Historic Dowell Center to become 200 apartments in downtown OKC

A historic downtown Oklahoma City office tower is set for a new chapter as a residential development. 

P.B. Odom III Construction plans to convert the Dowell Center, a 20-story building at 134 Robert S. Kerr Ave., into approximately 200 market-rate apartments, according to CoStar News. 

The more than 200,000-square-foot building was purchased by the Oklahoma-based developer in September. Plans call for high-end finishes, fitness amenities and shared resident spaces with views of downtown Oklahoma City. 

The project is expected to take approximately 24 months to complete. 

A new use for a historic downtown tower 

Built in 1927, the Dowell Center was once the tallest building in Oklahoma City and previously served as the headquarters of Kerr-McGee. The building has been vacant for several years and was cleared to shell condition in 2019, leaving much of the interior ready for redevelopment. 

The property has also received historic designation, opening the door for state and federal historic tax credits as part of its redevelopment. 

P.B. Odom III told CoStar the building's existing condition and the economics of adaptive reuse helped make residential redevelopment an attractive option. 

Because of historic preservation requirements, elements of the nearly century-old building will remain. Odom said the building's brick-and-glass exterior facade will be preserved as the property is transformed for residential use. 

The Dowell Center redevelopment will bring new housing to the heart of Oklahoma City's central business district while returning a long-vacant piece of the downtown skyline to active use. 

For P.B. Odom III Construction, the project will mark both its first downtown development and its first historic redevelopment.