Soon, the tallest skyscraper in America might not be in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles. Instead, it could rise in Oklahoma City. If the plan becomes a reality, the proposed building, called the “Legends Tower,” would be more than twice as tall as the city’s current tallest building.
[ Related: The tallest building in the world remains unchallenged at the moment. ]
The planning commission of Oklahoma City has given approval for a request to increase the height. The developer of the tower submitted the request last week, bringing the once seemingly unlikely idea closer to becoming a reality. The designers aim for the building to reach a height of 1,907 feet, a number that symbolizes the date Oklahoma became a US state. This ambitious height would make the Legends Tower more than 200 feet taller than New York’s 1,776-foot One World Trade Center. Globally, only five other buildings exceed this height. Previously, developers suggested a 1750-foot tower before the height increase. Obviously, that was not tall enough.
The current proposed mixed-use tower would predominantly be residential, with 1,750 apartments and a Hyatt hotel having hundreds of rooms. Overall, the project, including a lagoon and nearby boardwalk, is expected to cost $1.6 billion. Developers are reportedly planning to start construction on two of the building’s towers this summer and anticipate the entire project to take 24-30 months to finish.
[ Related: 6 architectural details about history’s tallest buildings ]
Why Oklahoma?
To say Oklahoma City is an unusual choice for what would be the world’s fifth largest building is an understatement. New York and Chicago are currently home to all 10 of the US’ tallest buildings. New York and Chicago have approximately 8 million and 3 million people respectively. In contrast, Oklahoma City has a population of about 700,000 people. Nevertheless, it is increasing. Oklahoma City reportedly grew its population by about 2% between 2020 and 2020, partly due to a larger population reorganization during the Covid-19 pandemic. The developers of the building are reportedly optimistic that these new arrivals could help populate the mainly residential building.
The Legends Tower has its critics. Members of the city’s planning commission and local residents have reportedly raised concerns about the practicality of constructing such a large building in a city not known for numerous tall towers. Others are worried about how the building would withstand the region’s severe storms and somewhat common tornadoes. AO, the California architecture firm behind the tower, reportedly informed the city’s planning commission that the building would have concrete walls between 5 and 6 feet thick around the elevator shafts, as well as windows that can endure tornado winds without breaking, as stated by the the Wall Street Journal. Others, including Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, still appear uncertain whether the ambitious tower will actually ever be built.
“In my experience, private developers often announce plans and some of those plans come to fruition, and some do not,” Holt told CNN earlier this year. “I have no strong opinion and am excited to see what they do.”
US still lags behind other countries for tallest building
The era of US cities being at the top of the charts and articles about “biggest skyscrapers” has long ended. This was confirmed in 1998 when the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia surpassed Chicago’s Sears Tower. Since then, buildings have continued to grow larger. According to a 2021 report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a remarkable 84% of all buildings on Earth over 650 feet have been constructed since 2001. Presently, the report top five tallest buildings in the world are in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Mecca, and Shenzhen. If the Legends developers carry out their plans, “Oklahoma City” may be the next addition to that list. The 1,907-foot, primarily residential ‘Legends Tower’ would be the sixth tallest globally.
