BancFirst Tower Renovation to Include New Exterior on All 36 Floors
Excerpt from the The Oklahoman — May 29, 2019
“Redevelopment of the rechristened BancFirst Tower is going to include a new façade as renovations continue on the future bank headquarters.
Amended plans being submitted for approval by the Downtown Design Review Committee show the 36-story tower will appear as if it is a new addition to the skyline when the makeover is completed as it marks its 50th anniversary in two years.
BancFirst CEO David Harlow said work is well underway inside the tower, which had fallen into disrepair under the previous owner, the late James Cotter. The property at 100 N Broadway was in bankruptcy receivership when BancFirst bought it for $21 million last summer.
“We’ve been working on the guts of the building — the HVAC and plumbing — since we bought it,” Harlow said. “It’s just not visible.”
BancFirst was already set to reconstruct the crumbling plaza surrounding the tower with pavers, new skylights, new site lighting, landscaping, irrigation and new planters. Nonstructural columns on the exterior, once part of the brand of the building’s original owner, Liberty Bank, will be removed, and new granite covers will be added. Entrance canopies will be added at the entrances.
“We are going to redo the skin,” Harlow said. “We weren’t certain we were going to do it. It is 50-year-old single pane glass, and you can do all the work you can on the HVAC, but it’s still 50-year-old single pane glass. We’ll basically have a brand-new building when we are done.”
Harlow said Lingo Construction along with architects at Bockus Payne are working on plans on how to best replace the exterior while minimizing disruption to tenants. Options might include working one side at a time, or one floor at a time. The timing of the work and weather also will be considerations.
Once complete, the tower will take on more of blue tint reflecting the bank’s brand.”