OKC Underground

Jonathan Elmore
Jun 11
3 min read

Updated: Jul 10

OKLAHOMA CITY

When someone asked if I knew about the Oklahoma City Underground, I was super excited that there was possibly a punk music scene. But they looked at me like I was a lunatic, which...y'know, I could be. They said, "No the tunnels. Underground?" Well I knew I needed to go see it for myself. My dreams of punk rock shows would have to wait.

I typed Underground into my GPS and off I went. I parked near Robert S. Kerr and Robinson and followed the coordinates. It led me to a parking garage for city employees. Hm. Wrong place. Thanks GPS! Luckily for me, there were a few employees getting ready to go do their jobs and one young lady happened to be going my direction. She said the entrance near them could be difficult to miss. We had a good chat on the block's walk to the door. What's funny is on the way to the parking garage, I took a picture of the sculpture just outside the door. BUT I MISSED THE DOOR! She was patient and showed me the door, which I missed again because it was sideways from the front of the building. I'm sure I seemed like a doofus, but I'm allowed to be now and then. She led me down some steps into the tunnels, wished me luck, and disappeared. So, she was either a friendly city employee or a beautiful magic pixie. Either way, I'm grateful for her help.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, and realized I was alone, I went to the sign that read UNDERGROUND and looked at the map. I noticed they had a map to take with you so I grabbed one. I figured my luck with the GPS would spill over into my walk through the Underground and they'd have to fish me out of there at closing time. Map in hand I headed down one of the corridors. I noticed there wasn't a whole lot down there except some interestingly lit hallways and some very cool photographs of the history of Oklahoma City. Although I have heard many stories about how great The Concourse used to be, it has mostly become a means for workers to get from building to building without having to brave the elements of downtown outdoors.

Built in 1974, The Concourse use to house shops and galleries for tourists and townies alike. It was a hip, odd place to hang out for a while, see some art, have a sandwich. Then the pandemic happened and the whole thing just stopped. A once thriving underground economy just vanished. A local architect, Rand Elliott, took the tunnels and transformed them into a walk through piece of art. Colored lights and hallways, textured walls, and scultpural accents turn utilitarian hallways into an experience. Although it's nice as it is, I would love to see it regain its status as a hub of activity. But with the economy the way it is lately, I'm sure the OKC underground has had its heyday. What it still is though, is a walkable work of art. When I popped up at the end of my walk, I had no idea where I was. I forgot to look at the map as I walked. I saw the street signs at my nearest corner and knew where I was in relation to where I parked. I walked about eight blocks and found my truck. I noticed a hot dog vendor across the street so I stopped and got a dog and a drink, went back to my truck and had lunch. All said and done it was a good day.

There are a few entrances and exits so scout out which one you want and go. One picture below is the sculpture that is just outside the entrance I was led into. Thanks again, magic pixie.

https://downtownokc.com/underground/