The Gathering Place Becomes A Reality
BOAT HOUSE: The 21,000-foot structure, built entirely out of stone from southeastern Oklahoma, sits on Peggy’s Pond and provides great views of the park .
GTR Newspapers photo
The official opening of the Gathering Place was held Sept. 8 with a huge thank you to the George Kaiser Family Foundation and an extraordinary dream to transform nearly 100 acres of Tulsa’s iconic waterfront along the scenic Arkansas River into a dynamic, interactive environment.
The idea for the Gathering Place came together because, according to Gathering Place literature, “Citizens of Tulsa needed a welcoming, natural space where members of our diverse communities could come together to explore, learn and play.”
After years of planning, generous donations and input from the community, Tulsa’s dream became reality. In 2014, Gathering Place broke ground on Tulsa’s world-class park. The dream of a space to celebrate and gather along the river was becoming reality.
The next chapter is filled with excitement as the park is officially open. The children, families and friends of Tulsa will write the narrative from there, an ongoing adventure sure to inspire wonderful moments for generations to come. Gathering Place representatives look forward to witnessing memories made and celebrating the collective growth experienced through Gathering Place, where adventures will only be limited by the imagination of visitors.
According to Gathering Place publicity, “We are Gathering Place. We are Tulsa. We are diverse, passionate and true to our beliefs. We remain consistent in our mission, as a project led by George Kaiser Family Foundation, that we all become united in our love for our community. Relatives, close friends, neighbors, we are all family. We are united from every zip code, from the city to the suburbs, from the river to the hills, from the north to the south, from the west to the east. Gathering Place is the ultimate expression of Tulsa’s spirit of unity. A place for everyone.”
A public-private partnership, and numerous corporate and community philanthropists gave ownership of the $465 million park to River Parks Authority which, in turn, signed a long-term operational and management lease back to an entity of the foundation to ensure the highest quality operation, maintenance and programming for the life of the park.
?Gathering Place for Tulsa is doing business as Tulsa’s Gathering Place, . To learn more about the project, visit www.gatheringplace.org.
Updated 09-12-2018
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