It has been said that transplanted New York City gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal was traveling through Nevada and that when he stopped at a small windswept community of Las Vegas he had a vision of it transformed into a gambling and entertainment mecca filled with upscale hotels and casinos, and that he subsequently undertook the construction of what would he would christen “The Flamingo Hotel” as a result. A recent history of Las Vegas would challenge that assertion by pointing out that there were several hotels being built there before ground was broken for the Flamingo, but that story has become part of the legend of Vegas and has made its way into novels and films such as the “Godfather” epic where a character named Moe Green plays a thinly disguised Siegal. But what is not in dispute is that several years ago several foresighted individuals came together to purchase a dilapidated structure on West Britton Road that was slated for a rendezvous with the wrecking ball that would eventually result in the surrounding areas rebirth and renovation and being designated the “Historic Britton District.” That section of that thoroughfare had once been the commercial hub of the municipality of Britton that had been annexed into Oklahoma City in the Post-war era and had been part the fabled “Mother Road” of America, Route 66, but it had subsequently fallen into a state of disrepair and decay and most of it structures had been subject to decades of neglect. Recently several of its building have been renovated and transformed into operating businesses that include art studios and galleries, a barbershop, and a coffee shop that sells coffee and chocolate made from beans from various parts of the world . In “Our Towns” journalists and husband and wife James and Deborah Fallows chronicled their prolonged tour through much of the nation and what they had learned as a result. One of their perceptive conclusions was that the presence of a brewery in a neighborhood was a sure sign that the place was on its way to rebirth and prosperity.
And it has been made public recently that the Britton District will soon be home to a brewery at 925 West Britton Road. Observant neighbors and students of rebirth in the Oklahoma City area had previously seen small beer kegs in place at that currently unused location, and the firm of Madhopper Brewing has announced that it will soon be brewing beer there. It is anticipated that it will also include a restaurant and bar. A pizza place has signed a lease for a neighboring location, which will serve to bring an Italian flavor to that area. And one can discern a palpable sense of excitement in those who are currently affiliated with the Britton District that is comparable to the feelings that were shared with those in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District when it began its renaissance and rebirth.
Against the Grain 