Oneok Field Named As New Downtown Ballpark

In a press conference last week, Mayor Kathy Taylor, joined by other city leaders announced the name for the new downtown Tulsa baseball stadium as “Oneok Field.”

Oneok and the Oneok Foundation have pledged $5 million to obtain the 20-year naming rights to the baseball park and future home of the Tulsa Drillers in the Greenwood District.

“This is great news,” said Mayor Taylor, “because the new stadium will bring an exciting energy into the heart of the city. Not only will it help revitalize our entertainment districts, it will enhance the historic Greenwood District and the planned John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation.” She added, “I commend Oneok, one of Tulsa’s best corporate citizens, for lending its name to our downtown ballpark. I’m looking forward to this becoming one of the most popular spots in Tulsa.”

Oneok’s donation is part of $30 million privately donated to the ballpark project by 31 donors. It’s the largest single donation, and one of the larger ones in the country for naming rights of a Double A baseball stadium. Oneok has been located in downtown Tulsa since 1926 and in its current location on South Boulder Avenue since 1984. Oneok’s headquarters are less than one mile from the site of the new Oneok Field.

Completion of the new downtown stadium is set before the 2010 baseball season. Oneok Field will be located directly west of the historic Greenwood District and will be adjacent to the Brady and Blue Dome entertainment districts.

The stadium is projected to have at least 6,200 seats, 30 suites and a sunken playing field that is approximately 13 feet below street level.

The $60 million ballpark project, which includes the stadium and surrounding mixed-use development, will be guided by the Tulsa Stadium Trust with the city of Tulsa as sole beneficiary. The project is being funded by $30 million in private donations, $25 million generated from a downtown property assessment district and $5 million from the Drillers’ lease.