From neglect to renewal: BancFirst's bold revamp of a landmark tower

More than five years after closing on the sale of an iconic but dilapidated skyscraper in downtown Oklahoma City, BancFirst’s $70 million renovation is complete. The decision to undertake the massive project wasn't just a strategic move for BancFirst but a commitment to the city's revitalization.  

The transformation earned BancFirst a Distinguished Merit Award from Urban Land Institute (ULI) Oklahoma at the 10th Annual Impact Awards, held earlier this month. The event recognizes projects that exemplify best practices in responsible land use and community development. 

Led by CEO David Harlow and Oklahoma City architecture firms Bockus Payne and ADG Blatt, this monumental endeavor not only revitalized the tower but reshaped the downtown skyline, infusing it with modernity while honoring its storied past.  

From revamping the façade to illuminating the Underground, every facet of the renovation reflects a dedication to Oklahoma City's renaissance, heralding a new era for both the tower and the community it serves. 

The history of an iconic tower 

The tower opened in 1972 as the home of Liberty Bank. It changed hands two more times before James Cotter purchased it in 2004 and renamed it Cotter Ranch Tower. The skyscraper fell into disrepair under Cotter. When he died in 2017 the property ended up in bankruptcy court. BancFirst purchased it in August 2018 for $21 million.  

“We wanted to stay downtown, and there's only four Main and Broadways, right? We were at one of them. I think this was a long-term solution for us, but also, there was a civic component of the building itself,” said Harlow.  

BancFirst was looking to consolidate three operations into one location – their building across the street, the floor they were already leasing in the tower and an operations center near the airport. The location was perfect, but the building itself was far from it. Even though the renovation would be significant, Harlow knew it was the right move.  

“The tower was in bankruptcy, only 50% leased when we bought it, and tenants were continuing to exit. If we did not purchase the building, it was likely to end up being the next big project that the city would have to figure out how to deal with, but at the same time it had to work for us,” said Harlow.  

The move allowed BancFirst to retain its existing downtown employees, move approximately 150 from other locations, and hire an additional 100 workers. All told, the company’s 535 employees occupy the first 15 floors of the Tower in addition to The Underground. 

The decision wasn’t just the best one for the company, but also the best one for the city.  

 “We want to be part of the ongoing renaissance of downtown and the renaissance of Oklahoma City. There's tremendous momentum downtown and we wanted to be a continuing part of that,” said Harlow. 

The entire renovation was financed with private funds. BancFirst did not apply for or receive any public funding. Harlow said they considered applying for historic tax credits but realized that would significantly limit their renovation capabilities, so that was off the table quickly.  

The purchase and renovation are testaments to BancFirst’s commitment to Oklahoma City. 

What to do with the windows 

The arches – a staple of the 1970s – had become an eyesore in a now modern downtown Oklahoma City, especially just a few blocks away from the sleek Devon Tower. The arches had to go, but, initially, the bronze-colored windows were going to stay. Then they started making plans to upgrade the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system. 

“We figured out that we could spend all this money on the HVAC, but if we don't do the windows, our ability to improve the efficiency and comfort in the building would be limited,” said Harlow. “Fifty-year-old, 1/4" single-pane windows resulted in a less than airtight building; it was a sieve.”  

“It was really, really, bad – thermally and visually,” said Mathew Siebert, managing principal at Bockus Payne. The Oklahoma City architecture firm created the design for the public-facing parts of the renovation – the first floor, all the windows, the crown, the plaza and BancFirst’s portion of the Underground. 

Every window in the tower was replaced with one-inch insulated blue-tinted glass, BancFirst's signature color. The work took place while the building was about 50% occupied.  

“That was a huge undertaking, structurally to know that we could, and then once we got involved, dealing with the weather and all the wind. We built in a ton of downtime, but it doubled that,” said Siebert. 

The glass contractors, American Glass and Lingo, perfected the replacement process by first testing it out on the empty floors. They staged it from the inside, bringing up the glass to the floor and then handing it to the team on the outside. 

“They got where they could do a floor in two to three weeks,” said Harlow. 

Outdated glass wasn’t the only problem. The team also removed non-structural columns throughout the building. The beefy structures, many of which were non-load bearing, closed off space and blocked out sunlight, giving the ground-floor lobby a cave-like feel. 

Creating the crown 

Knowing the tower’s new design would change the Oklahoma City skyline, the team put a lot of thought into creating a crown that was both modern and meaningful.  

“We wanted to keep it simple but make it dynamic and make it stand out. We were looking at different lighting systems and it just made sense to go with something very linear up there,” said Collin Fleck, director of design at Bockus Payne. 

“The profile of the lobby façade is now very thin and lightweight looking. We changed colors to help with that too, just to give it more of a striking look,” said Fleck.  

The original curtain wall – with scalloped arches – was replaced with a modern new system, allowing it to stand out from the building. The captivating new crown comes with programmable LED lighting on the 36th floor and the BancFirst logo in 14-foot letters. 

The lighting system is the same one used by many of the hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. Its robust options include colors, designs and even letters. On New Year’s Eve, they used the lights for a countdown. 

“You don't do something that scale without understanding the impact. The lighting is a lot more impactful than I initially expected,” said Siebert. 

Turning a concrete plaza into an outside oasis 

When it came to the outdoor plaza, the team had several unique challenges.  

“The plaza was like a tarmac. It was just this huge concrete area that was very dated. We wanted to make it more inviting and soften it up,” said Harlow. 

So how do you turn a tarmac into a green space, especially when the plaza, which sits atop the garage, is a roof?  

“There were some pretty tight constraints on how much soil could be placed on the plaza,” said Bruce DeFriese, vice president and architect at Bockus Payne.  

Since trees would be too heavy, the team decided to use plants native to Oklahoma. Myriad Gardens Director of Horticulture Nate Tschaenn chose the perennials and grass that replaced the concrete. The plants, along with ample outdoor seating, tables and lights, transformed the plaza into an inviting space for both employees and pedestrians. 

Illuminating the Underground 

The next challenge was daunting: adding light to the Underground, formerly called the Conncourse. It’s a series of tunnels and skywalks connecting downtown buildings. The team first had to tackle existing tree wells visible from the Underground. From the tunnel, you saw small trees, but from the surface level, you saw something else. 

“Trash. Leaves and trash in a hole. If you were walking by, you’d just bypass it. Even if you were downstairs and you walk by it you may see the light shining down, but that’s it,” said Fleck. 

“The impact of it was pretty minimal from a daylighting standpoint. So, we thought, ‘Well, what if we add a glass lid and just shift the concourse walkway to where you'd pass underneath the glass and experience the outside?’ And if you push up that glass lid, it becomes an outward projection at the street level, making it public art at that point." 

To connect the inside with the outside, the team replaced the tree wells with structural glass “lanterns” that allow natural light to reach the Underground level. At night, the lanterns’ programmable LED light fixtures emit a warm glow. 

“We feel like now it's a signature part of the building, especially ground level,” said Harlow. 

The Underground contains a barbershop, art gallery and the Hot Tamale Grill, along with a post office and BancFirst branch. 

Transforming a lobby from lonely to lively 

The lobby was in desperate need of an extreme makeover. 

“It was a bunch of wasted space before. I mean, there was some lounge furniture, but nobody ever sat in it. It was dark and had some weird, awkward spaces,” said Fleck. 

Once dark, drab and empty, the first-floor space is now bright, open and inviting. The team accomplished that in several ways. First, they removed half of the columns lined up outside the windows. Then, they implemented a lightweight cable-braced curtain wall system to hold the new windows instead of the massive metal mullions that had been blocking out natural light for 50 years.  

The final step was modern interior design. One striking element is the dozens of light-colored wood panels arranged in the shape of waving wheat. The panels, which all came from the same tree, are behind the massive information desk. The wall’s centerpiece, created by a local artist, is a brightly lit aluminum sculpture in the shape of Oklahoma.  

The change was dramatic. The lobby is now a destination, not just a place you pass through. Petro Deli and Buzz Coffee Shop are now popular stops for people working downtown. The tables and chairs scattered throughout the space are sought-after meeting places. The first floor also houses a bustling BancFirst branch.  

There are still a few more projects to finish: full renovation of the freight elevator, renovating the Petroleum Club kitchen and installing public artwork in the plaza. The most dramatic projects are complete, changing the cityscape and BancFirst’s image.  

With the renovation, BancFirst has done a lot more than modernize a landmark tower. It has revitalized an essential area of downtown, solidifying the company's commitment to our state and to Oklahoma City’s continuing renaissance.