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The History of Enterprise Square
Enterprise Square not only serves as the largest single building project Oklahoma Christian has ever undertaken, but also as a monument of memories, where thousands of captivated individuals experienced a small taste of the vision for free enterprise. With its groundbreaking ceremony on November 19-20, 1982, the dream of Enterprise Square USA began to unfold only seven years after the idea was born.
The idea was first formulated in 1975 when Bob Rowland, the director of the American Citizenship Center, decided he had to educate more people about the free enterprise system that had long been ignored by educators. After consulting OC president J. Terry Johnson and other administrators, the design for Enterprise Square began to take shape.
Designers from Walt Disney who worked on the world-famous Epcot Center were brought in to design the building and the exhibits within. Nothing but the state-of-the art technology and features would do. When it opened, Enterprise Square was one of the most advanced museums in the world and the world’s first digital interactive museum.
Funding such a colossal endeavor was no easy task, but William Martin, the Enterprise Square Chairman of the Board, was up for the challenge when he launched a campaign on March 30, 1979, to raise the necessary funds. At that time, a total of $4 million had already been pledged from The Noble Foundation, Phillips Corporation and Edward L. Gaylord.
After the November groundbreaking, Enterprise Square opened for business. Attention from around the world began to focus on Enterprise Square. Major networks such as NBC’s Today Show and CBS World News Tonight showcased Enterprise Square as an educational attraction.
Enterprise Square was even featured on the front cover of Time Magazine.
As visitors filed into the giant glass elevator, they were greeted by a recording of Bob Hope who told them that they were about to see “the global economy we all grew up in.” As a spaceship landed, Ed McMahon invited the participants to join him on a journey to a new and different land. The elevator ride took a few minutes and actually simulated a Space Shuttle ride to another planet, where visitors would learn about a strange new way of doing things—the free enterprise system.
Upon exiting the elevator, visitors would follow a path that twists and turns throughout the facility. On the way, guests enjoyed a number of exhibits that encouraged and educated them about every aspect of the free market system.
One of the most thrilling exhibits for the visitors was the Economics Arcade, which included eight games designed to teach about inflation, investing and competition in the free enterprise system. The last stop on the tour, took visitors to their own individual computers, where they would pick a profession and take a virtual journey back in time through the eyes of their profession. In all, more than 600,000 visitors toured Enterprise Square while it was open.
The building was opened at the height of the Cold War and set out to take a stand for principles of freedom and free enterprise. Even though the museum was ultimately closed in 2001 and free enterprise was no longer a trendy attraction, Enterprise Square had nonetheless been a success.
Today, a new chapter is opening in the history of
Enterprise Square. The facility will again speak to an important issue of the day by serving as a headquarters for the training of community-minded, character-filled, ethical leaders who understand and embrace the values of liberty and free enterprise.
