Fast-Growing Portion Of Downtown OKC Gets A New Name

A small pocket of downtown Oklahoma City has seen exponential growth in the last few years. Those who have already put down roots said the area’s new name fits perfectly.

"The area was formally part of The Arts District," Downtown OKC Partnership director Kristen Vails said.

 The old name, said The Jones Assembly owner Graham Colton, didn't feel right.

"We did feel like we were more our own kind of thing,” Colton said. “Our own kind of group with our own kind of energy.”

The Jones Assembly is now an anchor in a new part of town, now known as the West Village District.

"We've been lucky to have a front row seat to see this area just continue to evolve and progress," Colton said.

Classen Boulevard, Walker Avenue, Main Street and California Avenue are the streets that roughly box in the new West Village District. 

Vails said the former name, the Arts District, brought places like the Paseo Arts District to mind.

"This was actually kind of bringing brand confusion down because we had the Arts District going, then Historic Film Row, West Village -- so this was really about condensing,” Vails said. “It would be challenging to get enough support in terms of business improvement district dollars just for Film Row."

Film Row's addition to the new West Village District will also bring more dollars to that two-block stretch.

"Movement has always been a part of this area with the history of the Fred Jones Automotive Complex, Historic Film Row,” Colton said. “Things have been moving on the west side of downtown."

The new name, West Village District, will soon hang from each light post and will be a reminder of the neighborhood's forward movement.

"I think this just gives us a lot of wind behind our sails to just continue those efforts, and I think people are going to feel that energy even more now that we've got kind of our own brand that's part of this community over here," Colton said. “And I think that's going to be part of our DNA in West Village."