History of the Gardens

The idea of cultivating a garden in downtown Oklahoma City began when world-renowned architect I.M. Pei was commissioned by city leaders, led by oil and gas pioneer Dean A. McGee (CEO of Kerr-McGee Corporation), in 1964 to create a revitalization plan for downtown Oklahoma City. The resulting Pei Plan incorporated parkland for the development of a cultural, recreational and commercial complex. The area that is now the Myriad Botanical Gardens was originally designed by I.M. Pei to model the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The development of the Pei Plan, and the gardens in particular, became the lifelong project of McGee. He even motivated a core group of civic leaders to travel to Tivoli Gardens and learn more about the success of the celebrated attraction.

On May 5, 1970, the name Myriad Gardens was officially adopted. Three months later, on August 11, 1970, the Oklahoma City Council established a 19-member Myriad Development Task Force. The principal responsibility of the task force was to assist the City in the successful planning, programming and implementation of the Myriad Gardens. After a national competition in 1971, the task force chose an architect for the Gardens, the New York firm of Conklin & Rossant.

The City of Oklahoma City purchased the site for the Myriad Gardens in 1975 for $900,000. Investment in the development phase, including initial site clearing and utility relocation, was approximately $1.2 million. Buildings that originally stood on the Myriad Gardens site included the Biltmore Hotel, City National Bank Building and the Oklahoma Club.

On September 16, 1975, the Myriad Gardens Authority, a public trust, was created and charged with developing the 17-acre property. McGee continued his leadership role at the Gardens and was appointed as the Trust Chairman. Work began on the Gardens on November 17, 1977 with a ceremonial groundbreaking.

Construction of the garden’s infrastructure, including the base of the conservatory, tunnel, water stage and other core facilities continued over the next four years as funding became available. Oklahoma City-based RGDC was the structural engineering firm heading the project.

In 1981, the Myriad Gardens Foundation was formed to raise private funds for the construction of the conservatory designed by Conklin & Rossant. It was also at this time that Oklahoma City-based architectural firm HTB was hired to design and landscape the west perimeter of the outdoor gardens.

Lippert Brothers Construction began work on the Conservatory in September 1983. Edmond, Oklahoma-based Trafco Constructors Inc. accomplished the difficult task of designing and building the 17 tricord trusses that make up the framework of the unique conservatory.

The structure was completed in 1985. The interior design of the Crystal Bridge was done by Loftis Bell Downing and Partners, Architects and Planners with the exotic plants being acquired and installed from 1987 to 1988 by Director Mike Bush.

In the summer of 1987, the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department took over the operation and maintenance of the Gardens. The Crystal Bridge opened its doors to the public on March 25, 1988.

The outdoor grounds continued to grow as funding became available. The Herman and LaDonna Meinders Foundation donated two outdoor specialty gardens to the Myriad Gardens Foundation. The first, located north of the Crystal Bridge, was completed in 1996. The second, representing the largest single donation for the beautification of Oklahoma City, is located on the northeast corner of the Gardens and was completed in 1998.

On June 28, 2001, the Dean A. McGee Center, a 5,000-square-foot, multi-use and meeting facility funded by the Myriad Gardens Foundation, was opened for public use. The facility was named in honor of early Gardens’ visionary and benefactor Dean A. McGee.