Devon Plans Downtown Skyscraper

[CuatrodeMayo]

I'm a fan of the first one. They are all pretty cool.

[David Pollard]

Hmmm.
How about a nice little spire? The new supertall in Philadelphia could be a great model for OKC. Iconic, yet still fits in well with the other downtown buildings. This is afterall not Dubai, as much as we love the innovative architecture.

[jbrown84]

We already have a great spire.

[brianinok]

I like the spiral one.

[JOHNINSOKC]

After seeing all of the examples around the country of signature towers, I'm extremely confident that we are looking at a Devon tower that encompasses 50+ stories. I believe that the announcement gave the 37-story figure to make the point that this will be the new tallest for OKC. That doesn't mean that it will be exactly or near 37 floors. When Larry Nichols said that it would be at least 1M sq ft, he may have been thinking 1.5M or more to accommodate future growth. I honestly believe we are looking at 700ft easy. Think Charlotte when the Wachovia tower was built. It sticks out like a sore thumb because it is clearly the tallest, but Devon's tower will lengthen our skyline, as well as, add height. Just something to think about.

[SOONER8693]

I like the spiral building as well. It would be unique and represent a segment of our weather that we are all familiar with.

[HOT ROD]

I agree Johns.

I think it will be in the 700 foot range and be somewhere close to 50 stories! It will be good for Oklahoma City to take the tallest title once and for all

As a testimate to its renaissance and the fact that it aint all government jobs in Oklahoma City!

[Pete]

Of course, Nichols has to say things like "we don't care about the height, just the ability to house our employees" because to say differently would raise questions about this being a ultra-expensive ego project, and Devon has to please it stockholders first.

But every business man wants to leave his mark and real estate -- especially skyscrapers -- is very much a one-up type of thing. If you were going to all this trouble and expense, why not be able to proclaim your building as the tallest in the state/region? If you really want to promote your company and city, what is more iconic than being the tallest??

I'd be very surprised if that didn't end up being the case.


The only reason the second Galleria building didn't surpass Chase Tower in height is that a third building was planned for that site, that would have been about 50 stories.

[Steve]

Pete, I think the confusion here is in understanding the personality of Larry Nichols. By nature he's a conservative individual, not flashy - someone who doesn't want to be seen as a big ego demanding the biggest building. Will it be taller than 37 stories? Probably.

[Pete]

I understand that Steve but he also repeatedly refers to wanting the building to be "iconic", so he's obviously not too conservative.

[Patchy Proot]

Hey everyone. I am really glad i found OKC Talk. This is the perfect forum for us who have civic pride and like to talk about what's going on in our city. I have always been fascinated with tall buildings. City skylines to me tell a story of how the city has grown through the years. The age of the buildings, the height, and of course the design. Oklahoma City and Tulsa are great examples of this. The announcement of the Devon Tower just blew me away. I had accepted the fact that downtown OKC would most likely not have a new skyscraper in my lifetime (I am 48).

I remember too the plan for 'Galleria III' during the I.M Pei fiasco. This was supposed to be the third and tallest buiding of the Galleria project. I'm sure it would have been just as ugly and as cheaply built as the other two. Leadership Square was the only eye pleasing structure that rose during this era, but its beauty cannot be enjoyed from most viewing points. Too bad it wasn't designed as one tower instead of two.

If the Devon Tower is actually built, and the real square footage is 1 million feet or more, then I believe there is a good chance it will be the tallest building in Oklahoma. I am no engineer or architect, but I do know basic math. It would seem to me the height of the building will be determined by the 'girth' of the building. The BOK Tower in Tusa is a 'wide body'. I believe it has over 1.2 million square feet and tops out at 667'. Omaha's One First National Center is 900,000 square feet and is 633' tall. Kansas City's One Kansas City Place is right at a million square feet and 632' tall but is a 'wide body'.

Mr. Nichols stated that his new tower will be 'iconic'. Well, this could mean a couple of things. It could be the tallest, or it could have a very distinctive structural shape and design. I am hoping it is both. I do not know Mr. Nichols, but I would imagine if he is going to build an 'iconic' building in Oklahoma City, he would make damn sure it is the tallest in the state! Tulsa has been king of the skyscrapers for too long, and it is time to take our place where we belong. Our city needs this. We need something new and fresh to let people know we have began a new era in growth.

Too bad Mr. McClendon at Cheasapeake didn't build downtown. Could you imagine him and Mr. Nichols going at it to see who could build the tallest like the two men who built the old First National Bank and City Bank buildings back in 1933? That would have been something to watch for sure!

[Doug Loudenback]

Too bad Mr. McClendon at Cheasapeake didn't build downtown. Could you imagine him and Mr. Nichols going at it to see who could build the tallest like the two men who built the old First National Bank and City Bank buildings back in 1933? That would have been something to watch for sure!

Wouldn't it! What fun that would be to watch!

[Nawfside OKC]

i think it is gr8t that the momentum is so strong for our city right now that
we are building a news skyscraper

as flat as our town is it will be visible probaly from edmond on a clear day as yall already know we can see downtown all the way from the UCO campus... also it will add depth and overall height to our skyline when view eastbound from I-40 and the airport which is where most of the travelers will first view our wonderful city

[Kerry]

Do you think a 1000' height is out of the question? BofA Center in Atlanta tops out just over 1000' due to the iconic metal work at the top. The building is only 55 stories.

Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta

[David Pollard]

Don't see why not, although it would indeed totally dwarf the Chase tower. I personally think about 700 ft would be good and we can STILL have a heafty, maybe off-centered spire, DESPITE the fact that we already have a beautiful one on top of the First National Center. Why not?

[OU Adonis]

I would think even if its noticably taller it will still be ok, especially if we start seeing more towers pop up downtown. (If our economy continues to do what its doing)

[MikeLucky]

1000' would be pretty damn iconic..... just by virtue of it's size.....

and it would be QUITE a statement.....

[OKCisOK4me]

as flat as our town is it will be visible probaly from edmond on a clear day as yall already know we can see downtown all the way from the UCO campus... also it will add depth and overall height to our skyline when view eastbound from I-40 and the airport which is where most of the travelers will first view our wonderful city

I don't know if anyone has ever noticed, but on a clear non-hazy day driving up to Tulsa, you can see the BOK building from the Kellyville exit (about 10 degrees to the left of the interstate). As the crow flies it's about 13 miles which seems like a long way the way the interstate goes back toward ESE for a moment there.

Turns out that's about the same as from Edmond to downtown OKC. Another 200+ feet should do it (w o w). Can't wait!

[Nawfside OKC]

how about a 700 ft tower and a smaller 300 ft one since were dreamin big.... j/k what I do think would b cool is if it started out concrete or maroon marble at the base and gradually turned all glass ...........the brick to represent our gr8t frontier past and bricktown and the glass to represent the future and momentum of OKLAHOMA CITY ( oooooh and don't forget a beacon that shines all over the city when lit at night.....if they steal my idea you heard it here 1st)

[JOHNINSOKC]

I really believe that the Devon announcement will spur more growth downtown because many companies will realize that if Devon can build their own building, they can as well. Chesapeake can't grow forever in Nichols Hills, so I predict that they will eventually have to build downtown within the next 10 years. Who knows what Fortune 500 company might be looking at relocating to OKC in the near future? Devon's announcement may just be the tip of the iceberg. There are also possibilities of a mixed-use tower going up like Signature Tower in Nashville. I believe it is a combination of office, condos and a hotel. Once the NBA is established here, this city will definitely be in a different league and we will get more jobs and entertainment options. I think this boom is the real deal compared to the one in the 80's. There's really no sign of a slowdown on the horizon.

[sgt. pepper]

I can't see Chesapeake moving out of thier campus, i see the just keep buying everybody out. I can see Sandridge out growing the KerrMcgee building thier in now. As far as this Devon tower, i'm sorry, after ready all of these threads, OKC is full of pipe dreams. i just hope this is not one of them. CEO's and developers can say all they want, untill i see construction, it's hard for me to get excited.

[Nawfside OKC]

I'm kinda like you sgt pepp. but this kinda ain't a pipe dream the fact is devon needs more room and there still expanding wit their focus for consolidation they definitely need a new building and it will happen and it will have a gr8t view from the new blvd. and I don't think anyones touched on how powerful of a statement it will make when they do live NBA coverage and show aerial of the new building across the street in progress of going vertical people will soon look at OKC different....

[Kerry]

The Chesapeake Campus got me to thinking. Most of the employees I know that work in a campus atmosphere hate it. I have worked in a few and I always found it very inconvenient for meetings, lunch, basic work, etc. Since McClendon is a big Duke University donor I wonder if there is any chance he might be planning a private university on his "campus". The architecture sure looks like a university. As part of the MAPS III planning there was a push for new University in town. I wonder who was behind that push.

[sgt. pepper]

Ha Ha, that what i have always thought Kerry. I think the last place i would want to work after years of college, is a college enviroment, but that's just me. i'm sure the Ches. campus is really nice. You're right Nawfside, the woul be an AWSOME shot on live NBA coverage!

[OU Adonis]

This is an apartment building Sweden