What once was a thriving shopping mall built in the early 1960s found itself dying by the mid 1990s. The anchor stores had all left, and what was still around was mostly cafes, small independant stores, and a ton of empty space.
Then, at 9:02am on April 19th, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City was bombed by domestic terrorists. 168 people were killed and another 680 injured. A third of the building collapsed within seconds of the blast.
The occupant agencies in that building had to go somewhere, and they found a willing and accomodating landlord in the management of Shepherd Mall. The empty stores were quickly converted into office space, and federal agencies moved in and were up and running in weeks. Secret Service, ATF, even Federal Court proceedings could be managed in the mall while plans were made to replace the federal building, which would take several years.
After the federal agencies moved out, the space was still available for state agencies, as well as commerical entities such as Insurance companies. This place, which had been destined for the wrecking ball before the bombing, was now thriving in a new life.
Those who found this site included:
- hhgygy
- Garfield
- Eloy Cano
- Paul Voestermans
- Martin de Bock
- Graham Hedley
- Phil Ower
- Lighthouse
And after the hint:
- Turriant