Devon plans downtown skyscraperBy Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer
Copyright by The Oklahoman, 2008

Devon Energy Corp. is pursuing plans to build a new "iconic" downtown corporate headquarters — one that would be the tallest building in Oklahoma City


In an exclusive interview with The Oklahoman, Devon Chief Executive Officer Larry Nichols also confirmed he resigned from the board of the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority because the city agency owns the proposed tower site.

In response to interest expressed by Devon Energy, Urban Renewal is set to issue a request for development proposals at next week's meeting for the old Galleria parking deck just north of the Myriad Gardens.

"In talking with experts and engineers, we're looking at something in excess of $350 million," Nichols said. "We're talking about something that matches MAPS I."

With 1,350 employees based downtown, Nichols said the company needs to move forward with construction of a new headquarters that he hopes can be completed within four years. He expects 2,000 people will move into the new tower when it is completed.

"Devon has recognized for some time that we need to consolidate into one building," he said. "We now have employees in five different buildings. There are obviously inefficiencies in that."

Nichols said Devon has yet to hire an architectural firm, though there have been "extensive conversations" with a potential candidate.

He estimates the building will span more than 1 million square feet. But when asked the potential height of the building, he could only cite the size of the floor plans. By dividing 1 million square feet by the proposed floor size, the height will be at least 37 stories.

Currently, the tallest building in Oklahoma City is downtown's 36-story Chase Tower.

"To have 1 million square feet, it will probably be the tallest building downtown," Nichols said. "That's not the goal — I don't care about having the tallest building or not. I do care that it be an iconic building, that it be distinctive building. It will change the skyline downtown, and we want to build a building that everyone will be proud to have in Oklahoma City."

While he has toured buildings in major metropolitan areas including New York and Washington, Nichols could not single out a particular skyscraper as a personal favorite.

"I wish there were a building I could say, 'Go build that,'" Nichols said.

But Nichols does have some basic ideas as to what he does and does not want in a new corporate headquarters. He doesn't want the sort of windswept plazas that often are desolate around some of the downtown Oklahoma City towers built in the 1970s.

But he does want a large public space — a large enclosed atrium with cafes, a large conference center, and an enclosed garden.

"We want a fairly large distinctive atrium that would be unlike anything that exists in Oklahoma at the moment," Nichols said.

He also wants to explore opening a never-completed tunnel that connects the Galleria parking deck to the gardens, and he hopes to somehow connect to The Underground pedestrian tunnels.

But before any of this can become reality, Devon must first respond to Urban Renewal's request for development proposals. Nichols isn't legally required to resign from his board seat, which he had held since he was first appointed by former Mayor Ron Norick. Nichols said he insisted on resigning to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

If selected as the developer for the site, Devon must still negotiate parking arrangements with the city for the City Center Garage. Nichols said the discussion would likely include adding floors to the west City Center garage, which opened two years ago. The tower would also have underground parking.

Urban Renewal Executive Director JoeVan Bullard called the proposed tower the largest single development in the agency's history.

"What a great, great day this is," Bullard said. "But there are always two sides to this story, and Larry not being an Urban Renewal commissioner any longer is really saddening. He has served admirably for 20 years. He's absolutely the best example of a corporate citizen willing to take on the responsibility to serve on this voluntary board, and he has been wonderful."