OKLAHOMA CITY | Legends Tower | 1,907 FT | 134 FLOORS | VISION

[The ATX]

I like this subtle dig masquerading as a caption to a rendering:

The Oklahoma City Planning Commission has granted approval for the project, which will see the dazzling tower rise adjacent to a railroad track, neighboring a U-Haul storage facility in Bricktown

[Zapatan]

Why is this in Vision if it's been approved and supposedly financed?

Obviously I'm not holding my breath and don't know how accurate these sources are but it seems like this should be in proposals.

[ArchGuy1]

Originally Posted by Hot Rod

^ the main observation deck will be located on top of the Legends tower supertall tower. You can see the location of the supertall in the dotted line in the SW (lower left) portion of the rendering. The observation will be at floor 134 along with a restaurant spanning 133-134 at the very top.

I 'think' there may be additional observation/rooftop decks as well in the other buildings and on top of the podium (which is 9 storeys, wow).

Where will the entrance for the observation deck be located.

[plinko]

Originally Posted by ArchGuy1

Where will the entrance for the observation deck be located.

Look at the plan. It’s in pink and labeled ‘Sky Amenity Lobby/Lounge’

[ArchGuy1]

Originally Posted by Hot Rod

^ the main observation deck will be located on top of the Legends tower supertall tower. You can see the location of the supertall in the dotted line in the SW (lower left) portion of the rendering. The observation will be at floor 134 along with a restaurant spanning 133-134 at the very top.

I 'think' there may be additional observation/rooftop decks as well in the other buildings and on top of the podium (which is 9 storeys, wow).

The observation deck open to the public will be on the 134th floor of the Legends Tower.

[HFAA Alum]

Well... here we go. City council has officially approved the rezoning measure.
https://journalrecord.com/2024/06/ok...legends-tower/

With the funding secured, looks like all we'll have to do is wait and see how it churns up.

[Hot Rod]

article states they hope to break ground immediately on the sub structure and parking, with Legends to build as phase 2 about 2 years from now, with its construction taking about 3 years - so 5 years total to build Legends Tower.

3 'smaller' 345 foot towers will be built as phase 1 once the sub structure is complete.

[NYguy]

This isn't going anywhere, but they do have approvals. It's approved for a gazillion stories.


https://www.dezeen.com/2024/06/05/he...aper-oklahoma/

"Unlimited height" approved for proposed tallest skyscraper in the US

Oklahoma City Council has approved a rezoning application for Legends Tower, a supertall skyscraper designed by California architecture studio AO that, if completed, will be the tallest in the United States.

Yesterday, the Oklahoma City Council approved an "unlimited" height for the skyscraper, part of the Boardwalk at Bricktown development, which includes three smaller structures.

The decision comes after the initial approval for the height came in April from the city's planning commission. Yesterday's decision was the final approval hurdle for the tower.

The proposed plans for the skyscraper put forth by AO and developer Matteson Capital put the skyscraper as 1,907 feet tall (581 metres), significantly taller than the current tallest structure – the Freedom Tower in New York, which stands at 1776 feet tall (541 metres).

If built, the tower will be the tallest in the US and the fifth tallest in the world.

"AO is delighted that the Oklahoma City Council has approved the development team's request for unlimited height for the Boardwalk at Bricktown," said AO.

"We are grateful that the City Council has embraced the vision of Matteson Capital and the entire design team to transform the city into a global destination."

In the recent approval announcement, AO stated that construction is planned for fall 2024.

"AO and Matteson Capital eagerly anticipate the commencement of construction on the first buildings this Fall, and subsequent groundbreaking on the Legends Tower, poised to be the tallest building in the U.S. Once completed, the impact of the Boardwalk at Bricktown will be significant, felt locally in Oklahoma City and resonating across the globe," said the studio.

The skyscraper will dwarf all others in the area and has raised questions about the reasons for such a large structure in a city with a population less than one million.

"Mid-size cities like OKC are in a better position than ever before to create an attractive environment for those who are either priced out or burned out of life in yesterday's metropolis," wrote Ryan Scavnicky for Dezeen, who questioned the implementation of the tower to address this trend away from the country's traditional urban cores.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by NYguy

This isn't going anywhere, but they do have approvals. It's approved for a gazillion stories.

You're probably right but remember that pretty much every extremely tall project globally had a lot of naysayers pre construction.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

You're probably right but remember that pretty much every extremely tall project globally had a lot of naysayers pre construction.

Except there isn't a Sears Roebuck or Saudi Prince backing this....... so...... We have our reservations.

Also, these headlines about OKC green-lighting unlimited height seems like splash headlines you would see for an intro to a reboot of SimTower.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by twister244

Except there isn't a Sears Roebuck or Saudi Prince backing this....... so...... We have our reservations.

Also, these headlines about OKC green-lighting unlimited height seems like splash headlines you would see for an intro to a reboot of SimTower.

Apparently the developer made a bunch of money in some major Miami project but who knows if that's true either.

The giant tower aside, it seems like they still might build the smaller 300+ footers.

[JDRCRASH]

“Unlimited” being 2,000 ft I assume? Isn’t that the FAA cap?

[BnaBreaker]

Are we still lacking details on where the supposed funding is supposedly coming from? I mean if funding is indeed "fully secured" then those details should be available by now presumably, right? I just worry that amidst all the excitement OKC is allowing itself to be taken for a ride by a down and out developer looking to get himself back in the game by getting some attention in the form of some splashy headlines.

[NYguy]

Approval is one thing. Funding and ability another. I get that most of the public don’t get that distinction. But those of you who have been watching skyscraper developments, and how that all works should have a high degree of skepticism this will ever be built. Intentions never builds anything. There’s a whole list of developments, both in the US and around the world, with more capable developers, that have been scrapped.



https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/06/r...-building.html

Oklahoma Stakes Its Claim to the Tallest Building in the U.S.
The Oklahoma City Council voted this week to clear the way for a 1,907-foot tower, surpassing One World Trade Center in New York.

By Debra Kamin
June 6, 2024

”This is the moment we have all been waiting for — to see how tall we can get,” Councilwoman Nikki Nice said at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, just before the rezoning request came up for a vote. “People have asked me, ‘What do you think about this development?’ I mean, the sky’s the limit.”

The vote to remove all height restrictions on the site was not without its detractors. Councilman James Cooper raised concerns about the developer’s plans to include about 200 affordable housing units within Legends Tower and two other buildings in the same complex. Matteson Capital has pledged to set those units aside for low-income Oklahomans, and early reports said it would partner on that initiative with an organization called Aspiring Anew Generation.

But many links on the group’s website were not clickable, Mr. Cooper said in the meeting, and he had questions that remained unanswered.

“You’re going up, but we’re trying to take care of folks on the ground,” Mr. Cooper said. “I don’t have the confidence.”

The final vote for the removal of all height restrictions on the site passed 8 to 1, with Mr. Cooper as the sole dissenter. Scot Matteson, the project’s developer, said there was no firm partnership with the nonprofit in place.
“We do not have a contractual relationship with them,” he said, adding that options remained open to work with other groups or even create a new dedicated nonprofit to oversee the site’s affordable housing.

On Thursday, the Aspiring Anew Generation website generated a 404 error. Jessica Stanford, founder of Aspiring Anew Generation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Legends Tower will be part of Boardwalk at Bricktown, a mixed-use development comprising four new buildings. The first phase of its construction will include a hotel and two smaller residential towers; the second phase, which will include the supertall building, is estimated to begin in two or three years. Rob Budetti, a managing partner of AO, told City Council members on Tuesday that he expected the entire complex to be completed in about five years.

So, we’re supposed to believe this tower will begin in 2 or 3 years, and be complete 5 years from now.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker

Are we still lacking details on where the supposed funding is supposedly coming from? I mean if funding is indeed "fully secured" then those details should be available by now presumably, right? I just worry that amidst all the excitement OKC is allowing itself to be taken for a ride by a down and out developer looking to get himself back in the game by getting some attention in the form of some splashy headlines.

I assumed it was coming from him, who is supposedly independently wealthy.

There’s a whole list of developments, both in the US and around the world, with more capable developers, that have been scrapped.

Sure, but there are so many factors at play. Let's give him a chance to see how capable he is.

I'm agreeing he's probably not. Best case scenario if this doesn't get built they still build a decently tall and cool looking complex.

So, we’re supposed to believe this tower will begin in 2 or 3 years, and be complete 5 years from now.

~3 years of construction sounds typical for a building like this, maybe it's undershot a little.

[Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by twister244

Except there isn't a Sears Roebuck or Saudi Prince backing this....... so...... We have our reservations.

Also, these headlines about OKC green-lighting unlimited height seems like splash headlines you would see for an intro to a reboot of SimTower.

No, OKC had height restrictions on the site of 300 feet. On the other side of the rr tracks in the core CBD there are no height restrictions. This approval incorporates this site into the core CBD unlimited height.

It isnt OKC trying to trump or whatever, they're just extending the restrictionless area to this site.

[C.]

Rumor has it the first two phases are the short, reasonable towers to be constructed first.

[sopas ej]

Wouldn't tornados be an issue?

From NPR:

In a few years, the nation's tallest building may not be in New York or Chicago

JUNE 8, 2024 - 7:02 AM ET

By Bill Chappell


The Legends Tower would rise 1,907 feet above Oklahoma City, putting an exclamation mark on the city's skyline. AO

Plans are moving forward in Oklahoma City to construct a skyscraper that would dominate the city's skyline, rising to twice the height of what is currently the tallest building in the state. But the developers are aiming at an even greater superlative: tallest building in the United States.

Groundbreaking on the overall mixed-use project is expected to begin this fall. It would eventually include the Legends Tower, soaring to 1,907 feet — a number chosen to commemorate the year Oklahoma became a state. And with a long spire atop its roof, it stands to lift the crown of the nation's tallest building from One World Trade Center in New York City, which stands at 1,776 feet.

[...]

[C.]

In b4 the lock!



Go Oklahoma City!!! Prove the naysayers about building this highly illogical tower wrong!

[chris08876]

I hope it happens. Apparently it was approved by the city council. Maybe it'll motivate the East Coast cities to think big. Ego wars are always welcomed when it comes to skyscrapers IMO!

America's Kingdom Tower moment!