Looking Back at I.M. Pei's Plan for Oklahoma City

I.M. Pei's 1964 redesign of Oklahoma City involved the destruction of more than 500 buildings. It was abandoned in the 80s. A model now on display reveals the modernist ideal that Pei envisioned and eventually failed to inspire redevelopment.

1 minute read

May 8, 2010, 9:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


"We still are working with the Pei Plan, and in some ways, some of us feel like we're working against the Pei Plan," says Hans Butzer, a professor or architectural design at Oklahoma University in the video that accompanies the article.

The exhibit also includes photographs put together by historic preservationists showing Oklahoma City buildings that were lost in the redesign.

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