The Criterion: Oklahoma City's Art Deco Theater and What It Reveals About Downtown Preservation
When the Criterion reopened in 2017 after a $15.3 million restoration, it marked a turning point in how Oklahoma City treats its architectural legacy. The theater, located at 405 W. Main Street in downtown, now functions as both a performance venue and a case study in what happens when a city commits real resources to saving a building that could easily have been demolished. Understanding the Criterion means understanding the calculus of arts infrastructure in Oklahoma City: what gets saved, who pays for it, and what kind of audience a restored theater can actually attract.
Built in 1935 as a movie palace, the Criterion exemplifies the Art Deco optimism of its era. The original design included a 1,019-seat auditorium, ornamental plasterwork, and a marquee designed to announce arrival into downtown as a destination. By the early 2000s, it was dark. The building sat vacant long enough that demolition seemed inevitable. Instead, a partnership between the Dorchester Company (the development entity behind downtown revitalization efforts), the City of Oklahoma City, the State of Oklahoma, and private donors underwrote a ground-up restoration. The effort was not sentimental. It was a bet that downtown could support a mid-sized performance venue.
The restored theater seats 1,019 and operates under a programming model that distinguishes it from larger venues like Chesapeake Energy Arena (home to the Thunder) or the Civic Center Music Hall, which seats 2,100. The Criterion hosts Broadway road shows through a subscription series, stand-up comedy, film festivals, and local theater productions. This positioning matters. A 1,019-seat venue fills a gap: it is large enough to attract touring productions that skip cities with only theater-in-the-round options, but small enough to feel full on nights when ticket sales are modest. Compare this to the Civic Center, where a half-sold house can feel abandoned, or to smaller black-box theaters on NW 23rd Street in Uptown where overhead is lower but ambition is constrained.
The Criterion's acoustic design and sightlines reflect significant engineering. The restoration retained the original proscenium arch and balcony configuration while upgrading mechanical systems, adding ADA access, and installing modern lighting and sound infrastructure. A patron sitting in the orchestra section has clear sight lines to the stage; balcony seats do not suffer from the obstructed views that plague some vintage theaters. This matters for attracting artists willing to play Oklahoma City. A touring Broadway production or a major stand-up comic will contract for specific technical requirements. A theater that cannot deliver on those specs will not book the show, no matter the intent.
Programming decisions at the Criterion reveal how arts venues in Oklahoma City navigate audience size and downtown vitality simultaneously. The theater runs its own Broadway subscription series, requiring advance commitment from patrons, rather than relying entirely on single-ticket sales. A Broadway road show production of a well-known musical might sell 800 to 900 tickets over a two-week run; a less commercially recognized production might sell 500. The subscription model guarantees income and allows the theater to risk programs that might not have immediate box-office appeal. It is a survival strategy particular to mid-sized cities outside major metropolitan corridors.
The Criterion's location in downtown matters in ways that transcend real estate value. The Civic Center Music Hall sits in a separate arts district near the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the Oklahoma History Center, and Goro Pond. Uptown theaters cluster around the galleries and restaurants on NW 23rd Street. The Criterion operates at the edge of Bricktown and within walking distance of the Colcord Hotel, restaurants, and mixed-use development that did not exist when the theater was built. Its reopening occurred in tandem with broader downtown investment. The theater did not cause that investment, but it became part of an argument for downtown as a place worth visiting for purposes beyond work.
Ticket pricing at the Criterion varies sharply by event. Broadway shows typically range from $40 to $80 depending on seat location and production. Comedy shows may cost $25 to $45. The range reflects different business models. A Broadway production operates under licensing agreements with New York producers; ticket pricing is set by the production company, not the theater. A stand-up comedian's promoter negotiates a local ticket price based on the comedian's drawing power and market conditions. Film festival screenings charge much less, sometimes $5 to $15, because they operate on a cultural mission rather than a profit model. This variance is typical of performing arts venues, but it means a patron seeking to attend multiple event types at the Criterion will encounter very different price points.
The restoration of the Criterion occurred within a specific downtown recovery narrative that began after 2000 and accelerated after 2010. The Bricktown Entertainment District, developed in the mid-1990s, created a nightlife and dining zone but did not immediately produce daytime cultural activity or resident population. The Plaza District on NW 16th Street experienced investment in galleries, coffee shops, and music venues, drawing a younger arts-oriented audience. Uptown on NW 23rd Street grew as a restaurant and gallery corridor with an older demographic profile. The Criterion, by reopening, gave downtown a performance venue suitable for touring Broadway productions and comedy tours. This filled a gap that contributed to the perception that downtown had something to offer beyond bars and sports.
Determining whether the Criterion was necessary requires acknowledging what Oklahoma City was missing. Before the reopening, a Broadway subscriber or a comedy fan had limited options in the city proper. The Civic Center Music Hall books Broadway, but rarely. The Skirvin Theatre at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, about 30 minutes south, also hosts touring productions. For many patrons, driving to Dallas or Tulsa for Broadway road shows was not unusual. The Criterion made that trip optional. This shifts attendance patterns and ticket revenue, neither of which can be measured without access to internal financial data the venue does not publish.
The practical takeaway for arts audiences in Oklahoma City is operational: the Criterion functions as a specialized venue with specific programming strengths. If you are seeking a Broadway show, the Criterion and the Civic Center are the two functional options in the city. If you are seeking stand-up comedy, the Criterion competes with smaller venues like the Rodeo Room and with comedy nights at bars and restaurants across Bricktown and Uptown. If you are seeking theater by local companies, the Criterion rarely hosts local work; instead, it showcases touring productions. The theater's relevance depends on whether you want what it programs, not on its architectural credentials or restoration story.
