USA’s new tallest tower clears Oklahoma planning hurdle

You could be forgiven for remaining skeptical about whether it will ever be built, but the audacious bid to build the USA’s new tallest skyscraper in Oklahoma City reached a major milestone this week. Local officials have now finally met and given it their approval.

Legends Tower was originally conceived as a proposal for the USA’s second-tallest skyscraper. Following a positive reception, its designers and developers updated their plans to make it the overall tallest skyscraper in the country.

Assuming all goes to plan, the development will be located on the site of a parking lot near a railroad track and a U-Haul storage facility. It will consist of four towers, the largest of which will reach a height of 1,907 ft (581 m) to honor the year Oklahoma became the USA’s 46th state.

This largest tower will be 130 ft (39 m) taller than the USA’s current tallest skyscraper, NYC’s One World Trade Center, and just behind China’s Ping An Finance Center in the world rankings, making it sixth-tallest worldwide. Between all four buildings, they will host residential units and a luxury hotel.

Constructing a huge skyscraper in a tornado-prone area with a population of only around 700,000 people seems a head-scratcher – as does how it could possibly make financial sense. According to local newspaper the Oklahoman, Councilperson James Cooper also voiced concerns related to plans for the inclusion of low-income housing.

Notwithstanding these concerns, eight out of nine Oklahoman City council members (not including Cooper) ultimately voted for a needed rezoning so that it could go ahead. In a social media announcement, designer AO says that its request for an “unlimited” height has been approved and that construction is expected to begin later this year.

All that’s standing in the way now then is for the US$1.2 billion budget to be raised. On this note, developer Scot Matteson says he has it fully financed. An AO representative told us that the first phase of construction, consisting of the three smaller towers, will begin soon and will be completed in 2026. Construction of the huge tower will then begin and should take around three years.

Source: AO