BOK Tower

BOK Tower (named for the Bank of Oklahoma; formerly known as One Williams Center) is a skyscraper in Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. At 203 m (667 ft)[2] in height, the 52-story tower was the tallest building in Oklahoma until surpassed by Devon Tower in 2011.[3] It was built in 1976 and designed by Minoru Yamasaki & Associates, the same architect who designed the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City. This structure is a replica of Tower 1; former CEO John Williams liked the design of the WTC so much he hired the same architect to build him a 1/2 scale model of Tower 1.[4]

This article is about the Tulsa skyscraper. For the famous "Singing Tower" in Florida, see Bok Tower Gardens.
BOK Tower
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeOffice
LocationTulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Coordinates36.1550°N 95.9903°W / 36.1550; -95.9903
Completed1976
Height
Roof667 ft (203 m)
Technical details
Floor count52
Floor area1,140,673 sq ft (105,972.0 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Minoru Yamasaki & Associates
References
[1]

Design and history

BOK Tower's lobby has marble walls and wall hangings similar to those in the former World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York. BOK Tower was built for the Williams Companies, whose CEO at the time, John Williams, was impressed by the Twin Towers and originally wanted to build two 25-story replicas in Tulsa. However, prior to construction, Williams was informed that having two separate towers would require more elevators than a single, larger tower. The plan for a quarter scale replica was then changed to a single 52-story tower, double the height of the two planned towers. The similarities to the World Trade Center led executives to joke that the architects just halved the plans for a World Trade Center tower.[5]

BOK Tower, as completed, was the tallest building in Oklahoma and contained 1,100,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of office space.[6] Within four months of its completion, BOK Tower was 80 percent occupied.[7]

In December 2005, a water main broke and flooded electrical equipment in the basement.[8] In 2006, BOK Tower underwent $16 million in repairs and renovations. $6 million was spent on renovated pedestrian bridges, granite coating for the base, new fitness centers, and windows. The remaining $10 million was used to fix damage from the 2005 flood.[9]

See also

References
  1. "BOK Tower". SkyscraperPage.
  2. GmbH, Emporis. "BOK Tower, Tulsa | 122939 | EMPORIS". www.emporis.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  3. Cameron, Alex (February 11, 2012). "Touring Devon Tower: Oklahoma's Tallest Building". News9.com. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  4. "1/4 World Trade Center: Tulsa's Half-Sized, Untwinned Tower - WebUrbanist". 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  5. Sulzberger, A. G. (August 27, 2011). "An Oklahoma Office Tower's Unbreakable Link to 9/11". The New York Times.
  6. "Williams Center 'The Talk of Tulsa'". The Daily Oklahoman. March 28, 1976. pp. 31, 32. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  7. Morgan, Neil (October 28, 1977). "Tulsa: A City That Met The Challenge". The Lawton Constitution. p. 31. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  8. "Workers expected back today". The Daily Oklahoman. December 8, 2005. p. 24. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  9. Evatt, Robert (August 19, 2006). "Signature Skyline". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
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