Timeline: Prairie Surf Studios demolition begins in April for new OKC Thunder arena

Plans are underway to demolish downtown Oklahoma City’s Prairie Surf Studios, formerly known as the Cox Convention Center. Demolition begins in April to make way for the new Paycom Center, which will be the future home of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The OKC City Council approved the arena’s construction team on Tuesday.

Related: New Oklahoma City Thunder arena to be built by Flintco and Mortenson

The arena will cost at least $900 million and cover 750,000 square feet in order to meet or exceed NBA standards. Construction of the new arena will begin in 2026 and will be completed by 2028. Demolition of the site is scheduled to begin in April and finish by the end of September, according to an update given to downtown businesses.

Preliminary Demolition Timeline

• March 12: Demolition contractor bids received

• March 25: Selected contract will go before city council for vote

• March 27: Fencing, equipment move-in and some interior demolition

• April 11: Demolition scheduled to begin

• September 30: Demolition scheduled to be completed

Street Closures Anticipated

According to project managers, a street closure on Sheridan Avenue to remove the pedestrian sky bridge connecting the former convention center to the Wyndham Garden Hotel will take place, although no date or timeline is currently set.

A lane closure on E.K. Gaylord Boulevard will take place soon for OG&E to relocate a power line.

Demolition Details

Downtown businesses and residents should not expect an implosion using explosives. Instead, city officials tell News 9 it will be a “soft implosion” by forcing outer walls of the building to collapse inward. David Todd, the program manager for the arena project, previously said noise and dust are expected to be issues during demolition, but efforts are underway to manage them.

Related: Downtown OKC prepares for demolition ahead of construction of new $900 million arena