Devon Tower in OKC Unveiled

[Oil Capital]

Ooooh if only... sigh.  Was originally 80 stories, ended up being what? 15? Plus one whopper of a basement lol.

Whoah there.  Getting a little carried away...  ;-)   Cities Service was originally planned to be 52 stories, not 80.  Ended up being 17.

[TheArtist]

Actually I think your right. However I remember seeing renderings in the paper where it was taller than the BOK/Williams tower. Then it wasnt long before there was a new rendering where it was smaller bout half the size of the BOK. Then the one we got. Perhaps the floors were higher in the Cities Service building?

However... I also remember a front page article at the height of the building boom in the early 80s, right before the bust really took hold. I even remember the title of the article was something like "Tulsa The Emerald City" (I think I was in high school so it was perhaps 1982 or 83) Showed how the skyline would look with all the proposed buildings in it. The tallest building was spire like and was indeed easily 30 stories taller than the BOK (I remember seeing that it was 80 stories), then the Cities service building was next tallest, then the BOK tower 3rd tallest, and several other chisled glass buildings besides that. There was this fevered pitch of buildings going up and building proposals. Then everything just fell apart. The things that were started, barely got finished (remember the Eastland Mall and how it sat around as an unfinished metal skeleton) and the proposed stuff never made it at all. Including that super tall building.

I wish I could find that article. But it could have been in the Tulsa Tribune.

[swake]

Actually I think your right. However I remember seeing renderings in the paper where it was taller than the BOK/Williams tower. Then it wasnt long before there was a new rendering where it was smaller bout half the size of the BOK. Then the one we got. Perhaps the floors were higher in the Cities Service building?

However... I also remember a front page article at the height of the building boom in the early 80s, right before the bust really took hold. I even remember the title of the article was something like "Tulsa The Emerald City" (I think I was in high school so it was perhaps 1982 or 83) Showed how the skyline would look with all the proposed buildings in it. The tallest building was spire like and was indeed easily 30 stories taller than the BOK (I remember seeing that it was 80 stories), then the Cities service building was next tallest, then the BOK tower 3rd tallest, and several other chisled glass buildings besides that. There was this fevered pitch of buildings going up and building proposals. Then everything just fell apart. The things that were started, barely got finished (remember the Eastland Mall and how it sat around as an unfinished metal skeleton) and the proposed stuff never made it at all. Including that super tall building.

I wish I could find that article. But it could have been in the Tulsa Tribune.

In the early 80s there was a bizarre proposal for a 100+ story building downtown. I want to say it was going to be where city hall is now next to the BOk Tower. The really strange thing was the building was going to be owned by I think the Masons. It was going to be their new headquarters and then they were going to rent out the rest of the building. It was going to be taller than any building outside of New York and Chicago. Needless to say it never went anywhere.

[TheArtist]

In the early 80s there was a bizarre proposal for a 100+ story building downtown. I want to say it was going to be where city hall is now next to the BOk Tower. The really strange thing was the building was going to be owned by I think the Masons. It was going to be their new headquarters and then they were going to rent out the rest of the building. It was going to be taller than any building outside of New York and Chicago. Needless to say it never went anywhere.

THAT! must have been it lol. I was going to say it was the Masons but that just seemed odd so didnt want to say it lol.  It was HUGE compared to the BOK.... So I really do think the Cities Service building must have been proposed as being 80 stories, then officially became 52, then was downsized a couple of times after that.

[Oil Capital]

THAT! must have been it lol. I was going to say it was the Masons but that just seemed odd so didnt want to say it lol.  It was HUGE compared to the BOK.... So I really do think the Cities Service building must have been proposed as being 80 stories, then officially became 52, then was downsized a couple of times after that.

Well, Oneok's website says it was originally planned at 52, then down-sized to 37, then down-sized (and actually built) at 17.

[cannon_fodder]

Devon Tower architect says project on track, going well despite ...
Journal Record (subscription) - ‎Apr 15, 2009‎
by Kelley Chambers Jon Pickard, principal of Pickard Chilton, gives an update on the plans for the Devon Energy world headquarters Wednesday to members of ...
- - -

So apparently it is still a go.

Devon's loss was a non-cash reduction in inventory.  They had to revalue what their holdings were worth - mark to market, if you will.  Thus, their actual financial position wasn't effected that much.  Without the write off they turned a profit.

Though, it should be noted, continued lower prices will likely result in lower profits.

[swake]

Well, Oneok's website says it was originally planned at 52, then down-sized to 37, then down-sized (and actually built) at 17.

It actually started construction to be 52 stories, and I don't know that it was "downsized" to 17 stories so much as it was capped off at 17 when Cities Service was sold to Oxy and Oxy sold Citgo.  The foundation is still there for a 52 story building, and a much taller 52 story building than the 667 ft, 52 story BOk Tower. I want to say it was going to be close to 800 feet, which may be where you are getting 80 stories.

There are probably a lot of non-starter buildings like the Mason's tower that never got built. But I know of at least three more that started some form of construction that were never built.

On the north side of 15th at Peoria land was cleared for a 30-40 story residential building but the Maple Ridge homeowners association fought it and killed in the early 80s. There's a small subdivision there now.

Land was cleared for another tower at 15th and Denver but it died with the economy in the late 80s. Quik Trip is there now.

And then there was Portofino, which was planned at 20 stories at 21st and Boston and was also fought by Maple Ridge and delayed enough that the economic collapse after 9/11 killed it. Paul Coury is still trying to build something there.

[Oil Capital]

It actually started construction to be 52 stories, and I don't know that it was "downsized" to 17 stories so much as it was capped off at 17 when Cities Service was sold to Oxy and Oxy sold Citgo.  The foundation is still there for a 52 story building, and a much taller 52 story building than the 667 ft, 52 story BOk Tower. I want to say it was going to be close to 800 feet, which may be where you are getting 80 stories.

There are probably a lot of non-starter buildings like the Mason's tower that never got built. But I know of at least three more that started some form of construction that were never built.

On the north side of 15th at Peoria land was cleared for a 30-40 story residential building but the Maple Ridge homeowners association fought it and killed in the early 80s. There's a small subdivision there now.

Land was cleared for another tower at 15th and Denver but it died with the economy in the late 80s. Quik Trip is there now.

And then there was Portofino, which was planned at 20 stories at 21st and Boston and was also fought by Maple Ridge and delayed enough that the economic collapse after 9/11 killed it. Paul Coury is still trying to build something there.

My understanding is that it was down-sized to 37 stories before construction started, so not sure there is a foundation for a 52-story building.

[OUGrad05]

Things are still on track for Devon tower, their "loss" in the first quarter was a paper loss due to government regulation that requires assets to be valued at market value today.  Reality is their cashflow and finances are still ok and they desperately need a building to consolidate operations in the OKC metro.

[tulsa1603]

Actually I think your right. However I remember seeing renderings in the paper where it was taller than the BOK/Williams tower. Then it wasnt long before there was a new rendering where it was smaller bout half the size of the BOK. Then the one we got. Perhaps the floors were higher in the Cities Service building?

However... I also remember a front page article at the height of the building boom in the early 80s, right before the bust really took hold. I even remember the title of the article was something like "Tulsa The Emerald City" (I think I was in high school so it was perhaps 1982 or 83) Showed how the skyline would look with all the proposed buildings in it. The tallest building was spire like and was indeed easily 30 stories taller than the BOK (I remember seeing that it was 80 stories), then the Cities service building was next tallest, then the BOK tower 3rd tallest, and several other chisled glass buildings besides that. There was this fevered pitch of buildings going up and building proposals. Then everything just fell apart. The things that were started, barely got finished (remember the Eastland Mall and how it sat around as an unfinished metal skeleton) and the proposed stuff never made it at all. Including that super tall building.

I wish I could find that article. But it could have been in the Tulsa Tribune.

I'd love to see that article/rendering.  Next time I'm at the library maybe I'll brave the microfiche.

[Townsend]

Tulsa-based Flintco chosen by Oklahoma City-based Devon

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=32&articleid=20090527_298_0_OKLAHO727804

Edited to add that they plan on extending the canal from bricktown around the building.

[sgrizzle]

Edited to add that they plan on extending the canal from bricktown around the building.

They want a lime green moat that bad?

[Townsend]

They want a lime green moat that bad?

They needed to save money on sewage.

[Requiemokc]

They needed to save money on sewage.

There is no plan to build the canal to the tower. Besides, the water is dyed green anyway.

[swake]

There is no plan to build the canal to the tower. Besides, the water is dyed green anyway.

So that color green is an improvement over it's natural hue?

Really?