Features
Pollack Builds His Zoo
Howard Pollack, whose company recently lost a battle to operate the Oklahoma City
Pollack is expected to open a temporary venue at the site of the city’s former Downtown Airpark, which is situated near the Oklahoma River. Pollack told Pollstar he has a renewable lease, and the shed is expected to go up in a few months, with a July-October season.
“While we’re doing the temporary site, we hope to be building the permanent site that we hope we’ll have opening in 2015,” Pollack said. “I have artists rendering for that but are not ready to release them. Both pieces of land are on the river but they’re not the same land. This is our pre-phase property.”
The permanent facility will have indoor and outdoor capabilities, he said.
Pollack lost a battle with the Oklahoma City Zoological Trust last year to continue management of the Zoo Amphitheatre. It involved a bidding competition with a last-second entrant, formed the day before bids were to close. The Oklahoma City Zoological Trust agreed June 20 to put off the vote when more than 60 employees and vendors of Pollack’s company showed up to the meeting to protest the scheduled vote, which was also attended by four prominent attorneys, three armed deputies and two reporters.
Last year’s performances included Sugarland, Phish, and Def Leppard.