Oklahoma City was already reeling from the devastation wrought by the 1980s oil bust when the challenge of bringing life back to downtown was tragically set back by a terrorist bombing that damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings.

The April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building left 168 people dead, a traumatized populace and a city leadership confronted with having no precedent or plan on how to recover. In the weeks after the blast, a survey determined 330 buildings were damaged, another 15 were destroyed or needed to be torn down, and that repair costs would top $150 million.

Some of the country’s top experts in urban planning, development and design were convened by the Urban Land Institute to spend a week to help draft a plan on how best to proceed.

READ STEVE LACKMEYER’S FULL STORY ON THE OKLAHOMAN