The historic but long-stagnating Crystal City Shopping Center along Route 66 in southwest Tulsa soon will be auctioned, reported KJRH-TV in Tulsa.
The property will be auctioned by Williams & Williams on Feb. 27. With the date will be new hopes the property will be reborn.
Tulsa city councilor Jeannie Cue is a passionate supporter of Crystal City. Cue has been looking for investors who would be interested in purchasing the shopping center for revitalization.
“When people come to Tulsa, we want them to enjoy Route 66, have restaurants to go to, places to shop and there’s no better place than Crystal City,” said Cue.
Cue said another important reason she wants to see the property redeveloped is because there are no grocery stores in the area.
I’ve lived in the area for nearly a decade, and saw an already-marginal Crystal City Shopping Center decline further because, it seemed, of the owner’s indifference.
At one point, I heard from sources that the City of Tulsa was poised to seize the shopping center as a public nuisance. But the owner’s daughter took over management and made nominal improvements. A buyer seemed to be lined up last spring, but the deal never was quite completed.
In the right hands, the shopping center could become prosperous again. It’s been long rumored a section of the building that once housed a bowling alley could become a local Route 66 museum. And the City of Tulsa soon will construct one of the Route 66 gateways in that area.
Another 66 museum…that’s the ticket!
I do hope they are able to redevelop the site. An entire mall sitting empty is one of the saddest, loneliest sites a own can have.