Mark Price Arena
Encyclopedia
The Mark Price Arena is a 2,500-seat multi-purpose arena
in Enid, Oklahoma
.
In addition to hosting concerts and high school sports, the arena was home to the Oklahoma Storm
, a basketball
team in the USBL. President George H. Bush spoke at the venue while campaigning in 1992. The Skeltur Conference Tournament was held at the arena from 1964 to 2009. In May 2008, Enid Public Schools
announced Enid’s basketball games would not be played at the arena, but at Mabee Center at Northern Oklahoma College
Enid. The facility is currently closed until it is able to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Gateway Enid bond plan would have restored and renovated Mark Price Arena, as well as add additional recreational area and facilities to the downtown Enid area. However, the plan failed to pass on August 24, 2010. Due to the narrow margin of failure, the city of Enid is still considering creating a new events center by demolishing or renovating Convention Hall and its neighboring Cherokee Strip Conference Center. In September 2010, the City of Enid published a request for bids seeking for the demolition of Convention Hall. The city received 13 bids from companies across the nation, with costs ranging from 120,000 dollars to 696,800 dollars.At the same time, a group calling itself Friends of Convention Hall was formed to seek alternatives other than demolition, such as a 15 million dollar renovation plan designed by Enid architect Ken Corbin. In December 2010, represented by attorney Bryce Kennedy, the group presented a petition of 4,000 signatories in support of convention hall.
, then mayor of Enid, and his commissioner aides, G. W. Pancoast and Jason
W. Butts, proposed a bond issue for the construction of a building to memorialize the efforts of Garfield County soldiers in WWI. Sealed bids were accepted until Sept. 1, 1919 on bonds of $250,000 for the construction of the convention hall. The building was constructed at a cost of $500,000 with an original capacity of 5,000. It was designed by the architectural firm Layton, Smith and Forsyth
and constructed by Bass and Frankenfield Builders. It served as a meeting place for the Enid Chamber of Commerce. The hall served as a venue for stage productions including plays such as Hitchy-Koo
and Al G. Field minstrel shows and for musicians such as John Phillip Sousa, Ernestine Schumann-Heink
, Bob Wills
, and Fred Waring
.
The hall is four stories tall, has two balconies: the first of which holds 995 people and the second 667 people. The floor measures at 109 feet (33.2 m) long by 67 feet (20.4 m) wide, and can hold 600 people. The ceiling is 40 feet (12.2 m) high, and the stage measures at 37 feet (11.3 m) wide and nearly 30 feet (9.1 m) long. The basketball arena in Convention Hall was renamed in 1993 to Mark Price Arena is named after basketball player Mark Price
who played for Georgia Tech and the Cleveland Cavaliers
.
36.393736°N 97.879652°W
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Enid, Oklahoma
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
.
Oklahoma Storm
The Oklahoma Storm was a United States Basketball League team located in Enid, Oklahoma. Founded by sports agent and attorney James Sears Bryant, the Storm successfully captured the USBL championship under head coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2002, defeating Kansas with a final score of 122-109. The...
, a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team in the USBL. President George H. Bush spoke at the venue while campaigning in 1992. The Skeltur Conference Tournament was held at the arena from 1964 to 2009. In May 2008, Enid Public Schools
Enid Public Schools
Enid Public Schools is a public school district located in Enid, Oklahoma. The school district has an enrollment of 6,636 students as of October 2008.-Elementary schools:*Adams Elementary School*Coolidge Elementary School*Eisenhower Elementary School...
announced Enid’s basketball games would not be played at the arena, but at Mabee Center at Northern Oklahoma College
Northern Oklahoma College
Northern Oklahoma College is a community college located in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, with additional campuses located in Enid, Oklahoma and Stillwater, Oklahoma. Student enrollment is approximately 2,700.-History:...
Enid. The facility is currently closed until it is able to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Gateway Enid bond plan would have restored and renovated Mark Price Arena, as well as add additional recreational area and facilities to the downtown Enid area. However, the plan failed to pass on August 24, 2010. Due to the narrow margin of failure, the city of Enid is still considering creating a new events center by demolishing or renovating Convention Hall and its neighboring Cherokee Strip Conference Center. In September 2010, the City of Enid published a request for bids seeking for the demolition of Convention Hall. The city received 13 bids from companies across the nation, with costs ranging from 120,000 dollars to 696,800 dollars.At the same time, a group calling itself Friends of Convention Hall was formed to seek alternatives other than demolition, such as a 15 million dollar renovation plan designed by Enid architect Ken Corbin. In December 2010, represented by attorney Bryce Kennedy, the group presented a petition of 4,000 signatories in support of convention hall.
History
In 1919, Milton C. GarberMilton C. Garber
Milton Cline Garber was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma. In 1942, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.-Personal life:...
, then mayor of Enid, and his commissioner aides, G. W. Pancoast and Jason
W. Butts, proposed a bond issue for the construction of a building to memorialize the efforts of Garfield County soldiers in WWI. Sealed bids were accepted until Sept. 1, 1919 on bonds of $250,000 for the construction of the convention hall. The building was constructed at a cost of $500,000 with an original capacity of 5,000. It was designed by the architectural firm Layton, Smith and Forsyth
Layton & Forsyth
Layton & Forsyth was a prominent Oklahoma architectural firm that also practiced as partnership including Layton Hicks & Forsyth and Layton, Smith & Forsyth. Led by Oklahoma City architect Solomon Layton, partners included George Forsyth, S. Wemyss Smith, Jewell Hicks, and James W...
and constructed by Bass and Frankenfield Builders. It served as a meeting place for the Enid Chamber of Commerce. The hall served as a venue for stage productions including plays such as Hitchy-Koo
Hitchy-Koo
Hitchy-Koo of 1919 is a musical revue with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and the book by George V. Hobart. This revue was third in a series of four Hitchy-Koo revues produced by, and starring, Raymond Hitchcock. The original Broadway production was in 1919...
and Al G. Field minstrel shows and for musicians such as John Phillip Sousa, Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Ernestine Schumann-Heink was a celebrated Austrian, later American, operatic contralto, noted for the size, beauty, tonal richness, flexibility and wide range of her voice.- Early life:...
, Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
, and Fred Waring
Fred Waring
Fredrick Malcolm Waring was a popular musician, bandleader and radio-television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing." He was also a promoter, financial backer and namesake of the Waring Blendor, the first modern electric...
.
The hall is four stories tall, has two balconies: the first of which holds 995 people and the second 667 people. The floor measures at 109 feet (33.2 m) long by 67 feet (20.4 m) wide, and can hold 600 people. The ceiling is 40 feet (12.2 m) high, and the stage measures at 37 feet (11.3 m) wide and nearly 30 feet (9.1 m) long. The basketball arena in Convention Hall was renamed in 1993 to Mark Price Arena is named after basketball player Mark Price
Mark Price
William Mark Price is a retired American basketball player who played for 12 seasons in the NBA, from 1986 to 1998...
who played for Georgia Tech and the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
.
External links
36.393736°N 97.879652°W