Ok, I'm going to take a shot at this. My number probably won't be right... but others can correct it. :)

3 -- Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 -- Canal extension by Land Run Park (Bricktown) -- or is this down now?
1 -- Hilton Inn Express (Bricktown)
1 -- Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
1 -- The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 -- Main Street Garage (CBD)
3 -- John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)
-------------------------------------------
11 total

This is obviously only in the urban core, not the whole metro area.

And of course, there's more construction going on than just this. The Aloft hotel is still chugging along, but it's topped out and scaffolding is up, so it doesn't have a crane anymore. And other new buildings, like KD's restaurant and 430 Lofts, aren't tall enough to need cranes.

By the way, I meant to post this under 'Other Urban Development', not here. Don't know how I messed that up. Anyway, feel free to move it.

SandRidge - what was going to be the Amenities Building - 1.

SandRidge - what was going to be the Amenities Building - 1.

Is that one still up? If so, I'll count it (even though it feels like cheating).

There is now a crane on the healthcare authority site on north Lincoln.

Is that one still up? If so, I'll count it (even though it feels like cheating).

They're still building that building.

I noticed that there is a second crane at the Edge now if that makes a difference to your count.

They're still building that building.

Really? I thought that was getting scrapped with the new ownership.

Well, on the assumption that you're right, I'll add that one in.

I noticed that there is a second crane at the Edge now if that makes a difference to your count.

Sure does! I figured more cranes were coming for that site. I mean, geez, that project is going to take up a whole block. Going to be a massive construction zone.

There is now a crane on the healthcare authority site on north Lincoln.

I'm not familiar with that site. Would this be considered part of the urban core? I'm holding off for the moment until I know where this is. But I'd love to add it to the count!

Ok, here's the updated count:

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... Canal extension by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Hilton Inn Express (Bricktown)
1 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
2 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
1 ... Main Street Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)

13 Total

Really? I thought that was getting scrapped with the new ownership.

Well, on the assumption that you're right, I'll add that one in.

Saw this crane today, it's about 15 stories tall.

Ok, here's the updated count:

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... Canal extension by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Hilton Inn Express (Bricktown)
1 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
2 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
1 ... Main Street Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)

13 Total

Not to be too picky here, but it's Holiday Inn Express.

Not to be too picky here, but it's Holiday Inn Express.

Good grief, I knew that. What a weird typo! Not weird that I made it, just weird that I hadn't noticed it after all this time. Thanks for the slap on the head, I'll correct it.

Saw this crane today, it's about 15 stories tall.

I believe you! That would be hard to miss, for sure. :)

Ok, here it is again (with corrected names)

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... Canal extension by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Holiday Inn Express (Bricktown)
1 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
2 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
1 ... Main Street Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)

13 Total

And shouldn't it be River inlet by Land Run Park instead of canal expansion

And shouldn't it be River inlet by Land Run Park instead of canal expansion

I didn't know what that was called. Your name sounds good to me.

By the way, anyone been by the Main Street parking garage site lately? Seems like they're going to have more than one crane up when this thing starts cranking.

Let's try again:

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... River inlet by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Holiday Inn Express (Bricktown)
1 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
2 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
1 ... Main Street Parking Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)

13 Total

Stop the press!

I just watched Will's video for The Edge (one that I had missed). And there are clearly 3 cranes on the site. The obvious big one that's lifting the concrete slabs into place for the parking garage. But there are also two smaller, mobile cranes for lifting workers into position. Hey, whether it's carrying men or material, a crane is a crane.

So that's at least 3 for The Edge. I don't know if the one reported by CCOKC is yet another crane or not. I'll keep it at 3 until I know for sure.

Additionally, there's clearly a crane at the Osler (Ambassador Hotel). I was thinking that there would be one there, to help with the construction of the stairway/elevator structure on the backside, but just hadn't seen one in photos. But there's no missing that big ole crane right there in the video. So, chalk up another one.

Latest update:

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... River inlet by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Holiday Inn Express (Bricktown)
1 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
3 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... Osler Building/Ambassador Hotel (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
1 ... Main Street Parking Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)

15 Total

Stop the printing presses again (or just turn the damn things off, I guess).

Just watched Will's video on the Clark building. And clearly there are still cranes at the Aloft. Specifically, 3 mobile cranes that are lifting workers into position. At least that many on one side -- maybe there are more on the other side, out of view.

That video is a couple of weeks old now, but the Aloft is still being actively worked on, and it's highly unlikely that those cranes have been removed. So punch up the count another 3.

Also, looking at Will's video for the SandRidge building, the gigantic crane that Bellaboo mentioned is obviously there. Though I'm actually suprised that it's the only one -- workers are using scaffolding and ladders to access their work areas. But given the size of this project, it seems likely that more cranes may be utilized before this thing is done.

Latest update:

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... River inlet by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Holiday Inn Express (Bricktown)
3 ... Aloft Hotel (Deep Deuce)
1 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
3 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... Osler Building/Ambassador Hotel (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
1 ... Main Street Parking Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)

18 Total

Yet another one. And yep, from watching another Will video.

In the Main Street Parking Garage video (from June 10) I could only see one (blue) crane. But in the Bicentennial Park video (June 18) there's no mistaking the very tall, white flintco tower crane as well. Heck, maybe there's even another little crane up at that construction site too -- can't tell for certain from that parkside view. But, for certain, that huge tower crane makes it 2.

So, bump up the total by one.

Latest update:

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... River inlet by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Holiday Inn Express (Bricktown)
3 ... Aloft Hotel (Deep Deuce)
1 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
3 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... Osler Building/Ambassador Hotel (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
2 ... Main Street Parking Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)

19 Total

any of them tower cranes?

I'm not familiar with that site. Would this be considered part of the urban core?

I dunno. As you might have expected, the agency is constructing a new headquarters in Wellston. Does that count?

I dunno. As you might have expected, the agency is constructing a new headquarters in Wellston. Does that count?

I think that I probably phrased my earlier question awkwardly. What I was trying to say was that I didn't quite recognize what project you were talking about, and without an address I wasn't sure what the location was either. I was hoping you'd respond with more specifics, or else I'd go look it up.

Well, I just looked it up, and I believe you must be referring to the demo/renovation of the old Lincoln Plaza building by the Tanenbaum group. And, assuming that's the case, then yep, it's definitely in the urban core (I'm going by Pete's delineation between urban and suburban parts of OKC).

And since the demolition phase started back in March, I can well believe that the construction phase has begun and that a crane is up. So I'll add that one to the list.

Anybody here have a recent (or semi-recent) photo of this project? Would be great to see the crane(s) at work on the site.

Latest update:

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... River inlet by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Holiday Inn Express (Bricktown)
3 ... Aloft Hotel (Deep Deuce)
1 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
3 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... Osler Building/Ambassador Hotel (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
2 ... Main Street Parking Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)
1 ... Lincoln Plaza/Healthcare Authority Building (Lincoln Corridor)

20 Total

Up to 20 now! Woohoo!

:dance:

any of them tower cranes?

Just two I believe: one at the HGI site, and one at the Main Street Parking Garage.

Many of them have tall cranes though (some, very tall). I think I'll post up some pics when I get the chance to show people what I am actually counting (lest they think I'm making all this up :wink:)

Ok folks, I'm going to step through the list, showing photos of what I'm counting.

I'm going to stick to using (mostly) pics from Will, because I think we can agree on the credibility and recent vintage of his images. For those curious, his full collection of photo sets is here:

William Hider's photosets on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhider/sets)

You can go there for the source, if you are so inclined.


So, let's start off with the Hilton Garden Inn.

On the south face, you can see the huge tower crane and a smaller one on the the southwest corner.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/9099109066_f7b80522fd_b_d.jpg


Here's a close up of the crane on the southwest corner.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7451/9096873283_57319297e2_b_d.jpg


On the north side, there's another (gray) crane. That brings the count to 3.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7367/9096858355_78d0bcd418_b_d.jpg


Note that, until recently, there were four cranes on site, which you can see in this older shot

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7451/8963679887_f5521e7f62_b_d.jpg

The crane on the southwest corner can just be seen peeking over the Hampton Inn. The orange crane on the west face has since been removed, apparently, and doesn't appear in any recent photos.

So that's the 3 cranes on the HGI construction site.

Here's the crane at the River inlet by Land Run Park.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/8735675655_3b6ebad504_h.jpg

This is the oldest photo that I'm referencing -- from mid May (the other ones are within the last couple of weeks). As such, this is the one I'm least certain about. This crane may not be working there anymore.

You can see the construction crane for the Holiday Inn Express in the middle of this shot.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/UnFrSaKn/Downtown%20OKC/holidayinnexpress7-1-13.jpg


Here's a closeup view (from the facebook of Newcrest Image)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/q71/s720x720/1044919_585443161476541_1810927336_n.jpg

You can see all 3 cranes at the Aloft Hotel site here.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/9096842991_1affa499da_b.jpg

Of course, there used to be a big tower crane on the site while it was going up. Now that the building is topped out, the remaining smaller cranes appear to be used mostly for lifting workers into position.

The Maywood Apartments site apparently has only one crane being used -- a small, mobile blue unit.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2881/9012802729_cf7563957f_b_d.jpg


This can be seen in use in Lazio's gorgeous aerial shot.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3778/8964054554_8cec1ff09c_b_d.jpg

At The Edge Apartments, they are currently utilizing 3 cranes: 1 large one for lifting concrete blocks into place, and 2 smaller ones for lifting workers into position.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/9128209001_0aba5ff47f_b.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3765/9128233077_ee59c192b0_b.jpg

Here's the crane on the back side of the Osler (Ambassador Hotel) where the new stairway/elevator add-on is being constructed.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7335/9128258139_fd2ff9000a_b_d.jpg

I'm sure it's also being used to help with the construction of the new rooftop bar area.

Here's the very tall crane at the SandRidge site.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3715/9096841317_1607277b6f_b_d.jpg

The workers are accessing their workspaces strictly via ladders and scaffolding. It seems to me that more cranes are going to be brought here as this project moves further along (that's just a guess on my part).

The Main Street Parking Garage site has two cranes: a tall blue one, and an even taller white tower crane.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5445/9096803495_cd98987b7c_b_d.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/9096825871_4da6d3f62f_b_d.jpg

Here are the 3 cranes at the John W. Rex Elementary School site. The second photo is from a video posted by the City of OKC.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2828/9099063460_abae582a8e_b.jpg

http://distilleryimage10.ak.instagram.com/738cecdedccd11e2946d22000a9f4db8_7.jpg

One of them is apparently drilling large holes for the cement columns. The second is placing the steel casings for those columns into place. The third one is doing... I don't know what.

And that's it! That's covers the current list except for the Lincoln Plaza site, which I don't have any photos for.

Time for an update. Recently Will and OKCisOK4me have posted some photos of current construction projects. Based on this, I can happily bump the count again.

First, the only pull down is the Aloft Hotel. I can now only see 2 cranes left on the site, down from 3. So we lose one here in the count.

However, the crane at the river inlet by the canal is most definitely still there. That's good to see.

The HGI now has an another large white crane servicing the east face, in addition to the 3 already there. So this bumps the count up to 4 for that site.

The Maywood Apartments now have 2 mobile cranes on site where I had previously only seen one. This project is getting far enough along that they may not be needed much longer, but for now they are there.

I thought that KD's restaurant would not require any cranes, being a fairly low two-story building. However, they have 2 cranes on site right now to help with lifting men and materials. Cool.

And finally, the Santa Fe Garage is being worked on to add cosmetic touches, and they have a crane there to help put the new lighting up.

Latest update:

4 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... River inlet by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Holiday Inn Express (Bricktown)
2 ... Kevin Durant Restaurant (Bricktown)
2 ... Aloft Hotel (Deep Deuce)
2 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
3 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... Osler Building/Ambassador Hotel (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
2 ... Main Street Parking Garage (CBD)
1 ... Santa Fe Parking Garage (CBD)
3 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)
1 ... Lincoln Plaza/Healthcare Authority Building (Lincoln Corridor)

24 Total

Some of those being counted are actually boom concrete pumps. I wouldn't consider those cranes. Personally I wouldn't count the man lifts either. Sorry to be a wet blanket.

Some of those being counted are actually boom concrete pumps. I wouldn't consider those cranes. Personally I wouldn't count the man lifts either. Sorry to be a wet blanket.

Can you point out which are concrete pumps? As far as man lifts go, if you mean the hydraulic cranes lifting workers into positions, then I disagree. Those are cranes of a kind.

Can you point out which are concrete pumps? As far as man lifts go, if you mean the hydraulic cranes lifting workers into positions, then I disagree. Those are cranes of a kind.
In the photo below, there are actually two things that make sense to consider cranes. One (upper left, black boom), is obvious to all of us I would guess. The machine next to it is an auger, a specialized piece of equipment that bores holes in the ground for concrete piers. It is more of a derrick. Since it doesn't lift materials, I would not consider that a crane. The next item over, with the truck cab and the bright green on the boom, is a concrete pump. This takes mud delivered by a truck and places it. Again, not a lifting device, other than the fact that it lifts its own boom. The one other machine that I might call a crane would be the red forklift truck in the foreground. The boom on that machine extends and effectively makes it a crane.

All of these devices have some similarities, and at times are casually called cranes, but this thread asks how many construction cranes are on the skyline and attempts to answer. If Metro Sign comes down and spends half an afternoon lifting a sign into place with their sign truck, does that count? Or if OGE uses a cherry picker or a scissor lift to change street light bulbs? It seems the spirit of this thread was to count things that the construction industry might refer to as construction cranes, on our skyline. If that is the case, I see one construction crane in this picture.

http://distilleryimage10.ak.instagram.com/738cecdedccd11e2946d22000a9f4db8_7.jpg

There is now a crane on the site of the old Labor Department building on 40th and Lincoln, which is being renovated. I'm not sure who will be occupying it. It's this property - 4001 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105 - Institutional/Governmental Property - Off-Market on LoopNet.com (http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/15360437/4001-N-Lincoln-Boulevard-Oklahoma-City-OK/)

Big yellow crane at the new Hilton garden inn is on its way down. So drop the count by one.

Big yellow crane at the new Hilton garden inn is on its way down. So drop the count by one.

Dang! :(

Ok, will do.

There is now a crane on the site of the old Labor Department building on 40th and Lincoln, which is being renovated. I'm not sure who will be occupying it. It's this property - 4001 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105 - Institutional/Governmental Property - Off-Market on LoopNet.com (http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/15360437/4001-N-Lincoln-Boulevard-Oklahoma-City-OK/)

Interesting. I couldn't find a thread for this on the board. Do you know much about this -- i.e. is this a major or just minor renovation? Anyway, I'll add it to the list.

Picture of building (from the link):

http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/A/C/9/AC94500B-2E46-4EC5-93EA-547C323A7C65.jpg

In the photo below, there are actually two things that make sense to consider cranes. One (upper left, black boom), is obvious to all of us I would guess. The machine next to it is an auger, a specialized piece of equipment that bores holes in the ground for concrete piers. It is more of a derrick. Since it doesn't lift materials, I would not consider that a crane. The next item over, with the truck cab and the bright green on the boom, is a concrete pump. This takes mud delivered by a truck and places it. Again, not a lifting device, other than the fact that it lifts its own boom. The one other machine that I might call a crane would be the red forklift truck in the foreground. The boom on that machine extends and effectively makes it a crane.

All of these devices have some similarities, and at times are casually called cranes, but this thread asks how many construction cranes are on the skyline and attempts to answer. If Metro Sign comes down and spends half an afternoon lifting a sign into place with their sign truck, does that count? Or if OGE uses a cherry picker or a scissor lift to change street light bulbs? It seems the spirit of this thread was to count things that the construction industry might refer to as construction cranes, on our skyline. If that is the case, I see one construction crane in this picture.

http://distilleryimage10.ak.instagram.com/738cecdedccd11e2946d22000a9f4db8_7.jpg

Oh... THAT project. Ok, well I'll confess that this was one site where I just kind of threw up my hands and counted every tall construction vehicle in the photos as a crane.
Because I wasn't really sure what the heck they were. I figured someone would come along and correct me, if necessary. Ok, sure, I'll happily concede that I over-reached on that particular one
and will push the count back down to 1 for the elementary school. Although I suspect that for a project of this size, more cranes will be forthcoming in the future.

As to the philosophical arguments... would I count a construction crane erecting a sign or fixing a street light, etc. little things like that? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Besides the ridiculous
element, for sheer practical reasons I could never keep up with every dinky activity like that even if I wanted to. But, of course, that kind of shenanigans would turn the whole list into a joke.
I really am trying to be serious about this (whether it appears so or not).

The whole idea, naturally, is to attempt to capture the scope of activity in a city that is approaching (if not already in) a construction boom. Counting cranes is but one way of
achieving that goal, and an arbitrary one at that. But it does reflect fairly well, I think, what is going on during a boom time.

My original idea was to count only cranes for either new construction or extensive renovations of an existing building. Something that most anyone would readily agree represent serious activity.
I somewhat cheated on that notion by including the Santa Fe Parking Garage, because it's only cosmetic and not a renovation. But because that building is large and so prominent in the downtown area, and the work being done on it does actually reflect a city remaking itself, it seemed to fit the spirit of the list anyway.

Thanks for the clarification though. I'm hardly the most qualified person to be making this list, as I don't live or work downtown and do not have a construction background. I just thought that it would be an interesting thing to do, so I jumped in.

Latest update:

3 ... Hilton Garden Inn (Bricktown)
1 ... River inlet by Land Run Park (Bricktown)
1 ... Holiday Inn Express (Bricktown)
2 ... Kevin Durant Restaurant (Bricktown)
2 ... Aloft Hotel (Deep Deuce)
2 ... Maywood Apartments (Deep Deuce)
3 ... The Edge Apartments (Midtown)
1 ... Osler Building/Ambassador Hotel (Midtown)
1 ... New SandRidge Building (CBD)
2 ... Main Street Parking Garage (CBD)
1 ... Santa Fe Parking Garage (CBD)
1 ... John W. Rex Elementary School (Film Row)
1 ... Lincoln Plaza/Healthcare Authority Building (Lincoln Corridor)
1 ... Department of Labor Building (Lincoln Corridor)

22 Total

Chickasaw Nation is renovating this building.

Hey Praedura, I appreciate the effort and was only giving my two cents on what constituted "construction cranes" in the truest sense. I'm definitely not an expert on large commercial construction either. I've been around plenty of jobs, but almost exclusively in support roles (materials sales, deliveries, etc.), or as an observer/cheerleader (in marketing and PR roles, or as a friend or colleague of someone who actually did call the shots), and much of what I know is just from osmosis. Most of the commercial jobs I have been involved in as a decision-maker of any type have been very small. Would love to see a real expert in commercial construction weigh in.

And that's it! That's covers the current list except for the Lincoln Plaza site, which I don't have any photos for.

Thanks for the tour Praedura! Much appreciated from this expat.

Crane is gone from the Department of Labor site.