Here's a radical thought: Tear down 1 Williams Tower

[davideinstein]

Move the other companies to other office spaces in downtown and connect the grid again. If there isn't enough office space, build on the flat surface lots in the IDL. Opening up Boston Avenue would be great for the city.

[TheArtist]

Move the other companies to other office spaces in downtown and connect the grid again. If there isn't enough office space, build on the flat surface lots in the IDL. Opening up Boston Avenue would be great for the city.

There are plenty of great cities and downtowns that don't have "grids". There are plenty of ways to connect different parts of downtown as well.  That building really helps Tulsa and its downtown feel larger than it is, especially when your there on Boston Avenue which inevitably so many people do find themselves.  You actually feel like your in a much bigger city (just without any pedestrians lol).

I would leave if that building left.  That street would feel like you were in just another "slightly bigger" small midwestern town with nobody walking around.  "At least this way its like, wow, feels like NYC here, but without people. But wow I can see potential here."  I think that building has done more good than harm despite what others say.  And I would say I am a much better judge of Art/design/psychology than most everyone else on this board.  Buildings are just objects in a 3-D painting that you can reposition like objects in a regular painting, furniture in a room, etc. to create a different look and feel.  I will brag here and say I am fairly good at that. I will put my "illusions" up against your perceived realities any day.  For in the end many an illusion becomes, reality.

[cannon_fodder]

This thought is ludicrous.

The value of that tower is somewhere around $100,000,000.00. Tearing it down would cost tens of millions of dollars. It would cost tens of millions more to landscape and finish the road.  So lets say we spend $140,000,000, remove an icon from our skyline, remove a huge tax base, and remove grade A office space (perfectly suited for a corporate HQ).  Ignoring the fact that much (most?) of the building is occupied by the Bank of Oklahoma, WPX, and other companies and, as you said, we may need to build a new building to house them...

What we gain is two blocks of Boston Avenue.

Who in their right mind would consider that proposition?

[erfalf]

Two blocks that are then cut off again because there is no bridge over the railroad tracks.

[Ed W]

I'm all for tearing it down, leveling the space, and installing that gigantic The American statue.

[BKDotCom]

I'm all for tearing it down, leveling the space, and installing that gigantic The American statue.

Put the giant indian on top of the tower.

[RecycleMichael]

How about we build a tunnel for cars through the building? I have seen that done with really big trees.

[Conan71]

Gut it and have the world's largest laser tag center.

[erfalf]

How about we build a tunnel for cars through the building? I have seen that done with really big trees.

Not saying it's never been tried.

[heironymouspasparagus]

How about we build a tunnel for cars through the building? I have seen that done with really big trees.

I-95 eastbound over the George Washington bridge in New York does that going over Manhattan on its way to the Bronx.  Drove a big truck through there one time and as you enter the tunnel, you can see the gouges and scrape marks where trucks have bounced and hit the ceiling of the tunnel.  I'm betting overheight illegal drivers....

[Townsend]

Put the giant indian on top of the tower.

It could absolutely work:

[davideinstein]

It disconnects the Brady from downtown. After we do this, we could knock down the east side of the IDL as well. More connectivity. Also, I'm ok with Tulsa being a big Midwestern town. That's what it is.

[davideinstein]

Two blocks that are then cut off again because there is no bridge over the railroad tracks.

Build a bridge, open a train station...simple things, you know.

[cannon_fodder]

Seriously, the cost would certainly be in excess of $140,000,000.00. The ASSESSED value of the BOK tower is $75mil.  It is more than 1.1 million square feet of office space that rents out above $16 a square and is currently 100% occupied. There is a shortage of grade A office space in Tulsa at the moment with only the City unable to rent it out (City Hall). It would be the tallest building every intentionally demolished... with a glass sky scrapper right next door just for fun. It cost $75,000,000 to demolish a 39 floor building in NYC, a 27 story building in Vegas (no asbestos) cost more than $10mil to bring down.  That's bad news... because the BOK Tower is taller than either of them, has a glass neighbor, and was started before the asbestos bans began to take effect.

Lets pretend it would "only" cost $100 million to buy it, tear it down, and build a new road and that are fine with losing the skyline, office space and tax base.  Lets pretend that there isn't a building there are all... that it would simply cost $100,000,000 to extend Boston those two blocks.

Defend how that is worth $100,000,000.  

That's a new baseball field.
The Bob Dylan Archives.
And $40 million more to play with.

[davideinstein]

Connectivity. We are spending more than that on low water dams.