Devon Plans Downtown Skyscraper

[JLCinOKC]

Why limit it to the tallest in Oklahoma City??? Why not the tallest in OKLAHOMA? The Williams tower in Tulsa is 52 stories and 203.3 meters while the Cityplex is 60 stories but only 197.5 meters high.

[jbrown84]

It very well could be tallest in the state.

What a GREAT surprise this was when I logged into newsok this morning. I wasn't expecting it so soon.

I'm really excited to see it start going up. Also, I'm glad Nichols wants to upgrade the Gardens, and we won't even have to pay for it!

"This is exactly what we're trying to create,” Cornett said. "This hits on every measure.”

And that's not just spin. I guarantee you if it weren't for MAPS and other investments we've made downtown, Devon would be moving out to Memorial if it hadn't already gone to Houston.

[betts]

When the Sonics relocation is finalized (just a matter of time now, IMO) I wonder if some of the big players there like Jeff Records (MidFirst) and Bill Cameron (American Fidelity) might move their operations downtown.

Certainly, Devon will be vacating a good chunk of space plus perhaps First National Center will be up to snuff soon, too.

I have the feeling a downtown address will soon be fashionable again.

I'd heard Bill Cameron was looking at moving downtown a few months ago. Hopefully all the ongoing excitement downtown will make that a greater possibility.

[jbrown84]

I can definitely see American Fidelity or MidFirst taking up Mid-America Tower. Although I'm not sure that would be any bigger than the space those companies are already in.

[JWil]

Okay, so, it's early and I prolly missed it... but where will this tower be located exactly?

[Doug Loudenback]

I'm having trouble identifying exactly where the "footprint" of this building will be ... maybe I missed that in the articles but I couldn't find it. Anyone know?

(on edit: HA! We posted the same query at the same time!)

[Pete]

It will be interesting to see how Devon Tower will tie into the Underground, since Nichols said this was a priority.

They could either build a skybridge to Corporate / Oklahoma Tower or a new tunnel eastward to the Sheraton or Cox Center.

The latter might be preferable as it would offer a more direct connection to their current building, which they may need if they continue to grow.

[eataroundokc.com]

This is very exciting news. Momentum is a good word for our city.

[soonerkev]

I'm having trouble identifying exactly where the "footprint" of this building will be ... maybe I missed that in the articles but I couldn't find it. Anyone know?

(on edit: HA! We posted the same query at the same time!)

The plan is to build it where the Galleria Parking Garage is, which is just north of the Myriad Gardens and right to the south of the new Library.

[Pete]

They don't say exactly where on the Galleria parking deck, but I'm assuming it's toward the corner of Hudson & Sheridan, especially since Nichols said they will likely need to add to the west part of the new parking structure:

[Pete]

Also, Nichols talks about a "large atrium unlike anything else in the state", so perhaps that will require most the footprint left on the deck -- or at least the western half.

[jbrown84]

This is what I would hope for.



Yellow is the building footprint (much larger than Chase or OK Tower)

I would like to see Festival Plaza and the trees along the street (in green) be kept.

The red is the never-finished tunnel entrance that has escalators that go down to the Myriad Gardens tunnels. This always intrigued me. It's completely overgrown and fortunately not very noticeable unless you're exploring the area. Obviously it was intended to connect to the Galleria shopping center that never happened.

[Pete]

Here's a couple ideas of how the building might connect to the Underground (show in red).

Nichols said in one of the articles there was the beginnings of a connection from the Galleria lot to the Myriad Gardens:

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City will be looking more and more like a major league city!

[jbrown84]

Connecting to IRS makes the most sense, because the area that would have to be ripped up is just parking lot/garage that's going to be coming out anyway. Actually it's already dug out because it's a below-ground garage.

[OU Adonis]

This is what I would hope for.



Yellow is the building footprint (much larger than Chase or OK Tower)

Any idea how big that footprint is? I am curious to see how many stories that would be with a footprint that size.

[jbrown84]

Well that's about half the block in width, and a third in depth. Looks like it would be about the footprint of the entire FNC. Of course, it's not going to be a rectangle of glass and being iconic. It will probably step back multiple times.

[stlokc]

I admit to having been worried in the past about what a new Devon Tower would do to the rest of the downtown office market. But I find myself highly charged by this announcement and the monentum it is sure to create. By the looks of the above map, it would appear that the tower will be just far enough to the west of Oklahoma Tower that it will be a distinctive addition to the skyline when looking from due north or south, instead of being directly behind an existing building. I think that is neat because it will "lengthen" the skyline. Just by way of comparison, my building, Metropolitan Square, in St. Louis, is over 1 million square feet, and is 42 stories. I don't know how the floorplates compare to this new tower, however. Way to go Devon and Larry Nichols!

[Pete]

Using Google Earth, I determined the area jb shows in yellow to be about 350 feet east-west and 250 north-south, so 87,500 sq. ft. footprint.

That's taking the dimensions to the limits of that parcel, even though there will be set-back from the street.

[Pete]

it will be a distinctive addition to the skyline when looking from due north or south, instead of being directly behind an existing building. I think that is neat because it will "lengthen" the skyline.

I was thinking the same thing. Also, it's a little further south than any of the taller structures, so it will lengthen the skyline from an eastern or western perspective as well.

The way the buildings line up has always been one of the best things about out skyline and this tower will only enhance this aspect.

[BDP]

This will be fun to watch. I love watching things like this being built.

I know that everyone wants to have the tallest, but I actually like the word 'iconic' more so than tall. If it's the tallest, so be it, but I would certainly hate to compromise design for height. Maybe both can be achieved, but I really like the fact that Nichols is stressing the overall aesthetic more than just the vertical.

If they do achieve an iconic design, I think downtown will look very cool from the south with the FNC admirably representing the past and the Devon tower pointing to the future.

And if they do build on that location, I think it will go a long way to connecting east and west sides of downtown without spreading it out at all. As it is now that parking lot kind of feels like a barrier. This will give much better flow and continuity down Sheridan from the CBD and convention area into the arts district.

[jbrown84]

Here's some "iconic towers" from Google images:




















The last two are my favorites.

[Pete]

By the way, "iconic" buildings tend to have smaller floorplates than big, rectangular boxes.

I'm sure all those buildings shown have well less than 20,000 square feet per floor which means that if Devon went that route, they'd need quite a tall building (or one with a very large base) to achieve the desired 1 million sq. ft.

[redland]

Thanks for the images JBrown and I hope Devon opts for something as bold as these. I agree with you about the last two, and think I would choose the last one (though I doubt Devon will be seeking my opinion). At any rate, this a great day for all us who value the development of Oklahoma City into not just a "big league" city but a "world class" one.

[sgt. pepper]

OKC builds an arena, Tulsa builds an arena....OKC updates and expands our airport, Tulsa expands and updates thiers...OKC gets a strech of highway, Tulsa gets a strech of highway...OKC builds a dowtown ballpark, Tulsa wants a downtown ballpark. OKC getting a new skyscrapper, I guess Tulsa will get a new skyscraper. it's obvious who the leader in the Oklahoma is. This is great news, Devon is not going to Houston. Hopefully the Core to Shore project is not a pipe dream.