Devon Energy Center

[kevinpate]

Well shoot fire and save matches, don't them furinars know we gots fancy pantsy park and rides to corral the combines over on the outskirts of the stockyards? Cain't be havin' dem thangs startlin' the hosses or cattle as they come through. Thought anyones ought be smart nuf to know that if they done lernt typin' and all.

[UnFrSaKn]

Excerpt from the September 18 2011 Sunday Oklahoman...

For two years, hundreds of construction workers have been busy altering the Oklahoma City skyline, building what will be the state's tallest skyscraper and the new home for Devon Energy Corp.

On Wednesday, those workers will pause and celebrate the topping off the $750 million tower at 50 stories — 850 feet high. At a ceremony set to begin at 11:30am. an evergreen tree planted nearby at the start of construction will be hoisted to the very top of the tower in what is a long-standing tradition.

"It was not that long ago that we were standing at the corner of Sheridan and Hudson, thanking all of those who helped us to the point where we could finally break ground on our new headquarters," said Larry Nichols, who as ex-executive chairman of Devon Energy helped plant the tree in October 2009.

"Less than two years later, we are watching the building move closer to becoming the foundation for Devon's future. Considering the enormous scale of this project, I don't think it could have run any more smoothly than it has."

While Nichols and a small contingent of Devon executives will be present for the topping out, John Wood, project manager with the developer, Hines, said the celebration will belong to the guys in the hard hats.

Wood noted the final 30-foot-long steel beam to be put in place is one signed by all of the Devon employees — a deviation from tradition that would ordinarily just have it signed by construction workers.

"We tweaked this a little bit," Wood said. "We wanted to engage the Devon employees in that gradation. To make it more meaningful, we selected a structural beam, one that will be visible from the maintenance floors of the tower... if you're up on the maintenance floors, you will see it."

Work is far from finished at 333 W. Sheridan Ave. Wood said the glass installation, which has gone in horizontal patterns to date, will go up vertically on the remaining crown of the building. Wood expects the glass work to be finished by the end of the year, coinciding with the removal of the last two tower cranes on the site.

The exterior elevators will be removed soon after, while interior construction, under way for the past year, will continue through mid-2012.

"Once we get the structure done and focus on the inside, we're going to start landscaping," Wood said. "We'll begin to lose the structural and glass workers, but we will be gaining landscaping workers, so we'll be keeping about 1,200 to 1,400 people on the site for a few months to come."

Wood notes Devon Energy Center is a rarity these days, with far fewer skyscrapers going up after the Great Recession. He said Devon tower is comparable in size to Freedom Tower going up in New York City at the former site of the World Trade Center.

"Buildings like this just don't get built that often anyway," Wood said. "If you get one like this in a major city every few years, it's a big deal. You might get a building like this in Chicago every few years."

[UnFrSaKn]

Devon Tower facts featured in the article...

-Glass: Devon Energy Center will feature 805,000 square feet of glass, equal to nearly 17 football fields. Each floor of the 50 story tower will be encased in 144 glass panels.

-Concrete: Contractors poured 123,000 cubic yards of concrete throughout the job site, equal to about 7,200 residential driveways.

-Steel: Contractors erected 19,000 tons of rebar steel, enough to build 100 Boeing 747s. Construction required another 3,500 tons of structural steel.

-Restrooms: The new Devon Energy headquarters will include 177 restrooms, topping the number at Buckingham Palace.

-Elevators: The tower and adjoining buildings will have about 50 elevators. A total round-trip for all elevators would be about 3.5 miles.

-Workers: More than 1,200 people are at work on the site, and that number will go up to about 1,400 this winter before construction winds down in mid-2012. More than 2,000 people, including employees, contractors and food service staff will be working at the new Devon Energy Center when it opens next year.

-Food: Restaurants open to the public will be operated in the ground floor warden wing and on the tower's 49th and 50th floors.

Next Milestone: Devon is preparing for the gradual transition from its current headquarters at 20 N. Broadway to the new Devon Energy Center in March. The full migration is expected to be finished by June 30.

Inside the Building: The inside of the building is a beehive of activity as 1,200 workers spread out over 1.8 million square feet. Every conceivable sub-contractor is active within the building. The work they are doing includes the installation of heating and air systems, electrical, plumbing, drywall, flooring, ceiling, painting and a wide variety of other interior work. Outside windows will continue to be installed through the fall. Floors four through eight are nearing their final stages of completion. As lower floors are completed, activity will move higher.

Completion Date: While all employees are expected to be in the new building by the end of June, construction work will continue into the first quarter of 2013. Most major construction should be complete by Oct. 1 2012.

Landscaping To Start: Landscaping work will begin later this year. Crews are waiting for cooler weather before beginning the process of planting about 150 trees and other landscaping material. The two-acre park will also include stone benches, water features and granite.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Devon Tower facts featured in the article...

-Steel: Contractors erected 19,000 tons of rebar steel, enough to build 100 Boeing 747s.

Since when did Boeing start building airliners out of steel...?

[Maynard]

Since when did Boeing start building airliners out of steel...?

[SkyWestOKC]

2024 and 7075 Aluminum Alloy are the most common.....steel is a wee-bit heavy. LOL

[Thunder]

2024 and 7075 Aluminum Alloy are the most common.....steel is a wee-bit heavy. LOL

C'mon, do the LOCO MOTION the next time you fly on the plane! Wait, that may grab the attention of Homeland Security! :-O But...what the hell, Matt, live and lets live!!!

[UnFrSaKn]

C'mon, do the LOCO MOTION the next time you fly on the plane! Wait, that may grab the attention of Homeland Security! :-O But...what the hell, Matt, live and lets live!!!

[UnFrSaKn]

Out of State (Touch) Quote:

This is a nice building but sad to say for OKC its like putting gaudy high gloss lipstick on a pig. I just hope the rest of the city can "catch up" but I dont see any evidence of that. Is that tacky podium and artificial pond like area at the base suppose to impress me? Its like something you would see on the inside of a mega-mall in the suburbs. It looks so "artificial".

[SoonerAce311]

Who said that UnFrSaKn? Sounds like someone is just jealous because the excellent Devon Tower isn't in their city. Sorry Tulsa folks but i hope they're not from Tulsa, with this one ugly individual stinkin' the joint up with these wrong, trashy, and total ignorant arrogant comments. Wherever they are from, oh yeah, must be a better "city" with an attitude like that.

[dankrutka]

Who said that UnFrSaKn? Sounds like someone is just jealous because the excellent Devon Tower isn't in their city. Sorry Tulsa folks but i hope they're not from Tulsa, with this one ugly individual stinkin' the joint up with these wrong, trashy, and total ignorant arrogant comments. Wherever they are from, oh yeah, must be a better "city" with an attitude like that.

Doesn't the quote say it's from out-of-state? So, isn't Tulsa the only city that we know for sure that person is not from? Am I missing something?

[BG918]

Who said that UnFrSaKn? Sounds like someone is just jealous because the excellent Devon Tower isn't in their city. Sorry Tulsa folks but i hope they're not from Tulsa, with this one ugly individual stinkin' the joint up with these wrong, trashy, and total ignorant arrogant comments. Wherever they are from, oh yeah, must be a better "city" with an attitude like that.

Portland, Oregon

[YO MUDA]

Out of State (Touch) Quote:

Things that make you go, Hmmmmm.

[MDot]

Out of State (Touch) Quote:

I could waste everyone's time to explain why JoePDX knows nothing about Oklahoma City besides that we're building a huge skyscraper, but he would never see the post and everyone here already knows what Oklahoma City has lined up for the next 10 years.

Besides, he has always had negative thoughts about Oklahoma City so I doubt anyone could change his sorry opinions of us, even if we started stating facts.

[Thundercitizen]

I could waste everyone's time to explain why JoePDX knows nothing about Oklahoma City besides that we're building a huge skyscraper, but he would never see the post and everyone here already knows what Oklahoma City has lined up for the next 10 years.
Besides, he has always had negative thoughts about Oklahoma City so I doubt anyone could change his sorry opinions of us, even if we started stating facts.

True. It seemed obvious seeing the first post. That would be a west coast elitist that hates the fact little ol' Oklahoma City "stole" his Sonics (yes, there are/were a number of Sonics fans living in Portland). We'll need to get ready for more as OU and OSU fans experience life in the Pac 16.

[maestro6]

As the tower tops out, I have to say this has been a fascinating journey, watching the webcam as the tower emerged, hearing reports and speculations, etc. I'm excited to see the tower move closer to completion, and eagerly anticipate other projects downtown, but I'll miss visiting these pages for news about the Devon project. I'm one of those mostly silent participants who reads the postings fairly religiously. Thanks to all for your photos, videos, and comments.

[Pete]

Yes, it's been very fun to watch, especially since everything has been so well documented with photos and video.

However, we still have a long way to go in terms of the finishing touches: exterior LED lighting, the auditorium, the park, the rotunda, interior shots, the garden wing (retail and restaurants), and the top-of-the-tower restaurant. Still lots to look forward to and this will all continue to unfold for more than a year. By then, I hope we have multiple other buildings to track.

[SoonerBoy18]

As the tower tops out, I have to say this has been a fascinating journey, watching the webcam as the tower emerged, hearing reports and speculations, etc. I'm excited to see the tower move closer to completion, and eagerly anticipate other projects downtown, but I'll miss visiting these pages for news about the Devon project. I'm one of those mostly silent participants who reads the postings fairly religiously. Thanks to all for your photos, videos, and comments.

Im just like you! I like to just silently read all the postings and reply to them sometimes, they have best photos and videos of downtown Okla.City

[SoonerBoy18]

I heard construction will be going on well into the 1st qtr of 2013, thats just a really long time I am beyond anxtious and ready to visit the top of this tower

[cfeken]

well said

[SoonerAce311]

Oh cool, thank you BG918, i had missed where this debbie downer dude was from on the original quote. My bad guys!

[mrktguy29]

Drove by today just for an up close view. Looks like the crown is framed on all sides now. Shot from I40

[ljbab728]

Actually, as much as we have loved those cranes, I think it will be nice to see them gone soon and see the true finished building outline.

[MDot]

Actually, as much as we have loved those cranes, I think it will be nice to see them gone soon and see the true finished building outline.

It's weird, cause I'm gonna miss the cranes and construction once it's all complete but at the same time I really want to see it complete. Mixed emotions.

[Thundercitizen]

Actually I'd like to see those cranes gone...to another site in downtown OKC.