The KWTV-9 tower tops out at around 1,500'.

Probably this was because the hotel was only purchased a few weeks before the plans were revealed. They hadn't had time to make the changes.

Personally, I don't feel real great about a modern glass structure being attached to the side of the Colcord. I would rather it just be an underground tunnel connection or something.

The addition will probably be only 1-2 stories high.

I believe the connection will be underground (between the Colcord and the tower).

Here's another question to ponder: A Bridge to Somewhere?

Hmm. “Ornate bridges”???

I don’t see anything there worth trying to force into another location out of architectural context.

I like the bridges but I don't think they will look good once the west garage is expanded. Could they go over the canal somewhere?

__________________
Oklahoma City - The surprise your family has been looking for.

That architecture doesn't fit in bricktown at all. It's a couple concrete bridges with metal supports.

Why are we clamoring to save them? This isn't the Walnut Ave Bridge.

I noticed that Devon's stock was down again today...and I know we've discussed this before on this thread...but does anyone think that the LOW stock value will have any effect on the project? I know Larry Nichols has said in the past that he is confident that the market will turn around by the time construction begins...and in the long run...but does anyone think this could cause a delay?? I HOPE NOT!!

If they have cash ready on-hand, this shouldn't be a problem to them.

I don't care how much the stock value is and whatever else... They got billions of dollars, they can afford it. Nothing can excuse the delay or cuts.

Panel OKs Devon plan for building
BY STEVE LACKMEYER
Published: November 21, 2008


Inspired by the success of the New York Times’ new Manhattan headquarters, architects designing a world headquarters for Devon Energy are proposing to construct an auditorium at the corner of Hudson and Sheridan avenues.

The auditorium is one of several new details revealed Thursday as Devon Energy successfully presented its plans for approval by the Downtown Design Review Committee.

Weather considered
Architect John Pickard said designers have met challenges designing retail spaces along the ground floor of the "podium” building that will be just west of the 54-story tower and rotunda.

They want to open the spaces to the park, but also must contend with Oklahoma’s changing weather.

Their answer was to create rooms with French doors that could open up into the adjoining gardens and pavilions, designed to be open during fair weather and enclosed with glass during extreme conditions.

Pickard said the rotunda is designed to not just be a dramatic space — but a space that will be filled with people.

He said garage connections are designed to force all of Devon’s work force, as well as the public to enter through the rotunda.

Similar changes are being planned for the neighboring Colcord Hotel, which Devon bought in August.

‘Very urban thing’
Committee members praised the plans, but urged Devon Energy to consider adding a retail level on the first floor of a garage extension to face Hudson Avenue.

Member James Loftis noted the Devon project meets the city’s desires for urban architecture downtown compared with a "suburban” style building approved by the committee in September.

"This is a very urban thing — it goes far beyond anything I thought we’d see in our lifetimes,” Loftis said.

He also praised Devon Energy for placing the public rotunda instead of the tower in the center of the block.

"It’s phenomenal — I can’t wait,” member Richard Tanenbaum said.

"Why don’t you start construction now?”

As I understand it, the only real reason they are waiting till next year is so that the City has time to get everything lined up that Devon asked them to do to help pay for the TIF improvements. There is a lot of paperwork process that has to happen to get things rolling on that side, and believe Nichols said that start of construction was contention on those items getting through the City.

Also, remember they have to spend time developing the actual engineering plan to make the rendering work. Just because we saw what the concept was, doesn't mean the thought behind it is completely worked out structurally. Obviously the architects keep ability in mind when designing, but there are still plenty things to have to do before the first shovel. So yeah it's going to be a year, but I don't think any of us mind waiting for the result that we're going to get.

I drive by downtown every day and think, "man I wish that tower was there". And I just picture in my mind how amazing the view is going to be once it's even under construction.

Glad to see the committee pushing for ground level retail on the new parking garage. We need the city to keep that up.

The article from the JR seems a little more informative with details:

Devon plans auditorium at world headquarters
by Kelley Chambers
The Journal Record November 21, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – Devon Energy Corp. is tweaking and refining its plans for a world headquarters now set for completion in 2013.

Initial plans released by the company in March called for several structures on a piece of Urban Renewal land.

In August Larry Nichols, CEO of Devon, unveiled plans for a 54-story skyscraper, an additional 400,000-square-foot office building connected to the tower by a glass rotunda, and park space on the southwest side of the site.

One new addition presented to the Downtown Design Review Committee on Thursday included an auditorium nestled in the park space at the corner of Hudson and Sheridan avenues.

Jon Pickard, principal with the architecture firm Pickard Chilton, said the auditorium will be similar to the Times Center, a 378-seat auditorium built by the New York Times in Manhattan.

The Devon auditorium will likely seat about 250.
Pickard called the auditorium the “jewel of the park,” and said the company wants it to be available for community use.

“As we developed the design and we started to better analyze the needs of Devon for meeting facilities it seemed to be that an auditorium would help support the Devon corporate mission,” he said.

“It was always there as a thought, we just hadn’t developed it.”
Pickard said the auditorium is still a concept at this point and the exact size and cost have not been determined.

The second floor of the office building, dubbed The Podium, will also be a conference center.

Plans for parking were also discussed.

John Wood, vice president with Hines, and project officer for the Devon site, said plans are in the works for Devon to acquire the west side of the City Center Garage and add five floors exclusively for the company’s use.

Wood said the company would like to start work on expanding the garage upwards, and to the west toward Hudson Avenue, in the first quarter of 2009 and it should take 21 months to complete.

Plans for the tower call for demo work on the site beginning next year and the foundation for the tower could be in the ground by November.
The current timeline for the project calls for completion in early to mid-2013.

The auditorium is a good idea.

I still say keep the bridges where they are now. Plenty can be done from a security standpoint to make them functional and secure. Even if no one ever walks on them between garages, they add elements to the garage and should stay.

I don't think your grasping the bigger picture of how everything will look when the tower is completed and how out of place they are and an obstruction to the view of key elements in the tower. Keep in mind the parking garage will look nothing like it does now when completed also, the west garage will look like a completely different structure. Right now they are exact opposites and a mirror in style, so the bridge complements each of them since they are proportionate. When the other garage becomes twice as wide and tall, it's going to look like we did some cut in paste job if they were left there, not to mention, obstruction NICE views looking south on Harvey towards the tower.

Plus they will obstruct the view of the Rotunda, which could be a landmark architectural element.

Any interested architects, the schematics of the Devon tower are in this (large) PDF:

http://www.okc.gov/planning/planning...drc/08-072.pdf

The very first page confirms the 2 levels of underground parking that I mentioned and nobody seems to believe.

Check out page 48 for those of you who don't like the idea of removing the bridge. This gives you an idea looking east from Hudson what the view will be like from the extended parking garage. We previously haven't seen photos from this viewpoint.

The image he speaks of...

It's the only new rendering in the packet.



To sum up the rest:

-The Colcord will get a 2 story addition to accommodate additional meeting space and a larger fitness center/spa.
-The Colcord will get a wider drive on Robinson, and the back side will be strictly a landscaped terrace.
-Sheridan and Hudson will be narrowed in favor of streetside parking with landscaped "bulbs" (seen in the rendering)
-Hudson will go 2-way
-There will be a crosswalk and light even with the Harvey axis on Hudson to allow connection between the Gardens and the Rotunda entry plaza
-there is now a small auditorium on the SW corner at Hudson & Sheridan. The stage overlooks the park.
-the expanded garage will have a fitness center on levels 3 and 4 overlooking Hudson, with retail a possibility on the ground level.
-it sounds like the "pumping room" for the two identical fountains on Sheridan happens to be on the north side, so the north fountain will be demolished along with the pumping room, meaning the south fountain will not flow until the Gardens renovation is addressed and implemented.
-There will be additional landscaping along the Harvey extension all the way up to the Library, I guess

Retail on the bottom floor of the garage would be nice.

So out of a 50 floor tower, we think a bridge that can serve to connect foot traffic on floor 5 is out of whack? Even though the west garage is changing it's facade, the rendering here shows a facade that doesn't look sooo different that the bridge couldn't stay as it is.

Again, my arguement is, not what it is going to be used for right now. But more for what about later. Maybe Devon decides later that it wants to buy the East garage. Wouldn't it be a crapper then if they had torn the things down.

Think of it this way, we're getting $1 BILLION with a B in private investment. That will reshape our downtown, this city, and the perception of this state to outside investors and will make them think twice about us being a major player. We will get significant improvements to Myriad Gardens and all of downtown because of the TIF district. All we have to do is give up two measly pedestrian bridges that connect a parking garage, and we'll loose a fountain. I'm willing to make that trade.