'It's time' | City of Tulsa rehabbing Center of the Universe plaza

The Center of the Universe still attracts visitors from across the globe, but the signs of its age are apparent.

What is the Center of the Universe?

It's part of a pedestrian path connecting the Greenwood District to downtown Tulsa near 1st and Boston. A fire damaged the bridge in the 1980s, and its rebuilding created a strange phenomenon.

When you stand in the center, it doesn’t matter what direction you face or how loud you are. When you talk, your voice will hit concrete walls around you and reverberate back.

This creates the echo we know as the Center of the Universe.

It is due for a face-lift, and the City of Tulsa, in conjunction with the Downtown Tulsa Partnership, plan to rehab the area.

Downtown Tulsa Partnership

Brandy Molloy and her son are in town from Arkansas. They said they’ve been exploring Tulsa all day. On a friend’s reccomendation, they came to the Center of the Universe.

“It’s pretty cool,” Molloy said.

This little area brings in folks from across the globe. So Tulsa leaders hope it reflects well on the city.

• Previous coverage >>> OUT OF THIS WORLD: Revamping the Center of the Universe

“Every two years, we inspect, and we determine what kind of repairs are needed,” Elliott Stiles, the city’s construction manager, said, “It’s time for Tulsa’s downtown Boston Avenue bridge to have its turn.”
Stiles hosted a meeting to inform residents about plans for the bridge’s rehab. They’ll make it safer and, as a result, a little prettier. The rusty bolts and torn-up pavement will be a thing of the past.

“Everybody that knows somebody that hasn’t been here brings ‘em to come hear the echo,” Catherine Childress, who works near the Center, said.

Residents are wondering if the echo will be preserved. According to Emily Scott, with the Downtown Tulsa Partnership, the echo will stay.

“So we’re actually not moving that concrete ring. We’re preserving that so as to not disturb the echo effect. And then, building on and around it,” Scott said.

“At first, I was a little skeptical, but now I’m totally feeling [the echo],” Scott said.

Ideally, people will be feeling that echo for a long time to come.

Construction is set to begin in August. Leaders expect it to wrap up in November or December. It is a $3.5 million project, which will be paid mostly through Vision Tulsa funds.

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