Campus Corner
Encyclopedia
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
directly north of the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
campus. The growth of Campus Corner has been directly related with the growth of the university campus. Over the years, many merchants have occupied the Corner. Some include restaurants, clothing stores, laundry facilities, pharmacies, and beauty salons. A tragic fire destroyed most of Campus Corner in 1929, but that only led to further expansion later on. Before the university constructed its three main dormitories south of campus, nearly all student housing was located north of Boyd Street, the northern boundary of campus. This area exploded since at the time students were not allowed to have cars and a need arose for services within walking distance. Because of the close proximity between merchants and students, a unique relationship was formed. Many activities were held on the Corner. Some of those included the RUF/NEKS
RUF/NEKS
The RUF/NEKS are an all-male student pep squad for the University of Oklahoma.-History:The earliest years of this student organization are not well known. The RUF/NEKS began in the late 1910s. In December 1915 at a basketball game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma A&M a group of football players were...
initiation, the public shaving of beards to signal the end of Engineers Week, and tobacco spitting contests.
After the construction of the dorms south of campus, the popularity of Campus Corner waned and it went through some tough times. More students were living further from campus as dorms and Greek houses changed locations and more students began to drive. In the 1970s, retailers began to build malls and strip centers further west of campus with better access to Norman's primary highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
, Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
.
Since the Sooners won the 2000 BCS National Championship Game, the area has slowly began to reemerge. The city improved the infrastructure of the area including utility lines, lights, security systems, landscaping, parking with 1 hour limit, curbs, sidewalks, and traffic controls. Many of the buildings themselves have needed to be renovated to meet more modern and stricter city codes. In 2003, head OU football coach Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops
Robert Anthony "Bob" Stoops is the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. During the 2000 season, Stoops led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl victory and a national championship....
became part owner of a new sports bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
in Campus Corner that started a wave of new restaurants opening. Since then many new restaurants and bars have opened up joining some of the classic fixtures of Campus Corner.