Everything you need to know about OKC's new fairgrounds coliseum

Oklahoma City leaders broke ground on a new coliseum at the OKC Fairgrounds on Wednesday, making it the first recipient of MAPS 4 dollars to begin construction on a brand-new building.

More:Why did OKC's history, culture and aspirations disappear from its fairgrounds?

This is a project years in the making, so there's a lot to keep up with. Here's everything you need to know about the coliseum.

Fairgrounds coliseum will replace Jim Norick Arena

The fairgrounds coliseum, which hasn't officially been named yet, will replace the aging Jim Norick Arena, nicknamed "The Big House." Since it opened in 1964, the arena has become home to high school basketball and wrestling championships, in addition to Oklahoma State Fair events, horse shows and more.

This Oklahoman story from 2019 lays out the history of the project, its inclusion in MAPS 4 and the need for the new coliseum.

Fairgrounds coliseum designed to suit a variety of events

The coliseum will seat about 4,700 in its 21-inch padded seats for horse shows. Retractable seating will allow up to 7,500 seats in different layouts for events like bull riding, concerts and basketball games.

Scott Munz, spokesperson for the OKC Fairgrounds, told The Oklahoman in 2021 the new coliseum is "the last major change that is on anyone’s radar at this time."

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The fairgrounds coliseum will cost $144 million, according to recent estimates

The project will receive $82 million from MAPS 4, at least $25 million from the city's hotel/motel tax, $9 million from MAPS 3, $5 million from the city's American Rescue Plan funds and money from other sources procured by the fairgrounds, according to a recent city council memo.

The cost of the fairgrounds coliseum has continued to rise, with an initial estimate of $95 million when the project was proposed in 2019.

Coliseum expected to increase the fair's already huge economic impact

The Jim Norick Arena has historically had the largest economic impact of all publicly owned facilities in Oklahoma City, hosting over 250 event days a year, including international equine and livestock shows, concerts, sporting events and ice shows.

A study conducted for presentation of the coliseum as a possible MAPS 4 component found that arena events in 2017 drew more than 1.1 million visitors to the fairgrounds and $211.5 million in direct spending at the facility, as well as at hotels, restaurants, retail establishments and other related businesses. The study estimated the new coliseum would generate a 10% increase in direct spending and create 370 additional jobs.

More:Why did OKC's history, culture and aspirations disappear from its fairgrounds?

Coliseum breaks ground first thanks to early planning by fair

The fairgrounds began planning for this project as early as 2010, the former President and CEO of State Fair Inc. Tim O'Toole told The Oklahoman in 2019.

Extra MAPS 3 sales tax collections helped fund the final design of the coliseum, meaning it was further along than any other MAPS 4 projects when sales tax collections began rolling in. This meant it received funding priority to begin construction in the MAPS 4 implementation plan approved in 2021.

"We don't want to do a set of plans and just let them sit," David Todd, MAPS Program Manager, told The Oklahoman in 2021. "Plus the (Jim Norick) Arena out there is aged, it needs to be replaced. But mostly it was because we already had a head start on the design process."

Jim Norick Arena to remain open during construction of coliseum

Though a small portion of the Jim Norick arena will be demolished to make room for the coliseum, the arena will be fully operational during all phases of construction, Munz told The Oklahoman in 2022.

"We were adamant about it not disrupting any of our business in the arena itself," he said.

Construction is expected to complete in 2025.

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MAPS 4 advisory board hopes for a new nickname for the coliseum

MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board members said in 2020 the nickname of the Jim Norick Arena, "The Big House," is racist and should be dropped when the new coliseum is built.

In slave-holding states, the plantation home was the big house, Monique Bruner, an administrator at Rose State College in Midwest City and Ward 7's representative on the MAPS 4 board, told The Oklahoman in 2020.

The term is derogatory, she said. "I've always thought about it that way. It's always been offensive."

According to The Oklahoman, the nickname originated from Lindsay girls basketball coach Charlie Heatly.