Demolition crews began tearing down the Perfect Swing Family Fun Center, located off Ann Branden Boulevard near Highway 9, on Monday, after developer Hunter Miller purchased the long-abandoned property for $5.8 million in February.
Miller bought the roughly 29-acre site through Highway 9 Raw Land LLC, according to Cleveland County property records. The property was previously owned by James Hardwick, who acquired the site in 1991. Perfect Swing had sat vacant since a tornado damaged the property in 2010.
Abandoned Perfect Swing Family Fun Center is demolished
The site is along Ann Branden Boulevard, a frontage road parallel to Highway 9, just north of a stretch of east Norman that has drawn new retail and restaurant development in the past decade — including Starbucks, Panda Express, Walmart and the new Target just east of Classen Boulevard.
Matthew Peacock, former Ward 2 council member and architect with Peacock Design, is contracted for the project. Peacock said on a Tuesday call to OU Daily the site is in early stages of planning for a walkable mixed-use development that would include retail, townhomes and apartments.
“Everything is still very preliminary, and a lot can change as the process informs the design,” Peacock wrote in a text message to the Daily Wednesday.
He wrote the retail is currently envisioned along Ann Branden Boulevard, with multifamily housing planned for the middle of the property and townhomes to the south.
“This is an effort to buffer the retail from the residential and provide appropriate transitions where they are needed,” Peacock wrote.
He wrote that the walkable concept was a joint decision between himself and Miller.
“We felt that it was important to provide a lot of pedestrian circulation and useable green space throughout the interior of the site,” Peacock wrote. “And we really focused on the connectivity between the different components so that the residents could easily take advantage of their proximity to retail.”
As of Tuesday, the city of Norman has issued a demolition permit for the site but has not received any pre-development application, according to the Department of Planning and Community Development.
Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman, who worked at Perfect Swing as a teenager, reflected on the sale in a Feb. 20 Facebook post.
“Like so many kids who grew up in Norman in the 90's and early 00's, Perfect Swing wasn't just a place on Highway 9, it was a rite of passage,” Holman wrote. “It was actually my first real job when I was in high school. I can still remember clocking in, the sounds of the arcade, birthday parties going on, and the constant buzz of kids having fun.”
Holman wrote questions about the property’s future were among the most frequent he has received during his time on council, along with persistent rumors — including one that Norman Public Schools had purchased the site to build a third high school, which he said was never true.
“Now, with the property officially sold and under new ownership, … this high-profile site along Highway 9 represents something significant: opportunity,” Holman wrote. “Opportunity for the Eastside of Norman to do something truly special with one of the most visible pieces of property in our community.”
Peacock acknowledged the site’s significance to many in Norman.
“I know that Perfect Swing represents a lot of great memories for a lot of people, and it is unfortunate that the existing property was beyond saving due to years of neglect, …” Peacock wrote. “However, we do want to do a project that honors that history, even if we can't recreate it.”
As of the time of publication, Miller has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
This story was edited by Audrey McClour. Tori Pham copy edited this story.
