Britton Old Town makeover set as revival adds brewery, distillery and restaurant

Britton Old Town, a community annexed 70 years ago by Oklahoma City, is about to undergo a $1.6 million street and sidewalks makeover as the stretch emerges as the city’s newest historic destination. 

Oklahoma City voters in 2017 approved a property tax extension and limited sales tax to implement Better Streets Safer City, which included a dozen street enhancement projects including Paseo, Stockyards City, NE 23, the 39th Street Enclave, Automobile Alley, the Plaza District and the Britton district. 

Kim Cooper Hart, who oversees the city’s commercial district revitalization program, said the $1.6 million Britton Road makeover follows several years of efforts by area property owners to bring life back to the stretch. The buildings are being renovated and filled with restaurants, shops, art galleries, a brewery and distillery. 

The street and sidewalks, however, haven’t kept up with that revival. Modern ADA crossings are missing. Sidewalks are crumbling where they exist, blocked by brush in some sections, or consist of former driveway openings. The street is filled with potholes. 

“It’s old,” Hart said. “There may have been some resurfacing at some point. With the original street-fronts, especially on the south side of the street, the sidewalk is raised and very narrow. It’s all original.” 

This story originally ran on NewsOK.com.