With new Ferris wheel set to open, OKC leaders hope it spins off revival of south side

The former Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel, featured in 28 movies, is once again set to be the star performer with a debut Monday for the July Fourth holiday along the Oklahoma River.

Soaring more than 100 feet over the Oklahoma River, the nine-story-tall, 30-foot-wide attraction kicks off the start of development at Wheeler, a mixed-used project led by Blair Humphreys that will include an array of housing styles, retail and offices. The ride was acquired for $132,400 when it was auctioned in 2008.

“My brother Grant bought it on eBay, and it's definitely our family's most exciting eBay purchase,” Blair Humphreys said.

What ensued was a complete workover of the Ferris wheel in Wichita, Kan., before it was transported to the south shore of the Oklahoma River earlier this year and put up, along with a snack shack, restroom, food truck pavilion and a public art display.