OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) – The Oklahoma City Council approved a contract for a demolition company to tear down Prairie Surf Studios, paving the way for the creation of a new Paycom Center where the Oklahoma City Thunder will play.
Midwest Wrecking will demolish Prairie Surf Studios. The location was originally the Myriad Convention Center, which was later renamed the Cox Convention Center.
Prairie Surf housed major film and television productions, including the blockbuster film Twisters and the hit Paramount Plus show Tulsa King, starring Sylvester Stallone.
“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.”
Demolition will begin within the next few weeks and last six to eight months.
The Thunder’s new arena is currently being designed. Construction will start in 2026. Completion is scheduled for 2028.
Seventy-one percent of Oklahoma City voters supported a 72-month, one-cent sales tax to fund building the new arena. The new sales tax starts when the MAPS 4 tax ends.
“The sales tax rate will not increase. The arena will also be paid for with $70 million in MAPS 4 funding and $50 million from the Oklahoma City Thunder ownership group,” city officials said.
Prairie Surf’s 1.3 million square foot facility had five soundstages – two 32,000 feet, one 25,000 feet and the remaining two 24,500 feet – each retrofitted to support major film and television show productions.
The Cox Convention Center was leased to Prairie Surf Media and converted into the studio after the Oklahoma City Convention Center opened, thanks to the city’s MAPS 3 funding initiative. Over 100,000 square feet of new space was added during the conversion.
The new arena will also host concerts featuring top entertainers as well as a wide range of major entertainment attractions. It is expected to be a massive revenue source for Oklahoma City.
