New York City will no longer be home to the tallest building in North America if a plan freshly approved by Oklahoma City officials stays on course.
However, some residents near the site of the proposed Legends Tower have expressed concerns over the 1,907-foot structure — a number representing the year Oklahoma officially became a state.
Three months after announcing plans to build the tallest skyscraper in the country, the Oklahoma City Planning Commission approved zoning for a building that will stand 131 feet taller than lower Manhattan’s One World Trade Center. Once completed, Legends Tower will be a football field bigger than 1,550-foot Central Park Tower, North America’s second-tallest building.
According to the AO architecture firm behind the design, Legends Tower will be part of a mixed-use project called The Boardwalk at Bricktown, featuring nearly 2,000 apartment units, a Hyatt hotel, a sports arena, and 110,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment.
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But while the planning commission gave its blessing on the height of the estimated $1.6 billion project, officials held off on approving bright signage that isn’t sitting well will locals, according to The Oklahoman.
“We’re not Las Vegas,” Oklahoma City resident Cynthia Ciancarelli told officials. “We’re not Manhattan.”
Ciancarelli and other Oklahomans worry proposed ad space on the building could cause sensory issues as well as appearing “a bit tacky.”
She also expressed concern that Oklahoma City is already a “one-stop shop for disasters,” including earthquakes, tornadoes and terror attacks.
More than 160 people were killed when a domestic terrorist detonated a truck full of explosives outside a federal building in 1995 — but tornadoes are a far more regular occurrence. The National Weather Service reports the Oklahoma City area has been hit by more than one twister on the same day at least 30 times.
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But a well-designed skyscraper could structurally survive in the area known as “Tornado Alley,” the architecture firm said. At a planning meeting last week, the team offered reassurance that engineers will build a concrete core surrounding the skyscraper’s elevator shaft, and that the windows will be capable of withstanding a tornado without damage.
The proposed Legends Tower in Oklahoma City. (AO Architecture)
Experts told The Oklahoman that once completed, Legends Tower and The Boardwalk at Bricktown could be a boon to continuing growth in Oklahoma City, which the U.S. Census Bureau says is the sixth-fastest growing city in the nation.
Construction is set to begin later this year on parts of the project, with Legends Tower coming later.
If all goes according to the city’s plans, Legends Tower will become the sixth-tallest building in the world, behind China’s Ping An International Finance Centre.
NORMAN — Oklahoma junior quarterback General Booty has entered the transfer portal.
247Sports’ Matt Zenitz first reported Thursday morning that Booty, who spent two seasons as OU’s backup behind Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold, is the second Sooner this week to enter the portal after Gavin Freeman entered Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Allen High School (Texas) alum appeared in one game each of the past two seasons after transferring in from Tyler Junior College. In his freshman season at TJC, Booty led the NJCAA with 3,410 passing yards at a 61% clip for 27 touchdowns, leading Tyler to a 7-5 record and TIPS-CHAMPS Heart of Texas Bowl win.
Booty ran a 32-yard touchdown to help the Sooners offense defeat the defense in the annual Red/White Spring Game in his final appearance in a Sooners jersey on April 20.
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As an unrated prospect at Allen, Booty passed for 2,235 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed for 401 yards and nine scores his senior year. Booty’s uncles, John David Booty and Josh Booty, both were rotational quarterbacks in the NFL in the 2000s.
Feb 28, 2024; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Javon Small (12) drives around UCF Knights forward Omar Payne (5) during the second half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Javon Small (12) (William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Darian DeVries’ initial roster at WVU continues to take shape and it appears that the first-year head coach has landed one of the top point guards in the transfer portal. Jon Rothstein reported Thursday evening that former Oklahoma State guard Javon Small has verbally committed to join the Mountaineers.
Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small tells me that he has committed to West Virginia.
Averaged 15.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG last season.
Small averaged 15.1 points per game last season for the Cowboys. He is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard and a native of South Bend, Indiana. Small played two seasons at East Carolina before making the move to Stillwater. In his junior season at OSU, Small dished out a team-best 127 assists. He also led the Cowboys in minutes per game (33), 3-point field goals (61) and free throw percentage (86.6).
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In his lone matchup against WVU this past season on January 27, Small recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Small joins Drake transfer Tucker DeVries, Illinois transfers Amani Hansberry and Sincere Fields, UIC transfer Toby Okani, incoming freshman KJ Tenner and returning players Ofri Naveh and Aden Tagaloa-Nelson on the 2024-2025 roster.
Small played for new WVU Director of Player Personnel/Recruiting Nelson Hernandez at Oklahoma State.
Wednesday evening, the West Virginia Mountaineers picked up yet another commitment out of the transfer portal landing former Oklahoma State guard Javon Small (6’3″, 195 lbs).
Small appeared in 31 games this past season for the Cowboys, averaging 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 44% from the field and 37% from three-point land. He led the team in scoring and assists while finishing fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (86.6%) and in the top 10 in defensive rebounds (4.3).
Small is a solid two-way player that can score the ball from all three levels of the floor and plays with intensity on the defensive end. He notched double figures in 24 of his 31 games played, including going over 20 points six times. At season’s end, Small was named to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team.
The South Bend, Indiana native began his career at East Carolina, spending two seasons there. He saw limited action as true freshman – just nine minutes per game – but blossomed into a high-caliber player in year two with the Pirates, averaging 15.8 points and 5.6 assists per game.
