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As part of a collaboration with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG), the Institute for Quality Communities (IQC), the City of El Reno, Michael Höffner, and Emily Fitzsimmons formed a team to research and provide recommendations concerning Sunset Drive, a stretch of Route 66 west of downtown El Reno, Oklahoma.
This project is part of ACOG’s Community Economic Resiliency Iniative (CERI), which was created to help Oklahoma communities develop after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about CERI and the IQC’s involvement.
Michael Höffner is an affiliate faculty member in the Division of Architecture, a Community Engagement Fellow with the IQC, and principal at höffnerdesignstudio. Emily Fitzsimmons is a graduate student in the Division of Regional + City Planning and a Graduate Assistant with the IQC.
On Sunday December 5, the team hosted a public meeting for community members to share their perspective and hopes for key challenges and opportunities facing Sunset Drive. The meeting took place in the Red Barn of the Canadian County Historical Society Museum. Dozens of participants interacted with a large-format aerial photo of the corridor and held conversations or left notes about important topics.
Major themes from participants included walkability and safety, development and design focused on attracting tourism to El Reno, future projects and development types, and ways of honoring El Reno’s history in the corridor.
Robert L. Wesley, a pioneering architect and beloved mentor, has died at age 88. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Wesley joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1964 and became the firm's first Black partner in 1984. Throughout his career, he contributed to significant architectural projects while maintaining a strong commitment to civic engagement and professional mentorship.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. [PA1.1]Butzer returned to one of his most significant works on December 15, joining survivors and past and present board members for the groundbreaking of a $15.8 million expansion of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
