America’s soon-to-be tallest skyscraper just approved in unexpected city. Take a look
To see America’s tallest buildings, you’ll need to look to New York City and Chicago.
Within the next few years, however, the 20th largest U.S. city is expected to be home to the tallest skyscraper in the country.
Oklahoma City council members approved an emergency zoning proposal that would remove the height restriction on a new mixed-use development in downtown Oklahoma City, meaning developers can make their plans to build a 1,907-foot tower a reality.
“This is the moment we have all been waiting for… to see how tall we can get,” councilperson Nikki Nice said ahead of the city council’s vote to approve the proposal on June 4. The meeting was streamed live on YouTube.
The skyscraper will be part of a four-tower structure known as The Boardwalk at Bricktown, a 5-million-square-foot development, architecture firm AO said in a January news release. The towering skyscraper will be known as Legends Tower.
The remaining three towers will rise 345 feet, AO said in January.
Equipped with housing, hotels, restaurants, bars and entertainment, Matteson Capital said the development would cost $577 million, according to a June 2023 presentation to Oklahoma City officials.
“Once completed, the impact of the Boardwalk at Bricktown will be significant, felt locally in Oklahoma City and resonating across the globe. It will set a new standard for urban innovation and architectural excellence,” AO said in a statement provided to McClatchy News.
Eight city council members voted in favor of the height increase, while one member said no.
Councilperson James Cooper said during the June 4 meeting that he has voted against the proposal since the start due to his concerns with the nonprofit organization, Aspiring Anew Generation, that developers plan to partner with to address homelessness and affordable housing in the area.
Cooper went to its website as he spoke and noted that links were not “clickable,” which made him suspicious. Different pages of the website are accessible, but donation links on the home page do not lead to another page.
“I just worry that the commitment that you all have made is not going to find itself fulfilled,” he said at the meeting.
Representatives of the project did not respond to Cooper’s concerns brought up during the meeting.
Construction on the first of the four buildings will begin in the fall, AO said, and the three smaller towers will be completed in 2026. After that, construction for the record-breaking skyscraper will begin and take approximately three years, the firm told McClatchy News.
The skyscraper is expected to be over double the height of the city’s tallest building, Devon Energy Center.
The tallest building in the U.S. reaches 1,776 feet at One World Trade Center in New York City. The 10 tallest buildings in the country are in New York City and Chicago, according to WorldAtlas. Eight of the 10 are in New York.
Tallest buildings in the U.S.
One World Trade Center, New York City (1,776 feet)
Central Park Tower, New York City (1,550 feet)
Willis Tower, Chicago (1,451 feet)
111 West 57th St., , New York City (1,428 feet)
One Vanderbilt, New York City (1,401 feet)
432 Park Ave., New York City (1,396 feet)
Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago (1,389 feet)
30 Hudson Yards, New York City (1,268 feet)
Empire State Building, New York City (1,250 feet)
Bank of America Tower, New York City (1,200 feet)
Source: World Atlas
This story was originally published June 5, 2024 at 11:40 AM.
