OKLAHOMA CITY — Community leaders, residents, and city officials gathered September 24 to celebrate the grand opening of Plaza Calle Dos Cinco, a $2 million project marking the latest step in Capitol Hill’s two-decade revitalization.
The ribbon cutting at SW 25th and Harvey Avenue featured cultural performances, food trucks, and remarks from those who helped shape the project.
The idea for a public plaza in Capitol Hill first surfaced in the early 2000s, when the Calle Dos Cinco (25th St.) board recognized the need for a central gathering space. Over the years, community members, local organizations, and city officials worked together to turn that vision into reality.
“From the earliest of my days here as a volunteer in the district, and then later, when I joined the board, I heard about this community’s desire for a plaza,” said Calle Dos Cinco board member Ashley Terry in her speech. “A public gathering space right here along SW 25th Street has been a decades-long dream. This plaza represents years of vision, collaboration and dedication.”
The design, shaped by community input, draws inspiration from traditional Latin American plazas and is intended as a hub for events, businesses, and neighborhood gatherings. Plaza Calle Dos Cinco features colorful Talavera tiles, an arched entryway, a gazebo with a stage, shaded seating areas, and decorative iron lighting.
Native plants and fabric ribbons add vibrancy, while the historic Templo de Alabanza church provides a striking backdrop.
Gloria Torres, Executive Director of the Capitol Hill Business District, emphasized the care put into every feature.
“There’s no part of this plaza that you can look at and not know that every single detail was done intentionally to reflect the community that’s here,” Torres told Free Press in an interview.
Torres also reflected on the significance of seeing the project complete.
“Too often we see obstacles, and we don’t even bother to hope anymore or to dream for something,” she told Free Press. “And yet, this is what happened when we dreamt and we brought others into the conversation.”
For longtime church member Connie Crew, the opening carried deep personal meaning. The Templo de Alabanza church has long been a cornerstone of her life. Known for its rare stained-glass window, which Crew said was only one of its kind west of the Mississippi, the church is modeled after Notre Dame and remains a landmark of architectural and cultural history.
Seeing its design honored in the colorful designs throughout the plaza brought Crew to tears.
“It’s just beautiful,” she told us.
Local business owners also view the plaza as a meaningful addition, like James Hunter, whose family has run Hunter’s Battery Warehouse since 1980.
“I think it means a lot to the community to have a space that they can call their own and have a ‘third place’ where people can gather and build those connections,” Hunter told Free Press. “It’s honestly really amazing and really crazy to see the progress that the district has seen over the past five years.”
The plaza is expected to benefit surrounding businesses while providing a venue for cultural events and daily use.
The Road to Revitalization
Capitol Hill, once a standalone town before its 1911 incorporation into Oklahoma City, thrived as a busy shopping district through the mid-20th century before declining in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Recent investment sparked a revival, marked by projects like the renovated Yale Theater. Plaza Calle Dos Cinco now serves as the centerpiece of these efforts, a cultural landmark and community gathering place.
The Capitol Hill Business Improvement District (BID), which covers Walker Avenue to Shields Boulevard and SW 24th to SW 27th Streets, played a central role in the project and will manage the plaza moving forward.
Funding for the project came from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and Community Development Block Grants through Oklahoma City’s Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI). Capitol Hill joined SNI in 2017, gaining access to resources designed to spur investment in underserved areas.
Urban Revitalization Program Planner Shannon Entz said the plaza reflects the purpose of the federal investment.
“Our country needs places like this,” Entz said in an interview with Free Press. “People that live in Oklahoma City and around the world who are Hispanic and Latino deserve spaces like this. If Oklahoma City can help set the standard and influence other places to celebrate this community as much as we are right now, that would be a blessing.”
At the ribbon cutting, Calle Dos Cinco board chair Miriam Campos praised the years of collaboration that made the project possible and thanked city leaders who supported it.
“Today marks a significant milestone, not only for our plaza, but for our entire community,” Campos said in her speech.
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt praised the project as a symbol of persistence and representation.
“Think of the countless meetings and advocacy moments that had to occur over the last decade for this to happen,” Mayor Holt told the audience. “What I love about our city is, I am cutting ribbons and breaking ground every four days. We have conditioned ourselves to have that persistence and patience because we see that it does pay off.”
The South Oklahoma City Chamber and Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce also presented a certificate of appreciation to the Calle Dos Cinco Plaza team.
“This plaza represents so much more than just the physical space,” said Maria Stafford of the Hispanic Chamber in her speech. “It represents the heart of our culture, our history, and the pride of the Hispanic community here in Oklahoma City.”
The ribbon cutting coincided with the 20th anniversary of Fiestas de las Américas, Oklahoma City’s largest Latino festival. The festival, held September 27, will feature the Parade of the Américas, live music, food, art, and family activities.
This year, the new plaza will serve as a central gathering point with an artisan market, VIP area, and all-day entertainment on the gazebo stage.
“We want people dancing, and we want kids running around,” Torres said. “We want everybody to enjoy the space.”
Community leaders see the plaza as both a milestone and a foundation for future growth, a place where culture, business, and connection intersect in South Oklahoma City.
Zoe Elrod covers events and happenings around Oklahoma City for Free Press bringing her skill as a reporter and photographer. Zoe has spent her career covering local musicians, artists, politicians, and everyday folks.
