The Uptown area began to expand after the creation of Oklahoma City, but saw major growth between the 1920s and 1930s. The Fairlawn Cemetery, Oklahoma City's oldest and largest cemetery, was started in 1892 and was considered one of the first major landmarks in what is now the Uptown District.[1] The Overholser Mansion, built by "the father of Oklahoma City" Henry Overholser, was constructed in 1903 and was considered the first mansion in Oklahoma City, as among the first of many houses to be built in the Uptown area. Before long, other major figures of early Oklahoma City such as Charles Francis Colcord, G.A. Nichols, Jack C. Walton, Charles F. Urschel, and Robert L. Williams all developed the area and it intended it for be for "the elite" citizens. Nichols especially began purchasing hundreds of lots between 10th Street and 30th Street for the intent of real estate development.
In 1926, N.W. 23rd was designated as part of Route 66 and was seen as the "northern border of town".[2] In 1936, the city began construction on the Tower Theatre, which originally caused negative feedback from citizens who said the location was "in the country". However, the Tower Theatre quickly became a major hub for arts in Oklahoma, and the remainder of N.W. 23rd Street began to blossom with business, recreation, and industry. As the population quickly grew past N.W. 23rd Street, the area began being called a "second downtown" and included several marketplaces, high-end restaurants, and shopping districts. By late 1940s, the area built the first, and for years the only, shopping district outside of downtown.
The Gold Dome was built on the corner of N.W. 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard in 1958. Originally a bank, The Gold Dome building was the fifth geodesic dome constructed in the world and the first to be used as a bank. It was described as “one of the nation’s most revolutionary bank designs.”
The area saw a massive decline entering the 1970s. Crime in the area was at one point the highest in Oklahoma, and neighborhoods in and around N.W. 23rd Street and Classen Blvd. were considered amongst the most dangerous neighborhoods in the southern United States, being seen as a major spot for the Crips.
Route 66 was dissolved and canceled in 1979, which further slowed down commerce in the area. In 1985, the iconic Tower Theatre closed down, as did many of the restaurants and marketplaces around it.
