I just want to take the time to remind everybody, that the initial plan was to have the entire building retrofitted with the LED fins. Imagine how horrible that would have looked with these issues. or how amazing it would look had they allowed the lighting professionals to do their jobs and get them installed and working as designed.

What would the building have looked light with the original LED plans?

I talked to the company that did the LED lighting for Devon several times.

The idea of putting LED lights over the entire exterior was briefly considered but then rejected. So, it was never really in the plans.

I also know there were disputes and problems all the way along and in the end the contractor was dismissed before they fully programmed the system.

I only heard their side of it but obviously some of the LED fins were damaged during install then they could not get access to the BMU (maintenance crane) in order to make the fixes. Things went downhill from there and their engagement was severed.

I have expressed so many times how disappointed I am with the lighting.. I know Pete has posted about what happened with it all and how it never got programmed or fixed from the start but that is just sloppy in my opinion. to have a brand new building that has never had all the lighting working properly just looks tacky.

Downtown OKC right now as a whole looks pretty bad in the lighting department. I've been in Tulsa and Ft Worth recently and it's amazing how much more vibrant their skylines look actually lit up and done well. Is there any specific reason OKC has such a problem with this? Do other cities have lighting ordinances or something?

Anyways, I think or at least hope it improves in 2020 when the BankFirst renovation is complete, the First National Center renovation is complete, and the Boulevard is complete and hopefully with that, the highway lighting (that has been out for years) fixed. It would be nice if Devon could finally get their lighting working right and if Sandridge would re-light their tower, both things that I'd be surprised if ever happened.

^

Devon's lighting is great apart from a few minor glitches. BOK Park Plaza did a nice job. Oklahoma Tower added color-shifting LED's at the top. Skydance Bridge is very cool, as is the new LED lighting at the crystal bridge.

Still to come: BancFirst tower, FNC and a multi-color display (based on social media posts from Gary Brooks) and the lighting for SandRidge is awesome and will ultimately be switched on again.

And you can bet the new Omni and convention center and Scissortail Park will do it right.


Things have improved greatly and there are some big changes coming down the road.

Whenever Sandridge moves or goes under and OGE takes over their tower I suspect there might be some lighting changes there as well.

Whenever Sandridge moves or goes under and OGE takes over their tower I suspect there might be some lighting changes there as well.

There will be. Not sure where SD is going. It’s a rudderless ship at this point.

Check out the lights tonight if you can!

Whenever Sandridge moves or goes under and OGE takes over their tower I suspect there might be some lighting changes there as well.

Maybe they can just swap current buildings...

Check out the lights tonight if you can!

was there a miracle and they all work now?

Yea right! It was just pulsing red-white-blue.

Maintenance basket was swaying out of control this morning.

Maintenance basket was swaying out of control this morning.

Apparently there were people in it. :eek: Hoping everyone is ok.

https://newsok.com/article/5631443/firefighters-respond-to-incident-wednesday-at-devon-tower-in-downtown-oklahoma-city

Harrowing video here... Not for those prone to motion sickness or fear of heights:

https://www.facebook.com/JasonHackettKOCO/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARCQxdjYbgrqv6GEmrM5JhYTIu7IT4DAOoRToI2lJaP4zm oCpg2McTZjd7BXrcX1uRGnJq8BsU2-RTYu&hc_ref=ARSzp0uNgXZ7v74-hP4SKxAK61dTFmw67-KIyJqwSSdt23-ObUwq17NZHyPpScwzFpc&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARCsyiYS1gIajnVWp4CCV1-fs2at57TCO61XgSP_8xKGKbRSdyYp9dqmqU57Obl85_ue6iana SWmIOtpARiwEvpftZ6ig7DFHlAhE8unmXMsnq388uaXCcuOvU0 wxoRyaC_acZ03TzRihACurkTfOclz57UKttBxF47Qq5p2H_jvR fdiCpd_IFVXxTsFDkhmvOqbdEA5jh4PEhcvryh3pLoqE6JuIqx xQcawO8P9Cu-LjObSSRITyYQLz-oAb8MHWLgucRtAJoNPI61KYJ5inXY9rlaZlMPtpGZf1pNQ-Wai7loS-WAlDFWr7PEoLbYDFheD-sLUwb4r1qEN5kwGJ6B33sI2mj7BzsBqTF-dmiHg3y9Q3J6CNCl7LWS3kEw

Harrowing video here... Not for those prone to motion sickness or fear of heights:

https://www.facebook.com/JasonHackettKOCO/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARCQxdjYbgrqv6GEmrM5JhYTIu7IT4DAOoRToI2lJaP4zm oCpg2McTZjd7BXrcX1uRGnJq8BsU2-RTYu&hc_ref=ARSzp0uNgXZ7v74-hP4SKxAK61dTFmw67-KIyJqwSSdt23-ObUwq17NZHyPpScwzFpc&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARCsyiYS1gIajnVWp4CCV1-fs2at57TCO61XgSP_8xKGKbRSdyYp9dqmqU57Obl85_ue6iana SWmIOtpARiwEvpftZ6ig7DFHlAhE8unmXMsnq388uaXCcuOvU0 wxoRyaC_acZ03TzRihACurkTfOclz57UKttBxF47Qq5p2H_jvR fdiCpd_IFVXxTsFDkhmvOqbdEA5jh4PEhcvryh3pLoqE6JuIqx xQcawO8P9Cu-LjObSSRITyYQLz-oAb8MHWLgucRtAJoNPI61KYJ5inXY9rlaZlMPtpGZf1pNQ-Wai7loS-WAlDFWr7PEoLbYDFheD-sLUwb4r1qEN5kwGJ6B33sI2mj7BzsBqTF-dmiHg3y9Q3J6CNCl7LWS3kEw

I'm going to vomit just looking at that.

They showed the platform flying around in the wind on CNBC. Eeeeesh!

So did they just underestimate the wind? Maybe issues with the crane since you would think they would have raised themselves backup and rotated the crane over.

Bad pub for Devon, that's for sure.

Bad pub for Devon, that's for sure.

Were they at fault?

Harrowing video here... Not for those prone to motion sickness or fear of heights:

https://www.facebook.com/JasonHackettKOCO/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARCQxdjYbgrqv6GEmrM5JhYTIu7IT4DAOoRToI2lJaP4zm oCpg2McTZjd7BXrcX1uRGnJq8BsU2-RTYu&hc_ref=ARSzp0uNgXZ7v74-hP4SKxAK61dTFmw67-KIyJqwSSdt23-ObUwq17NZHyPpScwzFpc&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARCsyiYS1gIajnVWp4CCV1-fs2at57TCO61XgSP_8xKGKbRSdyYp9dqmqU57Obl85_ue6iana SWmIOtpARiwEvpftZ6ig7DFHlAhE8unmXMsnq388uaXCcuOvU0 wxoRyaC_acZ03TzRihACurkTfOclz57UKttBxF47Qq5p2H_jvR fdiCpd_IFVXxTsFDkhmvOqbdEA5jh4PEhcvryh3pLoqE6JuIqx xQcawO8P9Cu-LjObSSRITyYQLz-oAb8MHWLgucRtAJoNPI61KYJ5inXY9rlaZlMPtpGZf1pNQ-Wai7loS-WAlDFWr7PEoLbYDFheD-sLUwb4r1qEN5kwGJ6B33sI2mj7BzsBqTF-dmiHg3y9Q3J6CNCl7LWS3kEw

Are they accepting reservations for Oklahoma's newest and tallest thrill ride?

Were they at fault?

It's their building, their employees/contractors and more importantly, their name on the building as this is blasted all over the media.

It's their building, their employees/contractors and more importantly, their name on the building as this is blasted all over the media.

They actually don’t own the building anymore. Sold it after they built it and signed a long term lease.

They actually don’t own the building anymore. Sold it after they built it and signed a long term lease.

Are you sure about that? Or are you thinking about BOKs tower...

Streets closed plus Myriad and Streetcar affected:

Sheridan is closed from Robinson to Hudson Avenue, and Robinson is closed from Sheridan to Main Street.

The city said the area below damaged parts of the tower remains at risk from falling debris.

Myriad Botanical Gardens directly across Sheridan south of the tower is closed until the area is considered safe.

Oklahoma City Streetcar riders are being bused around the restricted area. Streetcar tracks run on both Sheridan and Robinson.

https://newsok.com/article/5631486/while-damage-to-oklahoma-citys-tallest-building-is-assessed-the-risk-from-falling-debris-means-the-area-around-the-tower-will-be-closed

——


Devon Energy
@DevonEnergy
1/While we continue to assess today’s incident at the tower, street closures will remain in effect until further notice. We appreciate the community’s understanding as we prioritize safety first.


Devon Energy
@DevonEnergy
·
12m
Replying to
@DevonEnergy
2/We regret that the
@myriadgardens
is temporarily closed and that traffic will be rerouted until the exterior damage to the tower is secured. Thank you in advance to our
@DowntownOKC neighbors for your patience.

Devon Energy
@DevonEnergy
·
12m
3/We can’t thank the
@OKCFD
,
@OKCPD
,
@EMSAOK
and the entire Devon team enough for their continued hard work and dedication.

Harrowing video here... Not for those prone to motion sickness or fear of heights:

https://www.facebook.com/JasonHackettKOCO/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARCQxdjYbgrqv6GEmrM5JhYTIu7IT4DAOoRToI2lJaP4zm oCpg2McTZjd7BXrcX1uRGnJq8BsU2-RTYu&hc_ref=ARSzp0uNgXZ7v74-hP4SKxAK61dTFmw67-KIyJqwSSdt23-ObUwq17NZHyPpScwzFpc&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARCsyiYS1gIajnVWp4CCV1-fs2at57TCO61XgSP_8xKGKbRSdyYp9dqmqU57Obl85_ue6iana SWmIOtpARiwEvpftZ6ig7DFHlAhE8unmXMsnq388uaXCcuOvU0 wxoRyaC_acZ03TzRihACurkTfOclz57UKttBxF47Qq5p2H_jvR fdiCpd_IFVXxTsFDkhmvOqbdEA5jh4PEhcvryh3pLoqE6JuIqx xQcawO8P9Cu-LjObSSRITyYQLz-oAb8MHWLgucRtAJoNPI61KYJ5inXY9rlaZlMPtpGZf1pNQ-Wai7loS-WAlDFWr7PEoLbYDFheD-sLUwb4r1qEN5kwGJ6B33sI2mj7BzsBqTF-dmiHg3y9Q3J6CNCl7LWS3kEw

Feels like the beginning of a Superman movie.

They actually don’t own the building anymore. Sold it after they built it and signed a long term lease.

They still own it.

Apparently this was even on the news in Tokyo, according to a friend over there. Yikes.

So the park and streets may be closed for awhile since they cant stabilize damaged section until service basket is deemed safe again and winds die down.

Until the winds die down.....in Oklahoma....hahahahaha

Are you sure about that? Or are you thinking about BOKs tower...


The BOK Tower isn't BOK's, it belongs to Williams. Always has.

The BOK Tower isn't BOK's, it belongs to Williams. Always has.

He's talking about BOK Park Plaza across from Devon Energy Center.

Is this going to turn into an opportunity for Devon to fix the lights?

Is this going to turn into an opportunity for Devon to fix the lights?

Devon has had people working on the lights for months, source I know a guy that actually works on the lights for Devon. I know it is a bit of a meme on here, but you may want to know they are doing something.

Devon has had people working on the lights for months, source I know a guy that actually works on the lights for Devon. I know it is a bit of a meme on here, but you may want to know they are doing something.

Those lights are a lemon. I don't know if they will ever get them working as envisioned. Doesn't seem like its the lights themselves causing issues, but rather the communication system that talks to each light section.

There was a big dispute between the company that installed them and Devon.

Both sides blamed each other but I'm not aware of any legal action.

Devon has had people working on the lights for months, source I know a guy that actually works on the lights for Devon. I know it is a bit of a meme on here, but you may want to know they are doing something.
That is good to know. Thanks for sharing.

It's their building, their employees/contractors and more importantly, their name on the building as this is blasted all over the media.

I saw it on TV news here in Seattle last night.

These things happen sometimes; there was no negative reflection on Devon nor the city in the news story. The ONLY reaction was "gasp, OMG" from the news casters that were observing the lift flailing about the top of the very tall skyscraper. ..

..

You all probably never heard but we had a tower crane collapse about two weeks ago here in Seattle for a low rise Google building u/c, where the crane didn't have it's boom installed yet but the "tower" collapsed (due to not being properly bolted together) and fell onto a very busy street (killing at least 4). - I'd be much more embarrassed by that as a city and obviously as a construction company than a mishap of the cleaning system. -

^^^

We saw that on TV the weekend it happened. And you are right. It was much worse that the Devon mishap.

Not only are a bunch of streets closed as well as Myriad Gardens, but they also can't run the streetcars because the routes go right through the affected area.

I really hope their isnt a tornado or straight line wind event in downtown. This was only a couple of panels and look how much of an impact it jhad.

Confused why all this stuff has to close, Devon or the City can't find a few brooms?

Confused why all this stuff has to close, Devon or the City can't find a few brooms?

They are trying to secure the existing broken windows and are concerned about more falling debris.

They are trying to secure the existing broken windows and are concerned about more falling debris.

Had a friend staying at the Colcord last night and met him at Mahogany downtown for happy hour. The police had it taped off where you weren't even supposed to walk across the street from the Colcord to the restaurant. The entire stretch of Robinson between Sheridan and Park was blocked off from cars and pedestrians. Is there a danger from falling debris that far from the building? Worried about catching a gust of wind?

They are trying to secure the existing broken windows and are concerned about more falling debris.

In the video, the basket smashed repeatedly into the upper crown of the building for almost an hour. I watched the tower being built with great interest, and that part of the crown is probably not the strongest part of the building, it has a lot of glass and the metal tubing covering the exterior of Devon Energy Center. I would imagine there's a lot of "stuff" barely hanging on. A puff of wind could probably knock some of that "stuff" off.

Had a friend staying at the Colcord last night and met him at Mahogany downtown for happy hour. The police had it taped off where you weren't even supposed to walk across the street from the Colcord to the restaurant. The entire stretch of Robinson between Sheridan and Park was blocked off from cars and pedestrians. Is there a danger from falling debris that far from the building? Worried about catching a gust of wind?
Flat pieces of glass can surf on the air and go great distances horizontally. It is one of the reasons in earthquake drills they want people off the streets in downtown areas. Sharp pieces of glass flying horizontally at a high speed is lethal...think decapitation lethal.

The damaged areas have broken, unsecured pieces of glass and window frame which can dislodge at any time (some probably have been falling since the incident). This weekend's rains will likely bring down additional pieces, and high winds will scatter them widely. The basket is the best means of securing the damaged area, but it must be repaired & inspected before deploying it again, and in low wind conditions. So it may be a while.

Flat pieces of glass can surf on the air and go great distances horizontally. It is one of the reasons in earthquake drills they want people off the streets in downtown areas. Sharp pieces of glass flying horizontally at a high speed is lethal...think decapitation lethal.

Yep, this happened while we were living in Chicagoland, horrible.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-10-08-9910120006-story.html

Boston's John Hancock Tower had terrible problems with 500 POUND glass windowpanes popping out in the 1970s. From Wikipedia:

There were problems with the innovative use of blue reflective glass in a steel tower: Entire 4′ × 11′, 500-lb (1.2 × 3.4 m, 227 kg) windowpanes detached from the building and crashed to the sidewalk hundreds of feet below. Police closed off surrounding streets whenever winds reached 45 mph (72 km/h). Under the direction of Frank H. Durgin of MIT's Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel a scale model of the entire Back Bay and an aeroelastic model of the John Hancock Tower were built and tested in the wind tunnel to identify the problem. The research raised questions about the structural integrity of the entire building (due to unanticipated twisting of the structure), but did not account for the loss of the glass panels. An independent laboratory eventually confirmed that the failure of the glass was due to oscillations and repeated thermal stresses caused by the expansion and contraction of the air between the inner and outer glass panels which formed each window; the resilient bonding between the inner glass, reflective material, and outer glass was so stiff that it was transmitting the force to the outer glass (instead of absorbing it), thus causing the glass to fail.[8]

In October 1973, I.M. Pei & Partners announced that all 10,344 window panes would each be replaced by single paned, heat-treated panels at a total cost between $5 million and $7 million.[8][7] Approximately 5,000 of the original glass panes were removed intact, and were later reused by artists.[9]

During the many months it took to diagnose and repair the building, sheets of plywood replaced many of the missing glass windows of the building, earning it the nicknames "Plywood Palace" and "Plywood Ranch" (the same name as a local lumber yard chain at the time). Bostonians joked that the Hancock Tower was "the world's tallest plywood building".

Per the press conference yesterday, there were cracks and damage to windows going down about 14-17 floors, so they are acting out of an abundance of caution.

I know of an incident in a performing arts center once where a concert goer standing in an open lobby area similar to the the CCMH got hit in the head with a portion of a program holder that had fallen off and fell three stories. It was thick acrylic with sharp corners, and fell in such a way that when it struck the person standing, sliced a nice chunk out of his scalp and knocked the guy out, causing a severe concussion. Think about a piece of glass weighing several hundreds of pounds and falling 700+ feet, then think about what that could do to the human body.

MBG marketing head Leslie Spears was just escorted out of the Gardens when she went out to take a picture, so that gives you an indication of how serious they're taking this.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/devon051919b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/devon051919c.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/devon051919d.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/devon051919e.jpg

There sure are a lot of random pieces of broken glass. I noticed there was a panel out on a corner that wasn't where the basket was. How did that happen?

The streetcars are running again.

Yep, this happened while we were living in Chicagoland, horrible.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-10-08-9910120006-story.html

I had no idea it could be that bad.

This is very strange...

I just took this photo and it's hard to see and it's clearer in person but they have taken out a bunch of windows.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/devon053019a.jpg

Falling debris from up high hit the building at lower levels as it fell. The damage is distributed all the way down. Somebody was speculating that debris got in that "trough" and just bounced back and forth as it fell.

Falling debris from up high hit the building at lower levels as it fell. The damage is distributed all the way down. Somebody was speculating that debris got in that "trough" and just bounced back and forth as it fell.

There is one window that seems way out of place. Whatever hit it must have caught some serious wind to fly back all the way back to the other side of trough 3/4ths of the way down.

I guess alll those windows were cracked but still in place and now they have completely removed them.

I wish I would have taken a better picture because it's amazing how much damage was done.

BTW, the northern part of the Myriad Gardens is still closed and they had to move a concert scheduled for the bandshell on Sunday to Centennial Park.

This has turned into a long, ugly inconvenience.

They may be open as of today: https://twitter.com/myriadgardens/status/1134201205465518088


HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! Guess what??? The fencing is leaving from our north section which includes The Devon Lawn, Meinders Terrace, and Sheridan street are OPENING! Happy summer. 😀😎☀️