AT&T Building

[G.Walker]

[category=]Office Buildings[/category]




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Address: 111 Dean McGee Built: 1960 Demolished: no Floors: 18 Sq. Feet: 512,546 Acreage: Architect:

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[Kerry]

It is just you G.Walker. The equipment housed in that building requires it to be contructed that way. It is not an office building.

[metro]

Troll

[DirtLaw]

The DEQ building is much, much worse.

[swilki]

Just out of curiosity.....what is housed in the building that is so important? And, if it is so important why does it seem that we are the only city with such a massive building to house such important equipment? Could that equipment not be moved offsite to a more industrial part of town? If they can't demolish it, maybe they could just give it a new facade to give it the appearance of an office building.

I am sure that doing anything to the building will cost a ton of money and won't be worth it, especially if my rates go up. If anything, it's nice to have another corporate logo on our skyline.

[swilki]

The DEQ building is much, much worse.

Agreed. But at least it isn't very visible, it's more or less hidden from the main views of downtown.

[G.Walker]

I am sure they can find another location to house whatever special equipment is in there...they need to upgrade, that building was built in the 1920's, its 2011 for crying out loud, lets upgrade!

[Midtowner]

So you want them to demolish the building and move the equipment at the cost of millions of dollars so that you don't have to look at their building anymore?

Best of luck to ya.

[Architect2010]

How is he a troll for wanting it demolished? I'm sorry, but I don't give a crap what's inside that building. If it requires for an entire skyscraper to become literally just a windowless box, then it needs to be relocated. I'm 100% positive that there are alternatives to this, that is more efficient and doesn't result in such a visible scar. I've seen they have similar buildings in other cities; I think AT&T is pretty clueless. That building, in its current state, needs to go.

Also, some of you are pretty quick to jump to legal restrictions, rights to one's property, and etc. It's just a discussion; take it lightly. It's by far one of the most hideous buildings that detracts from the area and it's always nice to imagine our downtown picture perfect, is it not? I've thought of this very topic myself quite a few times. You don't really care what's inside that building, you just wish it wasn't there. Even though we all know it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Dream a little. Talk about some alternatives.

[USG'60]

Could someone link us to a picture of the building being referenced.

[Steve]

Gwalker, I'm not sure if it's likely to expect AT&T to tear down an entire building, but I don't see at all how this makes you a troll anymore than threads started by others noting building appearances they didn't like. For what it's worth, I've encountered out-of-town visitors who ask about the equipment above the otherwise wonderful Pioneer Telephone building. I did checking a few years ago and discovered the equipment is obsolete and just junk. But AT&T appears to be unwilling to spend the $150k (this is the figure I've heard repeatedly) that it would take to remove it.

[G.Walker]

Gwalker, I'm not sure if it's likely to expect AT&T to tear down an entire building, but I don't see at all how this makes you a troll anymore than threads started by others noting building appearances they didn't like. For what it's worth, I've encountered out-of-town visitors who ask about the equipment above the otherwise wonderful Pioneer Telephone building. I did checking a few years ago and discovered the equipment is obsolete and just junk. But AT&T appears to be unwilling to spend the $150k (this is the figure I've heard repeatedly) that it would take to remove it.

I am not ranting, just so the skyline could look better, but to voice my opinion on an urban renewal level. It seems that corporations other than Devon, Chesapeake, Sandridge are not taking any corporate responsibility to revitalize blighted areas of the urban core or surrounding areas. I am sure that AT&T could find another location in OKC to construct new data center, and tear this building down, and maybe leave land open for new development, or they can take some corporate responsibility and put together a great project for that area, it doesn't necessarily have to be a skyscraper, but even a mid-rise mixed-use development would be nice to compliment the Deep Deuce area....

[metro]

We don't need anymore vacant lots for speculation G, if someone wants to build, theyll find a lot or a way

[Kerry]

It is a long history of the roll out telephone system across the country. In the early days, long distance phone call were transittmed via microwaves (still is in a lot places). Microwaves are line of site so the entire country was connected with line-of-sight microwave towers. When you do line of sight you have to picked the highest point to reduce the number of towers necessary. The Pioneer Telephone building made a logical choice to put the microwaves on top because it provided the farthest view (it actually connects to a microwave tower on Highway 9 near Chickasha). As telephone technology improved and when to electric switching it made sense to place that equipment next door to the existing phone lines. If you move that building, you have to move every phone line that comes into it.

As for the appearance of it, it is designed to withstand a nuclear blast that is no closer than 5 miles. It also has a Farady cage built into it to prevent damage from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The building is not going anywhere and they will not be impriving the looks of it by adding windows or anything else.

Here is a map of microwave sites in California.

[OKCisOK4me]

I'm sure that if a company was interested in the property that you are referring to, that they would be more than happy "in negotiations" to pay for the cost to move AT&T to a new site and provide the cost for new equipment or split it down the middle so that they could destroy the building to build a new 500 or 600 ft. tall tower. I don't even really know if the site is big enough to build a tower that large but I'm also not getting skyscraper happy here because I honestly don't think this will ever happen. G. Walker, I think you're just gonna have to deal with it. My apologies.

As for the appearance of it, it is designed to withstand a nuclear blast that is no closer than 5 miles. It also has a Farady cage built into it to prevent damage from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The building is not going anywhere and they will not be impriving the looks of it by adding windows or anything else.

That is the coolest f'ing thing I have read all week!!!

[mcca7596]

It seems that corporations other than Devon, Chesapeake, Sandridge are not taking any corporate responsibility to revitalize blighted areas of the urban core or surrounding areas.

Sandridge isn't doing downtown a service by tearing down buildings that weren't blighted.

[SOONER8693]

I am not ranting, just so the skyline could look better, but to voice my opinion on an urban renewal level. It seems that corporations other than Devon, Chesapeake, Sandridge are not taking any corporate responsibility to revitalize blighted areas of the urban core or surrounding areas. I am sure that AT&T could find another location in OKC to construct new data center, and tear this building down, and maybe leave land open for new development, or they can take some corporate responsibility and put together a great project for that area, it doesn't necessarily have to be a skyscraper, but even a mid-rise mixed-use development would be nice to compliment the Deep Deuce area....

This is not downtown Dallas or Houston, where someone is waiting to build a mid-rise or high-rise on every available inch of space. This is OKC. We are damn lucky to be getting the Devon tower. You have speculated on other threads that OKC should be getting new high to mid rise construction in the near future. I hope you are right, but, I'm skeptical.

[kevinpate]

maybe we can paint a mural on it. Just a thought.

Hmmm, a larger than life, but not reputation, Durant on one side, Westbrook on one side ... y'all can pick the other two teammates.

[zgilliam]

I'd be happy if they just fix the dang sign on the north side so it doesn't flicker. Been doing that for years!

[G.Walker]

This is not downtown Dallas or Houston, where someone is waiting to build a mid-rise or high-rise on every available inch of space. This is OKC. We are damn lucky to be getting the Devon tower. You have speculated on other threads that OKC should be getting new high to mid rise construction in the near future. I hope you are right, but, I'm skeptical.

I think you are underestimating the potential of Oklahoma City. People said we would never get a new 850ft tower, people said we would NEVER get an NBA team, people said that MAPS3 would never pass, and now people are saying we won't get another skyscraper anytime soon...but I beg to differ...

But your perception of Oklahoma City is not your fault, in the past and now people still think of us as and old country, dust bowl city, but now things are changing, it will take time, but we will get there...

[OKCisOK4me]

I like the avatar G. Walker, but they gotta get rid of that thing behind the 3. Reminds me too much of BP Oil.

[SOONER8693]

I think you are underestimating the potential of Oklahoma City. People said we would never get a new 850ft tower, people said we would NEVER get an NBA team, people said that MAPS3 would never pass, and now people are saying we won't get another skyscraper anytime soon...but I beg to differ...

But your perception of Oklahoma City is not your fault, in the past and now people still think of us as and old country, dust bowl city, but now things are changing, it will take time, but we will get there...

I absolutely hope your are right.

[Kerry]

That is the coolest f'ing thing I have read all week!!!

In 100,000 years there will be 2 things left in OKC from 2011 - the dirt mound at the Indian Cultrual Center and the AT&T building. I am not sure if they could tear down that building even if they wanted to. If a nuclear bomb can't bring it down they sure aren't going to be able to do with dynamite and a wrecking ball.

[OKCisOK4me]

I think the only thing that will kill the AT&T building is when the sun goes Red Giant on the planet and eats us up!

[UnFrSaKn]

For some reason, I read this as the BOK Plaza, which is almost as ugly in my opinion.



Map

Here's a picture from Doug's blog of the AT&T Annex. There's almost no information about it I can find.

http://www.dougloudenback.com/downtown/okc92.htm



Window-less building to the right.

I've always hated the ugly thing on the roof of the Southwestern Bell Building.

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