OKLAHOMA CITY | Legends Tower | 1,907 FT | 134 FLOORS | VISION

[Dale]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

To add to why others find this 'proposal' silly, Scot Matteson has no reputable background to pull this off. He claims to be a partner in Miami WorldCenter, but nothing out there proves so.



https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/...per-coming-for-tornado-country-gg6zcpwps

This guy is just serving up a load of bologna.

Is the city this dumb to be strung along like this ?

[Altoic]

Just saying, as someone who knows a bit on Miami development, I've never heard of him working for Miami Worldcenter-like ever.

[BnaBreaker]

Originally Posted by Dale

Is the city this dumb to be strung along like this ?

My personal theory is that this was a coordinated effort by all parties involved, Oklahoma City included, to get some positive media coverage circulating. And it must be said that if that was the goal then it was a resounding success, and quite creative.

[Omaha12ne]

Ten months of posting, asking questions like; why would anyone invest billions and build this monstrosity in the middle of the Great Plains? Contemplating, researching. Ten months of your time you can ever get back. It appears many of you were correct in that this was some sort of weird joke.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by Omaha12ne

It appears many of you were correct in that this was some sort of weird joke.

Probably just a headstrong developer, nothing new.

Projects like this can help put a city on the map, like Dubai for example.

Just saying, as someone who knows a bit on Miami development, I've never heard of him working for Miami Worldcenter-like ever.

Where would you find official information like this? I didn't see him on their website under the team part but maybe he was involved in another way?

[ILUVSAT]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Projects like this can help put a city on the map, like Dubai for example.

One tower did not make Dubai. Nor is OKC anything close to ever being a Dubai.

Parts of this project will happen. However, a 1900' tower will not. Even if they really, really wanted to - the economics will never work for a project of this scale in this location.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

One tower did not make Dubai. Nor is OKC anything close to ever being a Dubai.

I never claimed it did or that it was, just an example that projects like this put cities on the map.

Parts of this project will happen. However, a 1900' tower will not. Even if they really, really wanted to - the economics will never work for a project of this scale in this location.

It's obviously a vanity project, of course the economics don't work.

If parts of the project do happen it disproves the theory that the developer isn't legitimate though.

[MAC123]

Originally Posted by ILUVSAT

One tower did not make Dubai. Nor is OKC anything close to ever being a Dubai.

Parts of this project will happen. However, a 1900' tower will not. Even if they really, really wanted to - the economics will never work for a project of this scale in this location.

That doesn't matter. It's really simple to understand.

[NewYorkCity76]

https://finance-commerce.com/2024/11/okl...t-with-1907-foot-tower-to-begin-in-2025/

OKLAHOMA CITY — Progress on the Bricktown development that includes plans for the tallest building in the U.S. has been slow since the City Council lifted a height restriction in June allowing the proposed 1,907-foot Legends Tower.

“We are planning on starting construction first quarter 2025,” developer Scot Matteson said in a text Thursday. He did not say what steps needed to be completed before construction can begin.

Previously, Matteson said that grading and infrastructure work would begin by late summer 2024 on the $1.6 billion Boardwalk at Bricktown project.

[Dylan Dude]

Wow looks like it's happening!

[C.]

Originally Posted by Dylan Dude

Wow looks like it's happening!

It's just for the smaller towers.

I'm rooting for the 1,900ft tower to be built, but honestly I don't see how they finance it. The building will consist of the following:

350-key Hyatt hotel
1,776 apartments
110,000+ square feet of retail stores and restaurants.
observation deck

Demand is there for the hotel, would would also induce demand for the retail, restaurants. Observation deck (with bar) will also do well. However, there is no way the financing is going to work out for the 1,776 apartments. I saw an estimate online that the tower will cost $770 million, with the entire complex costing $1.6 billion. There is no way there is that much demand and the rents would need to be higher than anything in OKC to justify the cost. If they go the condo route, are they really that much demand?

[NYguy]

Not that I think this will matter in the end, but...


https://www.dezeen.com/2024/12/09/aviation-authority-concerns-legends-tower-oklahoma-city/

Aviation authority concerns delay US tallest skyscraper plans

Ellen Eberhardt

In a letter addressed to the FAA, local airport director Jeff Mulder has expressed concern about the height and safety of the proposed Legends Tower supertall skyscraper in Oklahoma City.

Designed by architecture studio AO and developed by Matteson Capital, Legends Tower would be the tallest building in the United States at 581 metres (1,907 feet) high if completed, and is part of a mixed-use development set to be built in downtown Oklahoma City.

Mulder wrote in the letter that the height of the tower would "increase travel time" for passengers, cause "adverse changes" to departure schedules and "create the safety of flight issues" in the greater metropolitan area.

.....Developer and Matteson Capital founder Scot Matteson also told the outlet that he "expected some pushback".

"We expected some pushback from them," Matteson said. "We're waiting for the full report from the FAA, which we are supposed to get by the end of this month,".

It may be "a little shorter"

He also told News on 6 that the tower will be a "little shorter" if needed, though the skyscraper currently has "unlimited" height approval from local government, approved earlier this year.

[Zapatan]

Hopefully it's still the tallest in nation and has a roof north of 500 meters.

Cool they're serious about this though.

[Lincolnlover2005]

Originally Posted by NYguy

Not that I think this will matter in the end, but...


https://www.dezeen.com/2024/12/09/aviation-authority-concerns-legends-tower-oklahoma-city/

Aviation authority concerns delay US tallest skyscraper plans

Ellen Eberhardt

Ugh, the FAA always has to ruin our fun

[Zapatan]

In the news again

Everything you need to know about America's next tallest building

https://www.dezeen.com/2025/01/30/legends-tower-proposed-us-tallest-skyscraper-oklahoma-facts/

Legends Tower is slated for a later stage in the wider Boardwalk at Bricktown redevelopment. Construction for the development was slated to start in fall 2024, but ground has not been broken on the project as of January 2025, according to its architect.

In December, local aviation authorities expressed concern over the height of the skyscraper in relation to local flight patterns, which led its developer to state it may be "little shorter" if needed.

[wpolom]

Pie in the sky!

[Randomguy34]

If the Chicago Spire taught me anything, I'm considering this a fantasy project even if they break ground and have cranes going. Now if construction starts reaching past 1,000 ft you'll see me begging for forgiveness.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

If the Chicago Spire taught me anything, I'm considering this a fantasy project even if they break ground and have cranes going. Now if construction starts reaching past 1,000 ft you'll see me begging for forgiveness.

This isn't quite as ambitious as the spire (although I guess being in OKC and not Chicago maybe it is proportionally). The roof of this one is ~1,650, considerably less in engineering costs than 2K.

I hope they can negotiate with the FAA.

[pianowizard]

I was curious how this near-megatall would look next to the world's tallest skyscrapers, so I generated this comparison on the Diagrams page:

[Zapatan]

She's a beast for sure.

I hate how pinnacles are counted. 1WTC roof falls a bit short but Central Park Tower and maybe Sears could still hold their own against most buildings on the planet.

They represent mighty America better.