Jewel Theater
The Jewel Theater project is managed by Open Design Collective, Inc. 501c3. Script Architecture is the architect on the project. Please click here to find out more about Open Design.
The Jewel Theater is a Black and historic cultural asset that will soon be reaching its centennial. Constructed in 1931, this space served as one of the few safe havens for Black joy and entertainment in Oklahoma City’s (OKC) public realm during the violent era of Jim Crow in the south. Although the theater survived that era and OKC’s urban renewal impacts in the 1960’s through the 80’s, the decline of the surrounding neighborhood conditions created barriers in the theater’s ability to keep its doors open. The theater stopped operations in the late 1970’s and its aging structure and maintenance needs have been a challenge for the current owner to maintain over the years.
Today it sits as a structurally vulnerable, historic site that represents a critical piece of the Black cultural identity of Northeast Oklahoma City (NE OKC) and is in dire need of a full restoration and programming before it falls to its demise. The scope of work to save this asset includes Open Design as the project manager for the following phases: architectural services for building stabilization, building stabilization construction by a selected general contractor, community engagement and programming, reuse planning and feasibility, architecture and urban schematic design for an operational theater tenant buildout. Open Design is working closely with the Jewel Theater Foundation on capacity building.
This project received a $1mil Mellon Foundation Grant
