America’s tallest skyscraper, set to reach a height of 1,907 feet, is about to break ground in June in an unlikely place: Oklahoma City.
Proposed by developer Scot Matteson, The Legends Tower is expected to surpass the heights of New York City’s One World Trade Center and Chicago’s Willis Tower.
The Oklahoma City Planning Commission has granted approval for the project, in which the stunning tower will rise next to a railroad track, next to a U-Haul storage facility in Bricktown.
“We thought it would be iconic,” Matteson, a California-based developer, said in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Matteson’s team made a last-minute change, opting to raise the tower to a height of 1,907 feet instead of the originally planned 1,750 feet.
Rising to a height of 1,907 feet, America’s tallest skyscraper is set to break ground in June in an unlikely location: Oklahoma City.
The sprawling tower will be part of a four-building project called ‘Boardwalk at Bricktown,’ which is expected to cost $1.6 billion.
Proposed by developer Scot Matteson, Legends Tower is expected to surpass the heights of New York City’s One World Trade Center (left) and Chicago’s Willis Tower (right).
“We think it would be iconic,” Matteson, a California-based developer, said in a recent interview.
Last week, the developers found themselves under scrutiny from the Planning Commission, which questioned the construction’s ability to withstand Oklahoma’s notorious storms and tornadoes.
‘I’ll ask you the question that many people ask me every time this project comes up: said Planning Commission Chairman Camal Pennington.
‘How do you plan to build a tower this tall with the wind, storms and tornadoes we have in Oklahoma City?’ -Pennington asked.
Rob Budetti, managing partner of AO Architects, the project’s architect, said, “It’s probably one of the safest places to be,” assuring the commission that the concrete walls and windows will withstand the force of a natural disaster.
After an hour-long deliberation, commissioners recommended the city council greenlight the removal of height restrictions for Legends Tower.
The sprawling tower will be part of a four-building project called ‘Boardwalk at Bricktown,’ which is expected to cost $1.6 billion.
The complex will feature two Hyatt hotels, condominiums, apartments, entertainment venues, shops and restaurants, according to the developer.
“On behalf of AO, we are very pleased that the Oklahoma City Planning Commission unanimously approved the requested unlimited height limit and granted the development team the ability to negotiate a comprehensive signage program for the boardwalk of Bricktown,” Budetti said in a statement.
“This endorsement underscores our confidence in the vision and design of this historic development, which represents Oklahoma City’s imminent transformation into a global destination and its bold step into the future.”
After an hour-long deliberation, commissioners recommended the city council greenlight the removal of height restrictions for Legends Tower.
The Oklahoma City Planning Commission has granted approval for the project, in which the stunning tower will rise next to a railroad track, next to a U-Haul storage facility in Bricktown.
Not all city residents are fans of the ambitious project, including Aubrey Wilkinson, manager of U-Haul Moving and Storage of Bricktown.
The complex will feature two Hyatt hotels, condominiums, apartments, entertainment venues, shops and restaurants, according to the developer.
Not all city residents are fans of the ambitious project, including Aubrey Wilkinson, manager of U-Haul Moving and Storage of Bricktown.
“No one knows if it will survive Oklahoma’s climate, and if that’s the case, I’m probably the first one to go,” she said.
Other social media users expressed their criticism of X and posted ‘LMAOOOOO’ after taking a look at the depiction.
‘If you talk to 1,000 Americans and say, “Where do you think the tallest building in the United States should be?” I don’t think anyone would choose Oklahoma City,’ wrote Hayden Clarkin, a New York-based transportation consultant.
Jason Barr, an economist at Rutgers University-Newark, said: “It would be designed in New York and Chicago.” But statistically I don’t see it that way in Oklahoma City.
‘I’ve never been to Oklahoma City, but what do you see when you go to the observatory? Prairie or whatever? “I can’t imagine this is something that will attract many people,” he added.