That's been my take for years. I grew up in and around OKC, and I've always been disappointed that they don't think more creatively and pretty much steal concepts from other cities. I still think to rename a section of the South Canadian River to the Oklahoma River is more than a little pretentious! Please!
And just because a building is old doesn't mean it's historic. Did anything historic ever happen in Bricktown, or are they just a bunch of old utilitarian structures? I've had my share of Oklahoma history, but I don't recall anything really significant about downtown area itself.
Anyway, I was in downtown OKC, a couple of weeks ago, and noted how nice things truly look down there. It's a huge improvement over 20 years ago. And we didn't even go to the River Walk or Bricktown. Something like a romantic and classy ride experience could add to the ambiance, but I doubt it would change the mood of a place like Bricktown. How does this detract from or disrespect the so-called historic district and a bunch of bars with flashing neon signs in the windows don't?