TEXT NOTIFICATION UPDATE:

Text notifications regarding your library have resumed. For more information, please click here.

Chief of Staff Search

The Metropolitan Library System is seeking a strategic executive leader to serve as Chief of Staff, a key partner to the Chief Executive Officer. View the full job announcement and application details at metrolibrary.org/chiefofstaff

Marvelous, monumental, memorable: The Myriad Convention Center

Myriad Convention Center

Marvelous, monumental, memorable: The Myriad Convention Center

The Myriad Convention Center opened its doors on November 5, 1972, in the booming City of Tomorrow. The newest mini exhibit, centered around the history of the Myriad, is now on display in the Oklahoma Room on the second floor of the Downtown Library.

Hosted by Special Collections & Research, the display showcases photographs, pamphlets, building layouts, and original ticket stubs from the over five decades that the Myriad hosted countless events in the heart of the city. 

 

Elevated view of the Myriad Convention Center
View of downtown looking northwest from the railroad tracks at Reno. The Myriad Convention Center in the foreground. In the background are the Roberts Hotel, the Venetian-inspired Baum Building, the Colcord Building, the Trivoli Inn, and the Hotel Oklahoma (Biltmore). Photo by Ray Jacoby (February 28, 1972)

From holding major shows for superstars like Elvis and Cher to serving as a temporary station for first responders after the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in April 1995, this year marks the end of the Myriad's illustrious life. The building, most recently known as the Cox Convention Center and home to Prairie Surf Studios, is undergoing demolition. The removal of the Myriad Convention Center clears the way for the new Paycom Center, which will host major events and the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder and Oklahoma City Blue.

Interested in learning more about the how the Myriad Convention Center transformed Downtown OKC? Check out the article written by Special Collections Librarian Caroline Moore in the August '25 issue of the Metropolitan Library System's monthly Info Magazine (pgs. 10-11): bit.ly/InfoMagAug2025

Myriad Convention Center mini exhibit

 

We welcome your feedback! Email us at Special.Collections@MetroLibrary.org with your thoughts or ideas for future articles and posts. All images showcased here are part of Metro Library’s Special Collections and Research archives.