Oklahoma City is set to receive a new skyscraper, Legends Tower, that will stand at 581 meters tall. This will make it the tallest building in the US and surpass the One World Trade Center by about 40 meters. Although not as common in cities like New York or Chicago, Oklahoma City’s smaller population of around 700,000 people will still see this monumental structure rise on a parking lot near train and warehouse tracks.
Initially planned to be the second tallest building in the US, Legends Tower’s design was revised to reach a height of 1,907 feet (581 meters) to commemorate Oklahoma’s admission as the 46th US state. This makes it taller than current tallest skyscraper in the US and sixth tallest building globally after China’s Ping An International Financial Center. Surrounding the main tower are three smaller buildings each standing at 105 meters high.
Legends Tower promises around 1,750 residential apartments and a luxury hotel with an estimated project cost of $1.6 billion including additional structures like water tanks and boardwalks. Despite financial feasibility concerns and weather risks such as tornadoes in Oklahoma City, the project received approval from the Oklahoma City Planning Commission. Engineers are implementing safety measures like thick concrete cores and tornado-resistant windows to ensure stability and safety. Construction is set to commence in July pending successful city meeting on June 4th.