Sale of $25 million in bonds approved for state pop culture museum

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – An oversight council has approved the sale of $25 million in bonds to begin building the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture, a massive facility that will showcase actors, singers, writers and others with ties to the state.

Oklahoma’s Council of Bond Oversight gave the go-ahead Thursday for the sale. Nicknamed OKPOP, the 40,000- to 45,000-square-foot facility will be built on donated land in downtown Tulsa. Construction is expected to begin in 2018.

Oklahoma Historical Society executive director Bob Blackburn tells the Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/2rYRlEV ) that officials hope to privately raise another $15 million.

Last December, museum officials announced they had acquired the personal collection of late rock legend native Leon Russell. The collection will include more than 2,500 audio masters from the Oklahoma native’s recording career.