Uptown 23rd Is Running on a 2027 Clock, One Block North of Mesta Park

"We just decided that in our best interest to close one week and get it all done." That was Kathryn Mathis, owner of Big Truck Tacos, speaking to News 9 in June. She explained why her restaurant at 530 NW 23rd would close from June 29 through July 5 so crews could finish their work in front of it, then reopen July 6.

That one-week decision sums up NW 23rd this fall. The City's official boundary puts the Mesta Park historic district between Western Avenue, the north side of NW 22nd Street, Walker Avenue and NW 16th Street, according to the City of Oklahoma City's historic preservation guidelines. That puts the Uptown 23rd District one block north of the neighborhood. Right now nearly every change on that street is set to finish in 2027, so the street residents use this season is partly torn up, partly rebuilt, and held together by the businesses that kept their doors open.

Three projects due in 2027, and one with no date

The changes on and around NW 23rd are separate projects with separate owners. Three of them are scheduled to finish in the same year, and the fourth still has no timeline.

An 18-month schedule starting in mid-January works out to about July 2027. In August, The Oklahoman reported that city officials still expected the NW 23rd project to wrap up next year. So the street residents walk to this fall is the halfway version, and it will stay that way through the holidays.

What the rebuild has finished, and what's next

The NW 23rd Street streetscape covers one mile from Western to Broadway. It's a $9.3 million project paid for by ACOG and the 2017 bond program. The work includes wider sidewalks, better lighting, shade, overall beautification, waterline replacement and new pavement.

The western end, the stretch closest to Mesta Park, was furthest along as of the City's August update:

• Western to Lee: sanitary sewer work completed
• Lee to Dewey: sidewalk and driveway placement completed
• Walker to Dewey: demolition, conduit, and footings for light poles and pedestrian poles completed, with curb, gutter, ramp and sidewalk work underway

That same update scheduled the next round of work for the eastern blocks. It called for a Hudson closure for inlet installation, a full closure of Harvey Avenue, and a full eastbound closure from Robinson to Broadway to prepare for paving. That schedule was a four-week forecast written in August, and August is still the newest monthly update listed on the City's project page. Before you drive across town for a specific block, check current conditions through the City's subscription for project updates.

From Mesta Park, the result is uneven. The blocks nearest Western and Lee got their underground and sidewalk work done early, while the east end toward Broadway was just starting its heaviest phase as summer ended.

The 400 to 600 blocks stayed open

In June, construction was hard on Uptown 23rd businesses, and owners said so publicly in reports from KOCO and News 9. Four months later, the closest cluster to Mesta Park is still listed and operating, running down the street by address:

• Hunny Bunny Biscuit Co. at 429 NW 23rd, Ponyboy at 423 and Bunker Club at 433, all close to the Tower Theatre at 425
• Thai House Restaurant at 500 NW 23rd
• OK Runner at 519 NW 23rd, Suite 104, open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and closed Sunday, according to the store's own page. Urban Teahouse shares the 519 address.
• Big Truck Tacos at 530 NW 23rd, open from 7:30 a.m. every day but Sunday, when it opens at 9 a.m.
• Ted's Tacos and Cantina at 600 NW 23rd, Suite A, and Boom Town Creamery at 605 NW 23rd

Farther east, Basil Mediterranean Cafe at 211 NW 23rd lists Monday-through-Saturday hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on its site. Tucker's Onion Burgers at 324 and Cajun Corner at 312 sit in the 300 block.

The one-week closure at Big Truck Tacos shows how a business can handle a 2027 timeline. Instead of losing a little traffic every day while crews worked out front, it took the disruption all at once and reopened in time for the July 6 lunch crowd.

A fall calendar that doesn't wait for the sidewalks

Shows kept going while the street was under construction. The Tower Theatre calendar has shows booked from late October through the end of the year:

1. Oct. 30: My So Called Band, a 90s tribute
2. Oct. 31: Bingo Loco
3. Nov. 20: House Party, billed as "a sweaty love-letter to the 2010s rager"
4. Dec. 4: Michael Martin Murphey, Cowboy Christmas
5. Dec. 17: Kaitlin Butts, Hello, Honky Tonk Tour
6. Dec. 19: Bingo Loco

The Tower's box office and will call open 30 minutes before doors, so the theater doesn't keep regular daytime hours. A few doors east, Yours Truly at 313 NW 23rd is hosting "Nightmare on 23rd St," a Halloween party on Friday, Oct. 30, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Its own site lists supper-club dining for spring 2027, another item on the street's 2027 list.

Two corners still waiting on answers

Not every change on 23rd has a date yet. Two sites near Mesta Park are still unsettled this fall.

The first is the Bungalow 23 space. The Oklahoman reported on Oct. 7 that Chino's Mexicano closed in late August after opening in October 2025. Chick-N-Beer, which closed in January, plans to come back as CNB Kitchen in the former Chino's space at 733 NW 23rd with a smaller menu that keeps its potato flour-dredged, double-fried wings. The CNB Kitchen site gives only "Fall 2026" as an opening window. Bungalow 23's own website now reads "Bungalow 23 V2.0," "Coming Soon" and "Upgrades in progress," and lists an address on N. Lee Avenue. The outdoor venue that hosted DogFest OKC on Sept. 26 is changing, and so is the restaurant inside it.

The second is the Gold Dome at NW 23rd and Classen, about the biggest landmark on the street. It opened in 1958 as Citizens State Bank, became the fifth geodesic dome in the world, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. NW 23rd and Classen are both sections of Route 66. News 9 reported the sheriff's auction on Sept. 1. The building sold for $1,100,500 hours after the City Council approved $3 million in incentives for a previous owner's plan, according to The Journal Record. The auction opened with a $600,000 minimum bid against a $900,000 appraisal.

The sale didn't close the matter. Route 66 News cited News 9 reporting that a judge still had to confirm the sale. That could take 40 to 45 days, and the original owner could redeem the property during that time. If the sale is confirmed, the City's $3 million agreement would no longer apply, and the new owner would have to bring the City a separate proposal. In an Oct. 17 update, The Oklahoman described the landmark's future as still uncertain.

Walker Avenue is the link that follows

The streetscape rebuilds NW 23rd east to west. The Walker Avenue Enhancement runs north from it. The $5 million project, funded by the Better Streets, Safer City sales tax, connects Uptown 23rd to the Paseo Arts District along Walker between NW 23rd and NW 32nd. It adds sidewalks, ADA ramps, marked crosswalks, 22 lights, trees, rain gardens and new pavement. The City expects to finish in early 2027.

Walker is also the eastern edge of the Mesta Park district, so the walk from the neighborhood's northeast corner up to the Paseo is part of the 2027 work too. During the week of Oct. 5, Walker's southbound lane was closed from NW 28th to NW 30th, sidewalk access on the west side was limited there, and east-west crossings stayed open at NW 28th and NW 29th. Plan on crossing at 28th or 29th for an evening walk to the Paseo this fall.

If you live in Mesta Park and want to understand how the NW 23rd and Walker projects could affect your street before they finish in 2027, Stetson Bentley can go through the timeline with you. Book an appointment to talk about your plans, or request a home valuation that accounts for where your block sits on the corridor.