the ground to about chest high. The man is holding a big cement ball in both hands like a basketball and pushing the ball up two steel rails. Health care consultant Curtis Thomas served as a model for the piece, which is meant to pay homage to the struggles of those original residents of the "Deep Deuce" neighborhood, a thriving African American community, as well as the historic structures themselves; the railroads, loading docks, and post & beam construction of the warehouses. It also rumored to represent civil rights struggles. The piece has been criticized for being too urban. I however, really like the sculpture. It is very detailed. It is almost life-like even though it is a bit larger than scale. It really grabs your attention, even though it is in a little corner along the canal. It is definitely worth a look if you are in the area. Being that this piece is located in Bricktown, there is metered street parking and commercial parking lots within a reasonable walking distance. It is not a destination piece though, nor a large consumer of your time. With that being said, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There are many bars and restaurants in the area.

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Inclined
Inclined - Frontal

Frontal

Inclined - Name plate

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Name plate

Underground

Underground

3.8(8 reviews)
0.6 miCBD

3.5 stars. Underground is the tunnels system below Oklahoma City. This tunnel is use for walking…read morebelow the city when the city is fully covered by snow. It is very good use for winter time. The tunnel protect you from severe weather or cold wind. The tunnels system link the commercial area, shopping, banking, restaurants, parking garage. Basically you can use it as a walk tunnel to connect all business. There are several tower in downtown that connects the tunnels. Many downtown people use it as walking path for restaurants during lunch time. We got into the tunnel through the Arvest building. We took the elevator to LL level to parking garage below the building, then followed the red painted path to enter the green tunnel. The tunnel divided into colors system. Each color represents different zone and art area. We saw many historic picture and art at tunnels. Visit time take about one hour. Th

We enjoyed exploring these tunnels for at least a couple of hours. I learned more about OKC in…read morethat time than perhaps any city I've been to (except London - I read the book - but I digress). It was also nice to be out of the heat. There were two photos that, taken together, don't seem believable as described. According to the captions, one was taken of OKC April 22, 1889, and the next on May 13, 1889 - just 3 weeks later. Not only has an entire city appeared in 3 weeks, but additional rail lines, and an outhouse added in the foreground. What really seems implausible, though, is a massive pile of dirt in the first photo has disappeared 3 weeks later, with no sign it was ever there - even the grass has grown back perfectly. In three weeks. I'd love to know how the dates were authenticated. We can learn a lot from our elders, so I really enjoyed the quotes and photos of people who had made it to be 100 years old. We entered through a door in a parking garage, but there's an escalator right up front in the BancFirst building that's probably easier to find. I'm attaching photos.

Photos
Underground - Each color represents a differently-themed tunnel.

Each color represents a differently-themed tunnel.

Underground
Underground - Can you spot the typo?

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Can you spot the typo?

Architectural DNA - publicart - Updated July 2026

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