Wiley Post Park's North Bank Is Where Downtown Finally Meets the River
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
On a warm morning this summer, a young visitor climbed a rope wall shaped like a spider web and called out for someone to watch. That scene comes from Parks & Recreation magazine's September 2026 feature, written by OKC Parks' own Carrie Coppernoll Jacobs. The rope wall stands in the new north section of Wiley Post Park, on ground that held a lawn and a parking lot a year ago.
In OKC's draft downtown plan, the riverbank around Robinson Avenue and SW 15th Street is the spot where downtown finally turns to face the Oklahoma River. The city is building it out one phase at a time, and the playground is the first phase.
Wiley Post Park is older than most people assume. The city built it on the banks of the Oklahoma River in the 1930s to serve the Capitol Hill community. School children picked the name by vote a few months after Wiley Post's solo flight around the world. Early attractions included shuffleboard, croquet courts and a small zoo, which gave way to baseball and softball fields in 1960. The park covers 48 acres between South Walker and South Robinson avenues, from SW 15th Street to about SW 20th.
For most of that time the action stayed on the south bank. In the words of the Parks & Recreation feature, "Now the north side of the river is catching up."
The new north section opened in early summer 2026. The city's announcement, dated June 23, said it opened "this week." The magazine piece puts the opening in July. Here is what's there now:
The project cost $8.1 million, paid for with American Rescue Plan Act dollars and Tax Increment Financing. PDG Design did the design and Downey Contracting built it. Construction took about a year. OKC Parks Director Melinda McMillan-Miller told the city she hopes residents will "sit and enjoy the quiet of the river."
The band shell is the one piece without a schedule yet. No concerts or movie nights have been announced for it so far this fall.
On Wednesday, September 23, city officials broke ground on the USS Oklahoma City Navy Memorial. It sits inside the new north section, near Robinson Avenue and SW 15th Street. The city's groundbreaking release lists a plaza, service memorial walls, narrative history panels and a temporary replica of the submarine's sail. Beck Design is the designer and Libbert Bros. Inc. is the builder. The $4.1 million cost is covered by Tax Increment Financing.
The submarine has a long history with this city. The USS Oklahoma City was a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, 361 feet long and more than 6,900 tons. It was commissioned July 9, 1988, and declared out of service February 10, 2022. Its home port was Guam, and its motto was "The Sooner, The Better." It was also the first submarine to move from paper navigation to an all-electronic navigation suite.
Two of the people at the groundbreaking had been there at the start and the end of the sub's service. Former Mayor Ron Norick commissioned the submarine in 1988. Councilman Mark Stonecipher attended its decommissioning in 2022. In the city release, Norick said what he remembered most about being aboard was "the professionalism, how smart, and how polite those young sailors were." Retired Admiral Greg Slavonic said the memorial would become "a learning facility for our young people to understand how important the Navy is to a landlocked state."
The city's draft Downtown OKC Strategic Development Plan, dated July 2026, explains why the memorial is going here. It is blunt about the river as it stands today. It calls I-40 "a huge barrier" with few pleasant crossings for pedestrians. It notes there is only one pedestrian-only bridge over the river, and that bridge isn't ADA accessible. It says most activities sit more than 400 feet from the water and that the riverfront "lacks food and beverage options which would encourage visitors to linger."
The same draft treats the new memorial and open space "at the terminus of Scissortail Park" as the end point of downtown's Cultural Spine. It describes the area as "a new moment for Downtown to embrace the river." In other words, the spot at Robinson and SW 15th is where the city's downtown planning reaches the river.
The memorial will arrive in layers over several years, and the real sail is the last piece.
So the temporary sail could stand at the plaza for years. McMillan-Miller sounded like she expects that pace in the magazine feature: "I can't wait to see what the next few years have in store."
Since the North Oklahoma River Trail runs through the new section, the park also works as a stop on a longer ride or run. According to the city's trails page, the North and South Oklahoma River Trails add up to about 13 miles, roughly 6.5 on each bank. They follow the river and Boathouse Row out to I-35, starting at Meridian Avenue on the north side and Portland Avenue on the south. Wiley Post Park and the Oklahoma Boathouse District are both listed access points, and the river trails connect to the Bricktown Trail.
The trails page points closure questions to the Parks office, so it's worth checking before a long ride while the plaza is going up.
The park's southern edge is close to Historic Capitol Hill. Visit OKC places the district's Calle Dos Cinco along SW 25th Street between Walker and Broadway, the same neighborhood the park was originally built to serve. Fiestas de las Americas already filled the district on October 3. Here's what's still ahead this season:
If you want a meal before or after, Visit OKC's district directory lists Coney Island at 240 SW 25th St., Enoon Cafe at 207 SW 25th St., Mi Terroncito at 213A SW 25th St., El Potosino at 2500 S. Robinson Ave. and Tacos El Milagro at 2534 S. Robinson Ave. Call ahead for hours.
So in a single weekend morning, you can ride the river trail to the north section, check on the memorial walls going up near Robinson and SW 15th, and then drive a few blocks south to SW 25th for lunch.
If you're curious how the riverfront work south of downtown fits into Oklahoma City's broader plans, or what it could mean for the blocks around Wiley Post Park, Robin Wilson - OK is glad to talk it over. Let's Connect.
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