Multi-purpose complex in Oklahoma
Prairie Surf Studios (originally Myriad Convention Center and later Cox Convention Center ) is a
film production complex located in downtown
Oklahoma City , Oklahoma. It was formerly a convention center and the home of several minor league teams.
History
The facility, known as the Myriad Convention Center, originally was the centerpiece of Oklahoma City's first major
urban renewal project, the
Pei Plan . In addition to the Convention Center, the project included the removal of blighted sections of the southern downtown area. The project also began the process for the design and construction of the
Myriad Botanical Gardens , located directly west of the Myriad. As the Myriad, the facility received a major renovation and expansion. The US$55.8 million project was designed by Glover Bode.
Flintco , who served as the renovation's general contractor, began construction in June 1997. The work was completed in August 1999.
[4]
It was later named Cox Convention Center via sponsorship with telecommunications company
Cox Communications . The facility's primary use was that of large-scale convention and meeting space. It also hosted major concerts, conferences, and other large-scale events. The complex houses multiple meeting rooms, conference and convention space, dining halls, and a 15,000-seat multi-purpose
arena . When it opened in 1972, it replaced the
Oklahoma State Fair Arena as Oklahoma City's main indoor sports and concert venue. It would retain this status for 30 years until the opening of the Ford Center (now the
Paycom Center ) in 2002 directly across the street.
As the Cox Convention Center, the facility received another upgrade, budgeted at $4.5 million, to accommodate the
Edmonton Oilers ' top farm team, the
Oklahoma City Barons , which began play in the 2010–11 season.
The arena was home to
Oklahoma City Blazers hockey in the 1970s,
another Blazers team from 1992 to 2002, the
Bricktown Brawlers
Indoor Football League team, the
Oklahoma City Barons of the
American Hockey League , and the
Oklahoma City Blue of the
NBA G League . The
Oklahoma City Cavalry played in the
Continental Basketball Association at the convention center from 1990 to 1997. It was also home to the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association 's
National Finals Rodeo from 1979 to 1984. The Cox Convention Center also hosted numerous state and college basketball events, including early rounds of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament and also the 2007 and 2009
Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament and
UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard on September 16, 2009. The
NCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were held at the arena from 1986 to 1988.
Oklahoma City contracted with Prairie Surf Media to take over the convention center space for sound stages and production offices for their film company.
[5] On January 1, 2021, the building was renamed Prairie Surf Studios.
Production studio
The building became retrofitted into a film production studio in early 2021 under the ownership of Matt Payne and Rachel Cannon. The building has five
sound stages , with its largest stage sitting at 35,000 square feet.
[6] The studio was used for some of the filming of
Killers of the Flower Moon and the first season of
Tulsa King .
[7]
[8] Other productions to take place at the studio include
American Underdog
[9] and the upcoming
Twisters ,
[10] amongst other productions.
[11]
In September 2023, Prairie Surf Studios launched a creative division that aims to create original projects with Oklahoma-based productions.
[12] Some of its first projects include documentaries about
Clara Luper and the historic Jewel Theatre.
[13]
Events
Prior to the opening of the
Ford Center , the Myriad was Oklahoma City's premier sports and entertainment venue.
WCW Thunder aired live from the Myriad Convention Center on February 12, 1998. The event can be viewed on the WWE Network.
Concerts
List of concerts
Neil Young – March 1, 1973, with
The Stray Gators and March 17, 1991, with
Crazy Horse and
Sonic Youth
Elvis Presley & The
TCB Band – July 2, 1973, July 8, 1975 and May 29, 1976
Jerry Lee Lewis – October 6, 1973
The Beach Boys – May 4, 1975, with Chicago and May 10, 1990, with
America and
Three Dog Night
Eric Clapton – August 22, 1975
The Osmonds – September 3, 1975 and December 18, 1985
KISS – March 4, 1976, November 15, 1977, March 23, 1983, August 25, 1990, with
Slaughter and
Winger , September 11, 1996 and April 4, 2000, with
Ted Nugent and
Skid Row
Fats Domino – March 6–7, 1976
The Who – March 15, 1976
Yes – August 10, 1976, October 3, 1977, June 5, 1979, with
Donovan and
The Dukes and March 14, 1984
Neil Diamond – October 10, 1976, February 17, 1987 and November 23, 2001
The
Electric Light Orchestra – February 16, 1977, with
Steve Hillage and July 3, 1978
Led Zeppelin – April 3, 1977, with
Rick Derringer
The
Eagles – July 6, 1977, with Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band, February 14, 1980, with The
Amazing Rhythm Aces , October 4, 1994 and January 25–26, 1995
Alice Cooper – August 13, 1977 and April 14, 1979
Rod Stewart – November 30, 1977
Foghat – March 16, 1978
REO Speedwagon – July 8, 1978, with
Rainbow and Ultra, October 3, 1979, January 4, 1981 and August 18–19, 1982, with John Mellencamp
Kansas – August 12, 1978, with
Thin Lizzy and
Crawler
Aerosmith – October 12, 1978, with
Exile , February 15, 1986, February 25, 1988, with
Dokken , July 14, 1990, June 4, 1993, with
Jackyl , December 20, 1997, with The
Talk Show and December 9, 2001, with
The Cult
Styx – November 3, 1978, February 11, 1981 and May 13, 1983
Black Sabbath – November 20, 1978, with Van Halen
The Moody Blues – December 4, 1978, with
Jimmie Spheeris and October 6, 1993
Boston – February 14, 1979, with
Sammy Hagar
Billy Joel – March 19, 1979 and April 11, 1984
Kenny Rogers – April 3, 1979, with
Dottie West and
The Oak Ridge Boys , November 22, 1981, with
David Frizzell and
Shelly West and
Gallagher and October 29, 1982, with
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers Band
Jethro Tull – April 25, 1979, with UK
Journey – July 14, 1979, with Thin Lizzy, November 3rd, 1981, and December 4, 1986, with
Glass Tiger
The
Bee Gees – August 4, 1979, with The
Sweet Inspirations
Kool & the Gang – October 19, 1979, with
Cameo ,
The Bar-Kays and
Mass Production
Rush – February 1, 1983, with
Max Webster , April 25, 1981, March 4, 1983, with
Golden Earring , May 1, 1986, with
Blue Öyster Cult , January 23, 1988, with
Tommy Shaw and May 25, 1992, with
Mr. Big
Cheap Trick – April 8, 1980, with
The Babys
Little River Band – June 24, 1980, with
Pure Prairie League
Queen – August 8, 1980, with Dakota and August 27, 1982, with
Billy Squier
Fleetwood Mac – August 22, 1980, with
Rocky Burnette and September 26, 1982, with
Men at Work
Jackson Browne – September 17, 1980 and August 23, 1983
Elton John – October 9, 1980, with
Judie Tzuke , September 25, 1984, November 19, 1997 and October 30, 1999
The Cars – October 10, 1980, with
The Motels
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – October 21, 1980
Conway Twitty – May 16, 1981 and May 15, 1982, with
Ronnie McDowell
The Jacksons – July 10, 1981
Barry Manilow – September 21, 1981 and January 4, 1985
Loverboy – November 3, 1981
The J. Geils Band – April 18, 1982, with The
Jon Butcher Axis
Genesis – August 15, 1982
Van Halen – September 21, 1982, with
After the Fire , June 15–16, 1984, with The Velcros, July 16, 1986, with
Bachman–Turner Overdrive , February 2, 1992, with The
Baby Animals and October 3–4, 1995
Olivia Newton-John – September 22, 1982, with The
Tom Scott Quartet
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – January 26, 1983, with
Nick Lowe & His Noise To Go and November 4, 1991, with
Chris Whitley
Stevie Nicks – September 17, 1983, with
Joe Walsh and April 16, 1986, with
Opus
The Police – November 20, 1983, with
UB40
Duran Duran – April 9, 1984
Tina Turner – October 25, 1984, with
Mr. Mister and October 25, 1985
Iron Maiden – March 2, 1985
Chicago – April 3, 1985
AC/DC – October 10, 1985, with
Yngwie Malmsteen , February 7, 1991, with
King's X and August 22, 1996
John Mellencamp – February 12, 1986
Heart – May 4, 1986 and September 11, 1987
Run–D.M.C. – August 1, 1986, with The Beastie Boys and
LL Cool J
Bon Jovi – February 24, 1987 and April 11, 1989
Bad Company – June 7, 1987 and March 23, 1989
Mötley Crüe – June 30, 1987, with Whitesnake and January 3, 1990
The
Beastie Boys – July 23, 1987, with Run–D.M.C.
Whitney Houston – November 4, 1987, with
Kenny G and May 30, 1991, with
After 7
Metallica – November 30, 1988, with Queensrÿche; January 24, 1992; and May 11, 1997, with
Corrosion of Conformity
Poison – January 22, 1989, with Tesla
Cinderella – March 28, 1989, with Winger and The
BulletBoys
Tesla – September 13, 1989
R.E.M. – October 28, 1989, with
Pylon
Bad English – November 16, 1989
Jimmy Buffett & The
Coral Reefer Band – January 20, 1990, with
Little Feat and
Zachary Richard
Whitesnake – May 1, 1990
Janet Jackson – July 3, 1990, with
Chuckii Booker
The Black Crowes – July 14, 1990 and February 10, 1993
ZZ Top – December 13, 1990, with The
Jeff Healey Band and November 12, 1999, with Lynyrd Skynyrd and The
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies
Don Dokken – January 30, 1991
Jane's Addiction – February 1, 2003
Scorpions – March 26, 1991, with
Trixter
Hank Williams Jr. – April 28, 1991, with
Tanya Tucker and
Mark Collie
Queensrÿche – April 30, 1991
Anthrax – October 10, 1991, with
Public Enemy
Pantera – March 22, 1992 and March 20, 2001, with
Nothingface
Bryan Adams – April 2, 1992
Guns N' Roses – April 6, 1992, with The Smashing Pumpkins
Megadeth – December 10, 1992, with Pantera and
Suicidal Tendencies
Lynyrd Skynyrd – October 5, 1995
The Smashing Pumpkins – November 23, 1996, with
Garbage
Bush – May 6, 1997, with
Veruca Salt
Garth Brooks – July 3–5, 1997
Prince &
The New Power Generation – August 5, 1997
Page & Plant – June 4, 1998
Shania Twain – October 28, 1998, with
Leahy
NSYNC – April 9, 1999, with
Divine and
Tatyana Ali
The Rolling Stones – April 10, 1999, with
Jonny Lang
KoЯn – February 24, 2000, with
Staind and
Mindless Self Indulgence
The
Red Hot Chili Peppers – April 29, 2000, with The
Foo Fighters and March 12, 2007, with
Gnarls Barkley
The
Dixie Chicks – August 5, 2000
Tim McGraw &
Faith Hill – October 15, 2000
Creed – October 18, 2000
KJYO KJ–103's Jingle Ball – December 17, 2000
The
MTV Total Request Live Tour – August 2, 2001
Matchbox 20 – September 12, 2001, with
Train
Slipknot &
System of a Down – October 5, 2001, with
No One ,
American Head Charge and
Rammstein
Tool – October 23, 2001, with
Tricky and November 16, 2002, with
Meshuggah
The
Family Values Tour – November 11, 2001
Vince Gill – December 2, 2001
Kid Rock & Twisted Brown Trucker – April 21, 2002
Music as a Weapon – April 8, 2003
John Mayer – November 14, 2003 and February 3, 2007
The
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – November 21, 2004
Audioslave – October 14, 2005, with
Seether and
30 Seconds to Mars
Nickelback – March 7, 2006, with
Chevelle and
Trapt and September 11, 2009, with
Hinder ,
Papa Roach and
Saving Abel
Brave Combo – December 31, 2006
KBRU 94.7's The Buzz Fest – April 13, 2007
The
Newsboys – April 21, 2007, with
Kutless and
Stellar Kart
tobyMac & The Diverse City Band – April 20, 2007 and November 23, 2008, with
Relient K ,
Family Force 5 and
B. Reith
Three Days Grace – November 9, 2007, with
Breaking Benjamin , Seether and
Red
Ronnie Milsap – November 10, 2007
R. Kelly – December 6, 2007, with
Keyshia Cole ,
J. Holiday and
Ne-Yo
The New Year's Eve Freakout Fest – December 31, 2007, December 31, 2008, December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2010
The
Gaither Homecoming – March 19, 2009
Lil Wayne – March 23, 2009, with
T-Pain ,
Keri Hilson and
Gym Class Heroes
The All-American Rejects – November 24, 2009, with
Taking Back Sunday
Alegría – December 22–26, 2010
Leeland – July 2, 2011
American Idol Live! – July 19, 2011
BarlowGirl – November 25, 2011
The
Barb Wire Dolls – April 13, 2012
Mindless Behavior – January 26, 2013
The
Casting Crowns – October 23, 2014, with
Mandisa and The
Sidewalk Prophets
Other events
References
^
a
b Money, Jack; Lackmeyer, Steve (May 25, 1998).
"Myriad Flap Doesn't Faze First Architect" .
The Oklahoman . Oklahoma City. Retrieved November 10, 2011 .
^ 1634–1699:
McCusker, J. J. (1997).
How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF) .
American Antiquarian Society . 1700–1799:
McCusker, J. J. (1992).
How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF) .
American Antiquarian Society . 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
"Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024 .
^
"Architecture Firm Celebrates 77-Year Alliance in State" .
The Oklahoman . Oklahoma City. September 2, 1982. Retrieved January 22, 2014 .
^
"Myriad Renovation" .
The Oklahoman . Oklahoma City. August 2, 1999. Retrieved January 22, 2014 .
^
"Lease approved: OKC's Cox Center now in the movie business" .
^
"Prairie Surf Stages" . Prairie Surf .
^ Weger, Haley.
"PRAIRIE SURF MEDIA HOST LAUNCH PARTY FOR 'TULSA KING' " . Oklahoma News on 6 .
^ Goldsmith, Jill.
"Oklahoma City Launches New Prairie Surf Studios As State Boosts Production Incentives" . Deadline .
^
"Oklahoma movie news: Behind-the-scenes look at 'American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story' " . Prairie Surf Creative Media .
^
" "Twister 2" approved for Prairie Surf Studios" . The Oklahoman .
^
"Sean Gunn and Benjamin Tefera talk about their movie 'Defiant Vanity,' filmed in Oklahoma" . Yahoo .
^
"Prairie Surf Media launches creative division" . KOCO 5 .
^
"Prairie Surf Creative Media Projects" . Prairie Surf Creative Media .
^
"BMX Grand Nationals Attracts 2,800 Bicyclists" . November 21, 1993. Retrieved September 14, 2018 .
^
"OKC Oilfield Expo homepage" . Texas Classic Productions LLC. Retrieved January 18, 2014 .
^ Center, Cox Convention.
"Catholic Archdiocese Oklahoma City – Beatification of Venerable Servant of God Father Stanley Francis Rother – Cox Convention Center" . www.coxconventioncenter.com . Retrieved September 14, 2018 .
External links
Franchise Arenas Head coaches Playoff appearances (2) Hall of Fame members
Franchise Arenas Head coaches Playoff appearances (5)