As has been mentioned, I got
really lucky and got taken under Steve Lackmeyer's wing (business writer for the
Oklahoman), got to sit in the front row with my handy camera during the OCURA (Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority which owns the property) meeting which approved the project, and got a press kit. I assure everyone that the mood at that meeting was electric ...
stunned electricity if that makes any sense to say. After the presentation, Larry Nichols (Devon's CEO) asked the OCURA members (to whom the presentation was directed) if they had any questions.
LONG pregnant pause ... eventually the 150 or so in attendance started laughing. No questions, quick vote, slam bam thank you ...!
My own account and photos I took is in my Okc History blog here:
http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2008/08/devon-tower.html
It occurred to me to think the euphoric mood of the city today was not unlike that which probably last occurred in Okc in 1931, when a pair of side-by-side 33 story buildings were built. So, I assembled some vintage newspaper clippings and construction photos and did a study, basing it on data at skyscraperpage.com of buildings which existed in 1931 around the country. The detailed results of that study are here:
http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2008/08...irca-1931.html
In a nutshell, in 1931, measured by # of stories as the criterion, not height, Oklahoma City tied Philadelphia (if you can believe that!) with cities having buildings 33 or more stories. Unless I missed something (and I looked pretty closely), in 1931, showing city, # of buildings 33 or more stories, highest in story-county), it looked like this:
1) NYC (61 buildings at or over 33 stories, 102 story the highest by story-count)
2) Cleveland (1, 52)
3) Cincinnati (1, 49)
4) Chicago (23, 48)
5) Detroit (6, 47)
6) Columbus (1, 47)
7) Pittsburgh (2, 40)
8) Seattle (1, 38)
9) Baltimore (1, 37)
10) Houston (1, 36)
11) Kansas City (2, 35)
12) Oklahoma City (2, 33)
12) Philadelphia (2, 33)
The point is that 1931's OkieCitians likely felt
then much like their 2008's counterparts do today, relatively speaking. Heady, and good times. After the pair of 1931 buildings were built, a heck of a long time went by - 40 years to be exact - before a taller building would be built here (Liberty Tower at 36 stories in 1971). Here's hoping that
that part of Okc history does not repeat itself! But, right now, it's a great time to be alive in Oklahoma City.