Oklahoma City Council selects demolition contractor for Prairie Surf Studios
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The Oklahoma City Council approved a contract with Midwest Wrecking on Tuesday to demolish Prairie Surf Studios and pave the way for the new Paycom Center, the future home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Demolition is expected to take six to eight months to complete and will begin in the next several weeks.
“We’ve removed nostalgic items from the arena like a medallion that was embedded in the floor, light fixtures with section numbers on them, flags and some of the seating,” David Todd, the arena program manager, said. “The center will be torn down wall by wall over the next few months.”
Construction of the new Paycom Center is scheduled to begin in 2026, with a target completion date by June 2028.
In the meantime, the Thunder will continue to play their home games at the current Paycom Center until the new arena opens.
Here’s how the nearly billion-dollar arena will be funded:
- Funded by a 72-month, one-cent sales tax once the MAP 4 tax has ended. (Sales tax rate will not increase.)
- The new arena will also be paid for with $70 million in MAPS 4 funding and $50 million from the Oklahoma City Thunder ownership group.