The former Downtown Airpark terminal, 1701 S Western Ave., is shown in this 2005 photo shortly before the airpark's bankruptcy and closing. [The Oklahoman Archives]

Blair Humphreys has spent the past three years planning an all new approach to creating an urban neighborhood along the Oklahoma River, but he knows the first question everyone wants answered: when will the Ferris wheel be built?

During an inspection of the unassembled parts of the former Santa Monica, Calif., Ferris wheel one year ago, Humphreys hoped to have it up and running by the summer of 2015. That deadline, however, came and went.

“The first Ferris wheel was conceived as an idea by George Ferris, manufactured from scratch, shipped to Chicago and constructed in time for the 1893 Columbia Exposition,” Humphreys said during a visit Monday. “Within six months after its opening, it had more than 1.4 million riders. All of that is to say, even people building the very first Ferris wheel have done it faster than we have. But of course, his last name was Ferris.”

Humphreys admits he learned a lot about what is involved in building a Ferris wheel along a river. Site work started several weeks ago, and over the next couple of months the structure itself will rise into the air along with a surrounding food truck court, public art and amenities.